As we approach the retirement of several esteemed leaders within our ESA community, we have a meaningful opportunity to celebrate their incredible contributions and lasting impact.  

 

A tribute gift to the AESA Foundation not only recognizes the dedication and service of our retiring leaders but also supports initiatives that strengthen educational service agencies across the country. Your donation will help advance the mission of the foundation, promoting leadership, innovation, and equity in education—values that our retiring leaders have championed throughout their careers. 

 

We invite you to join us in honoring their achievements with a tribute donation. Gifts can be made easily online or by contacting us directly for assistance. Please be sure to include the name of the leader you are honoring when making your donation. 

 

Thank you for your continued support and for helping us celebrate the remarkable legacies of our retiring leaders. Together, we can ensure that their impact on education continues for years to come. 

AESA and the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN), in partnership with SETDA and AASA, are launching the next phase of an exciting initiative to help K-12 education leaders navigate the complex landscape of generative AI (Gen AI).

The Building Capacity for Generative AI in K-12 Education Project is designed to support school districts in assessing their readiness for Gen AI technologies and developing a strategic roadmap for implementation that aligns with instructional and operational objectives.

 

Earlier this year, we successfully completed our call for Lead Trainers—now, we are ready to select the Regional Trainers! We are seeking approximately 40 Regional Trainers to deliver generative AI readiness workshops to school districts in their regions.

 

As a Regional Trainer, you will:

• Develop expertise in generative AI readiness, maturity assessment, and implementation strategies.

• Empower districts—especially small and medium-sized ones—with actionable strategies for responsible, thoughtful, and sustainable generative AI adoption.

• Become part of a national network of trainers, exchanging insights, refining best practices, and sharing resources.

Application Deadline: Monday, March 17, 2025, 6:00 p.m. ET

Application Decisions: Will be communicated by Monday, March 31, 2025

 

Join Us for an Optional Info Session:

Learn more about this opportunity by attending a free one-hour virtual session led by AESA and CoSN. You will gain a deeper understanding of the business opportunity this initiative creates for affiliated ESAs and SEAs, expectations for the Regional Trainer role, and the overall timeline. There will be two sessions covering the same information:

 

Tuesday, March 11, 2025: 3:00-4:00 p.m. ET / 12:00-1:00 p.m. PT

Wednesday, March 12, 2025: 1:00-2:00 p.m. ET / 10:00-11:00 a.m. PT

 

Together, let’s prepare K-12 districts to navigate the challenges and opportunities of generative AI.

Congress has reintroduced the Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization Act ( H.R. 1381/ S. 356) which reauthorizes the program from FY24-FY26. The Secure Rural Schools (SRS) Program provides critical funding to school districts that are near federal forest lands and unable to generate revenue as a result. If Congress fails to reauthorize the program, rural schools and communities across the country will lose funding they rely on.  

 

As a reminder, at the end of last year the Senate passed the bill with unanimous consent but the House did not take it up in time. AESA is urging Congress to include the bill in the next spending package that moves (current deadline is March 14). While the program is relatively small in the context of federal funding (about $290 million), in the context of small rural schools - it is a lifeline. We will continue to advocate on this issue until Congress does the right thing and reauthorizes the program.

The U.S. Department of Education released Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) in connection with its February 14 Dear Colleague Letter (DCL). The Department’s Office for Civil Rights issued the DCL to educational institutions receiving federal funds and notified them that they must cease using race preferences and stereotypes as a factor in their admissions, hiring, promotion, scholarship, prizes, administrative support, sanctions, discipline, and other programs and activities. The DCL promised that additional guidance would be forthcoming, and these FAQs anticipate and answer questions that may arise in response to the DCL.

Each week, we'll spotlight a podcast that highlights the voices and insights of our members. Check out AESA’s curated list of ESA podcasts. Is yours missing? Contact Claire Sowder to add it. 

Have we missed one of your ESA’s stories? Send submissions to csowder@aesa.us to be included in future editions of Online News.