ASBA logo
 

Communications

Education services

Labour relations

Legal services

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These services are available to school boards and senior administrators on a fee-for service basis.

 

Communications

Rate: $200/hour

Counsel and advice
Communications Director , a former journalist and 18-year veteran of education communications, provides strategic counsel to senior administrators dealing with emergent issues and delicate personnel matters. As these situations often have legal implications, she works closely with the ASBA lawyers to provide comprehensive plans to respond to complex situations.

 

Workshops
Suzanne is available to present these workshops to administrators and school trustees. Contact her at 1.780.451.7122 to arrange a workshop that meets your local needs.

Communications planning: Basic
Learn a simple elegant communications planning model you can apply to local issues.

Communications planning: Advanced and issue specific
Learn a simple elegant communications planning model and during a facilitated discussion develop a plan to respond to an issue your jurisdiction is facing.

Effective school newsletters: Strategies
Research shows the school newsletter is more effective than stories in the newspaper and advertising for communicating your school’s story. Are you capitalizing on this effective tool? Learn tips and strategies to enhance your school newsletter.

Employees as ambassadors: The power of people
Learn to apply the family first principle – and give your staff the tools they need to be ambassadors for your jurisdiction.

Media relations: Basic/Advanced
Learn how to work effectively with local media. This hands-on workshop includes a mock interview with feedback. Suzanne can tailor this workshop for different audiences: principals/central office administration/trustees.

School trustees as communicators and advocates
Explore the power and potential of the role of the school trustee as communicator and advocate. Set a school board goal and develop a plan of action to support it.

 

Education services
(Governance and policy)

Rate: $210/hour

Counsel and advice
Under the leadership of , Senior Education Advisor, a team including former ASBA President Heather Welwood and retired superintendents and sr govt employees: Brian Callaghan, , John Rymer, Sig Schmold, Warren Phillips, Dr. Leroy Sloan, Ed Wittchen, Jim McLellan, Steve Cymbol and Russ Wiebe, is available to provide counsel and advice regarding governance and policy to school boards and senior administrators.

New focus on assessment
Consultant John Rymer joined the ASBA in February 2012 bringing years of experience and focus on student assessment to the association. Most recently Executive Director of Learner Assessment for Alberta Education, John is currently Program Coordinator for the University of Calgary’s MEd Specialist program in Assessment. John can provide the following workshops or tailor a workshop to your local school board needs.

Assessment and student evaluation policy
Assessment and student evaluation are complex and sound policy needs to be based on current best practices.  Is your policy up to date?  This workshop provides a basic understanding of the assessment and student evaluation to provide you with the toolss to review or update your current policies.

Expanding our definition of student success
Student achievement on provincial assessments has been a long standing accountability measure.  Are there other measures of student success that may exist in your local context?  This workshop helps you identify measures for success that are focused on your district and its context.

En francais
With the addition of Brian Callaghan to the team, the ASBA is now able to offer governance and policy services in French.

Services provided include: 

executive searches

policy development and reviews

strategic planning

strategic planning during fiscal restraint

superintendent evaluations

evaluations jurisdiction/school based administrators

school board evaluations

organizational reviews

functional reviews

 

Workshops
Members of this team are available to provide the following workshops to school boards. Contact at 1.780.451.7136 to arrange for a workshop tailored to your local needs.

School boards

 

Roles and responsibilities
Board orientation
Boards make a difference

Board/superintendent relations

 

Building the leadership team
Evaluating the CEO
Effective meetings
Practical governance tools
Role of board/role of superintendent
Board committees
Board governance
Conflict resolution
Corporate values
Accountability reports

Leadership development

 

Improving student achievement
Team building
Professional growth plans
Teacher evaluation
Good to great
Six thinking hats

 

Labour relations

Rate: $200/hour

Counsel and advice
Labour relations consultants and are available to assist school boards with negotiations.  As teacher contracts have been settled until 2012, the labour team is focused on support staff negotiations. They are also available to assist with other human resources issues such as progressive discipline; performance management and central office staffing and compensation reviews. 

 

Legal services

Rate: $250/hour

Counsel and advice
Under the leadership of senior lawyer , four lawyers: , , and provide legal counsel to senior administrators and school boards. The ASBA lawyers' practice is exclusive to school boards. They are available to assist with labour and contract questions; human rights matters and privacy issues.