INCS Board Training

Welcome to the INCS Board Training

INCS is here to support Illinois board members to complete their required board governance training. Board members in their first year of service must complete four hours of governance training and two hours of training in each subsequent year. The requirement is in state statute. You can find the language of the law at Public Act 101-0291.

Here at INCS, we are committed to supporting board members to meet this requirement with the highest quality training. INCS is a certified trainer and stands ready to help Illinois’ 600 charter board members to fulfill this requirement.

We have set up the following programming for 2023:

Free trainings (each will count towards one hour of training)

Growing Your Board Thoughtfully: A session specifically for single site charters interested in strategic board expansion – Tuesday, April 18 from 4:00 to 5:00 pm

While all Illinois charter school board members are invited to this session, INCS and the Lumen Impact Group have created this session to dig deep into how a board can do a self assessment and determine the skills, expertise and experience needed in future board members. The session will also cover the on-the-ground tactics for vetting and recruiting new board members. All are welcome but we want to be clear that this session is targeted to the needs of smaller boards interested in growing. Please sign up here.

Increasing School Investment to Close Opportunity Gaps and Create Life-Long Learners – Tuesday, July 11 from 4:00 to 5:00 pm

A critical role of the board is to help secure philanthropic investment to ensure a school has the resources it needs to fully realize its mission and impact. Veteran non-profit leader and charter founder, Lori Baas has 25 years of successful resource development experience and successfully implemented diverse tactics to increase investment in her school and organization. In this session, Lori will share:

  • Parameters for setting fundraising goals;
  • Strategies for engaging board members and other stakeholders to identify investors;
  • Tips for coordinating board and staff leadership in the development of a work plan; and
  • Options for accountability to achieve goals.

Please sign up here.

Maximizing Board Accountability – Tuesday, September 12, 2023 from 4:00 to 5:00 pm (subject to reschedule)

Chicago Booth professor, Christina Hachikian, will share the inherent challenges of board leadership and what science says boards can do to combat role confusion, the altruism paradox, the intention paradox and lack of engagement. Board leadership is challenging, and Ms. Hachikian will break down the day-the-day problems that keep charter school boards from operating more effectively. Please sign up here.

The Expanding Role of Data and How Your Board Can Use It To Govern More Effectively – Tuesday, October 10, 2023 from 4:00 to 5:00 pm

As data and technology continue to grow and evolve, it’s becoming increasingly crucial for board members and committees to keep up with the latest data-driven practices. That’s why Innovare is offering a special session designed to help boards use data more effectively in their governance responsibilities. During this session, Nick Freeman will provide an overview of data and data sources, focusing on data related to Illinois charter schools. He will also cover dashboards available for board members and committees. Please sign up here.

INCS/ Ed Board Partners Online Modules

For those schools that have purchased the online modules INCS created in partnership with Ed Board Partners, board members can access them until June 30, 2023.  If you would like to purchase them for your board, please contact Allison.

INCS will be launching our new online board training program April 1, 2023 with more details to come.

Certificates of Completion

INCS has created Google folders for each school where they can track completion of the trainings. Please reach out to Stephanie Sandoval with questions about certificates.

INCS-approved board trainers

INCS has identified five INCS Nonprofit Leadership Training Program-approved partners that schools & networks can contract with to provide customized trainings.

Please feel free to reach out to the trainers directly. INCS staff will work with the trainers to obtain proof of training.

ISBE Board Training Approved Providers

ISBE also has a list of approved quality providers of board governance training. The providers on this list offer the required trainings for Illinois district board of education members but are also approved to train charter board members. The list can be found at this link.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to Allison Jack at INCS with any questions.