2023 MASA/MOSPRA Spring Conference General Overview: Agenda, Pre-Conference Workshops, Keynotes, and Break-Out Sessions

Get ready for the premier Missouri conference for public school superintendents, assistant superintendents, communications officers and other school leaders! Members of MASA and MOSPRA will gather March 22-24 at the Lodge of Four Seasons, Lake Ozark, Missouri, for outstanding professional development, powerful keynote speakers, and plenty of time to meet with colleagues and build your network.

The conference will feature a great line-up of sessions on topics including school law, curriculum, leadership, public relations and communications, strategic planning, school finance, mental health, and innovative means to meet student needs. Among the presenters are key leaders at the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, university scholars, legal experts, communication professionals, and members of MASA who are doing incredible work in their districts.

Conference Schedule 

(Subject to change)

Wednesday, March 22

8:00 - Registration Opens

Special Wednesday Morning Workshops

9:00 - 2:00 - *Aspiring Superintendent Workshop

10:00 - 1:00 -- Pre-conference Session "Success Ready Student Network -- Leading & Learning

10:00 - 1:00 -- Pre-conference Session "Beyond National Blueberry Day: Being Strategic and Successful on Social Media"

12:00 1:00 -  Emerging Superintendents Coaching Program Discusssions

Wednesday Afternoon Sessions

2:00 - 3:15 - Opening General Session -- Keynote Speaker - Curtis Cain, 2022 AASA Superintendent of the Year

3:30 - 4:30 - Breakout Sessions

4:30 - 5:30 - Welcome Reception - Exhibit Hall

5:00 - 6:00 - Dialogue With The Commissioner

Wednesday Evening

4:30 - MOSPRA New Member Reception

6:30 - MASA Awards Banquet

6:30 - MOSPRA Banquet Reception

7:00 - MOSPRA Awards Banquet

9:00 - MOSPRA Award Recipients Celebration

9:00 - MASA Dessert Reception For Honorees

Thursday Morning, March 23

8:00 - 11:30 - Registration Opens

7:30 - 11:30 - Exhibits Open

7:30 - Continental Breakfast (Exhibit Hall)

8:30 - 9:30 - Breakout Sessions

9:30 - 10:30 - Time To Visit Exhibit Hall

10:30 -11:30 - Breakout Sessions

Thursday Luncheon

11:30 - General Session Luncheon

MOSPRA Administrator of the Year

Speaker: Meagan Johnson, “Zap the Gap! Transforming Multi-Generational Teams”

Thursday Afternoon

2:00 - 3:00 Breakout Sessions

3:00 - 3:30 Refreshment Break

3:30 - 4:30 Breakout Sessions

Thursday Evening

5:30 - President’s Gala Reception - Exhibit Door Prizes Announced

7:00 - MASA / MOSPRA Fun Activity

Friday Morning, March 24

8:00 - MOSPRA Breakfast and Special Friday Session

8:00 - MASA Breakfast and Business Meeting - MASA Breakfast

9:00 - Legislative and School Finance Issues

Wednesday Morning Group Sessions

Aspiring Superintendent Workshop

MASA will offer its annual workshop for those who aspire to one day serve as school superintendents. The workshop will include presentations on job expectations of the superintendent; contract issues; and the superintendent application and interview process.  (Registration is separate from the conference.)

Emerging Superintendents Coaching Program Connection

Participants in the new MASA Coaching program are invited to attend and connect with their coach. In addition, opportunities to connect and collaborate with other superintendents participating in the program will take place.

Special Pre-conference Sessions (members will register sepatatly for these sessions)

Success-Ready Student Network: Leading - Learning

Join colleagues from the Success-Ready Students Network along with Bill Daggett (or a member of his team) to sharpen your saw on leadership for learning strategies. Participants will use their CSIP to reflect on ways they can engage stakeholders in designing personalized, competency-based learning systems that support students being high school, college, career and workplace ready. This session is designed to meet participants where they are and help them grow in their leadership learning journey.

