Conferences

Friday, June 10 – Saturday, June 11, 2022

Thursday, June 9, 2022

Hyatt Regency Savannah,

2 West Bay Street, Savannah, GA 31401

912.238.1234

The 2022 Summer Conference & Pre-Conference Workshops will be offered in a limited hybrid format. The Policy Pre-Conference Workshop will be offered both in-person and virtually, the other 3 workshops will only be offered in person. The Summer Conference will be offered both in-person and virtually. The only sessions that will be streamed to virtual attendees will be the General Sessions in the Ballroom. Breakout sessions will not be available to virtual attendees. Delegate Assembly will also be in-person only.

Virtual

• Summer Conference Registration (virtual) | $250 | $320 after 5/18/22
• Policy Workshop (virtual) | $200 | $270 after 5/18/22

 In-Person

• Summer Conference Registration (in-person) | $350 | $420 after 5/18/22
• Policy Workshop (in-person) | $230 | $300 after 5/18/22
• Board & Superintendent Relationships & Accountability (in-person only) ) | $230 | $300 after 5/18/22
• Best Practices: Governance Team of the Year Districts (in-person only) | $230 | $300 after 5/18/22
• Support Staff Workshop (in-person only) | $175 | $245 after 5/18/22

NOTE: Registration fees for the Workshops and the Conference will increase by $70 each after Wednesday, May 18, 2022.

Both in-person and virtual cancellations must be submitted in writing to Leigh Crow, lcrow@gsba.com, no later than Wednesday, May 18, 2022. Cancellations will be assessed a $70 fee. Cancellations will not be accepted after this date.

If switching from in-person to virtual, requests must be submitted in writing to Leigh Crow, lcrow@gsba.com, no later than Wednesday, May 18, 2022.

If you would like to substitute a registration from one board member to another, you may do so at any time. Substitutions for workshops may also be made at any time.

The Summer Conference will take place on Friday, June 10 from 8:30am-4:00pm and Saturday, June 11 from 8:30am-10:30am. All activities will take place in the Regency Ballroom with the exception of our Breakout Sessions, those will take place in other spaces at the Hyatt. The Summer Conference will be offered both in-person and virtually. The only sessions that will be streamed to virtual attendees will be the General Sessions in the Ballroom. Breakout sessions will not be available to virtual attendees.

For in-person attendees, breakfast and lunch will be offered on Friday and only breakfast will be offered on Saturday.

GSBA has a great program lined up for the 2022 Summer Conference. Please check the Agenda tab regularly as more information becomes available, it will be added to the website and Whova.

The Annual Delegate Assembly is held on Friday, June 10 from 2:45 pm-4:00 pm. The Delegate Assembly will be in-person only. Your system’s Delegate and Alternate Delegate should make every effort to be in attendance. At this session, the voting occurs on the legislative positions for GSBA for the coming legislative year. Delegates will register on Friday after lunch for this segment and obtain their voting devices at that time.

GSBA affords local school board members a great opportunity to fulfill their annual training requirements for the fiscal year in conjunction with the GSBA Summer Conference. This is a convenient way to obtain the necessary credit for annual training (see O.C.G.A 20-2-230).

GSBA is proud to offer 4 Workshops at the 2022 Summer Conference. All workshops will go from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm. For in-person attendees, a continental breakfast will be offered in the morning, boxed lunches will be served at noon, and breaks will be available throughout the day.

Three of the four workshops will provide 6 hours of credit for board members. Only the Policy Workshop will be offered both virtually and in person. Please check the Pre-Conference Workshop tab regularly, as more information becomes available, it will be added to the website and Whova.

Virtual

• Policy Workshop (virtual) | $200 | 6 credit hours

In-Person

• Policy Workshop (in-person) | $230 | 6 credit hours
• Board & Superintendent Relationships & Accountability (in-person only) | $230 | 6 credit hours
• Best Practices: Governance Team of the Year Districts (in-person only) | $230 | 6 credit hours
• Support Staff Workshop (in-person only) | $175 | certificate of completion will be given

We will again be using the Whova platform for all attendees. Within Whova, attendees can access the agenda, conference materials, and the sessions that attendees are registered for that are being live-streamed.

Whova is the web and mobile event application we will be using to allow attendees to access the agenda, conference materials, digital exhibit booths, and the sessions that are being live-streamed. This is the same platform that was used for the 2021 GSBA Summer Conference and the 2021 GSBA/GSSA Annual Conference. Details to access the event will be emailed to all attendees as we get closer to the event.

If you have previously used Whova to access the prior GSBA conferences then you will use the same login information. If this is your first time, you will be prompted to create an account on your first login. Detailed instructions will be emailed to all attendees ahead of time.

No. The Whova Leaderboard is simply to show the level of engagement by the attendees but there will be no prizes for the leaders.