Presenters: Mike Fulton; Pam Hedgepath; Charles Pearson; and Jeremy Tucker

Beyond National Blueberry Day: Being Strategic and Successful on Social Media

School PR professionals know social media is a key component to any communications plan, but when the platforms seem to change the rules, design, and algorithms every time one logs in, it can make for a very frustrating part of the job.

Participants should come prepared with logins and laptops as we dig into Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Areas to be covered include management components of each platform; tips and shortcuts; scenarios when things go wrong; and evaluation of  your district’s presence on social media.

Presenter: Melissa McConnell, Manager of Professional Development and Member Engagement for the National School Public Relations Association

Opening General Session - Wednesday - 2:00 pm

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Dr. Curtis Cain, Rockwood School District, 2022 AASA Superintendent of the Yeat

“Update from the Field”

2022 AASA Superintendent of the Year, Dr. Curtis Cain (Rockwood, Mo. School District), will share his perspectives  on the current state of public education. Cain will cover everything from the challenges and trends he sees to the importance of setting distractions aside and focusing on the work in our classrooms, ensuring all students have the tools and support they need to be successful.

Thursday Special Luncheon Session

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Meagan Johnson

“Zap the Gap! Transforming Multi-Generational Teams”

Meagan Johnson is a nationally recognized multi-generational expert. Meagan has researched, written and spoken about the multiple generations since 1997. Her focus is on how to build a culture of multi-generational collaboration… not alienation. Rather than promoting generational stereotypes, Meagan explores what drives a generation to succeed.

Breakout Sessions On Current Topics!

Leadership, Administration & Finance

• Current School Finance & Governance Topics (DESE)
• Federal Relief Programs Update  (DESE)
• Leadership & Ethics: Panel & Roundtables
• Emerging Superintendent Coaching Program
• Veteran Superintendent Collaborative Cohorts
• Are You Ready for Your Next Ballot Initiative?
• YES for Your Schools! Inform, Advocate and Bring Home a Win on Election Day
• Women in Leadership Roundtables
• First-Year Superintendents Panel and Discussion
• Getting Your Community Engaged in the Legislative Process
• Developing and Evaluating Your Leadership Team
• Transportation Matters: Electric Buses, EPA’s Diesel Emission Reduction Act; Clean School Bus Programs

Curriculum & Instruction

• Will There Be Any Five Day Week Schools In Five Years?
• Utilizing Available Tools to Enhance District Improvement
• Preparing an Enrollment Projection
• Success-Ready Student Network: The Power of Partnership

Communications, Public Relations and Marketing

• Public School Proud
• Student Voice Matters – and the Analytics Prove It
• The Power of Promoting Your People
• Amplify Your Communications from the Inside Out
• Handling the Media Mob
• 19 School Communication Tips from 19 + Years in the Trenches
• Marketing To Your District
• Forging Your Path: Your District’s and Your Own

Innovations ● Enhancing Learning ● Teacher Shortage ● Mental Health

• Seeking Alternative Schedules: A Trimester Model
• Beyond the 8:00-3:00: Empowering Learners Through Their Families
• A Strategy for Attracting and Retaining Teachers
• Your Guide to SEL and School Based Mental Health
• Navigating Mental Health Needs
• Strategic Planning Beyond Academics
• CSIP and Portrait of a Graduate Go Together Like Peanut Butter and Jelly
• The 5k Calendar (Race, Restore, Recover, and Rest)
• Addressing the Elephant in the Room about Missouri’s Teacher Shortage

Legal Issues

• Hiring for Success:  Ensuring Competitive and Compliant Hiring Practices
• The Evolution of Virtual Education: Inclusion of special education requirements in MOCAP
• Litigating the Culture Wars
• Trending Student Discipline Quandaries in the 22-23 School Year
• Safety, Security, and Student Discipline -- Protecting Students Staff and Others!
• Student/Staff Communication: Encouraging Connection; Maintaining Boundaries
• Order! Order! Public Participation at Board Meetings
• Missouri Meets Mary Jane: A Discussion on Recreational Marijuana and Its Impact on Schools