Visit the Agenda tab on this webpage for additional details. This tab will be updated as more information becomes available. Please note, that the agenda is subject to change.

The agenda will also be available on Whova. More information on Whova will be posted soon.

Registration for the Conference and Workshops opens Tuesday, April 26 at 10:00 am.

The Conference registration link will be emailed out on Thursday, April 21. It will also be posted on the GSBA website under the Event Registration Page and the Conference Page. This link will go live on Tuesday, April 26 at 10:00am. You may register all of your governance team at this time utilizing this one link. There are no limitations on in-person attendees.

The reservation link for the Hyatt Regency will go live Thursday, April 28 at 10:00 am.

Hotel reservations may only be made AFTER registering for the Conference and/or Pre-Conference Workshops. After you register for the Conference, a confirmation page will appear, including a link to the Hyatt reservations; this will also be sent in a confirmation email. This link will go live on Thursday, April 28 at 10:00 am. and will not be made available anywhere else. Please use this one link to make all reservations, there is not a unique one for each individual registrant. Per hotel policy, only 2 reservations can be made at one time.

We heard you! In an effort to ease the process, registration for the 2022 Summer Conference and Hyatt Hotel reservations will take place on two separate days. GSBA hopes this will make the registration process a little less stressful. Additional information regarding this process will be made available to support staff at a later date.

Simbli is excited to host a FREE User Workshop on Wednesday, June 8 from 1:30 pm-4:30 pm at the Hyatt. This workshop is free of charge and is intended for all administrative users of Simbli. Join us as we look back over the past year and review some of the Simbli enhancements, learn what’s coming for next year and revisit some of our favorite Simbli features. Meet your fellow Simbli users and all the staff at GSBA that support you every day. Stay for a cocktail hour and enjoy sharing ideas. More details and registration information can be found on the event registration page after registration opens. This will be offered in person only.

2022 GSBA Summer Conference Agenda

Per Hyatt policy, only two reservations can be made online at one time.

Unfortunately, GSBA is only allotted so many rooms at the Hyatt. If you are unable to get a room at the Hyatt, we encourage you to check out our list of overflow hotels for accommodations.

View our list of overflow hotels.

When making your hotel reservations, indicate that you are with the Georgia School Boards Association or GSBA group in order to get the special negotiated rate.

Savannah hotels have a daily parking fee ranging from $7.00 to $32.00 per day. If you drive to the Hyatt from any other hotel, you will be subject to a parking fee at the Hyatt (if they have any availability).

No, all board awards, recognition, and service pins will be presented at the Annual Conference in December.

Parking at the Hyatt is valet only, there is no self-parking: $15 for 0-4 hours; $21 for 4-8 hours; $31 for overnight (per night). There are several parking structures nearby and can be viewed here.

The Hyatt’s check-in time is 4:00pm. The Hyatt’s check-out time is 11:00am.

Due to space limitations, additional meal tickets are not available for purchase.

NOTE: If you are registered for the Workshops and/or the conference, you do not need to purchase additional meal tickets.

Name badges may be picked up at the Conference Registration Desk on the second floor of the Hyatt. Workshop and Conference attendees may pick up their name badges on Wednesday, June 8 from 4:00 pm-7:00 pm and any time on Thursday, June 9, and Friday, June 10.

GSBA will be following CDC guidelines regarding Covid-19. Please visit their website for additional information.

At this time, the City of Savannah does not have a mask mandate.

GSBA will do its best to accommodate special dietary needs. Please contact Leigh Crow at lcrow@gsba.com with any specific requests.

GSBA will be hosting a luncheon for Board Chairs attending the Pre-Conference workshops on Thursday, June 9. Board Chairs will receive additional information from Nancy McLellan at a later date.

No, Governance Teams may not meet during programing times at the Pre-Conference Workshops and the Conference. However, if a Governance Team would like to meet at the Hyatt before or after programming hours, please reach out to Leigh Crow at lcrow@gsba.com.

Conference attendees will be able to visit with exhibitors on Friday, June 10. Please make sure you stop by to say hi!

All opportunities for exhibits and sponsorships are accessible on the Business Opportunities website and can be signed up from there. If you have additional questions, please contact Pam Harrison by email at pharrison@gsba.com or by phone at 770.962.6855.

In an effort to reduce the amount of paper used, handouts will not be distributed. All materials will be made available on Whova.

GSBA will once again be using a badge scanning process to award credit hours to board members at the Pre-Conference Workshops. All board members will need to make sure their badges are scanned when they arrive at the workshop and when they leave the workshop at the end of the day. Designated GSBA team members will be standing at the doors to scan badges.

For board members attending the Policy workshop virtually, Whova will provide a viewing record to GSBA to verify a board member watched the workshop.