Georgia School Boards Association

What Georgia School Boards Association does

Georgia School Boards Association (GSBA) is a non-profit membership association founded in 1951 and headquartered in Lawrenceville, Georgia, that serves as the statewide representative body for Georgia's 180+ local public school boards of education organized across 14 regions. The association provides advocacy at the state and federal levels, GaDOE-approved professional development and governance training (via School Board U and regional workshops), policy and legal resources, risk management services (including an annual Safety Grant program), superintendent search support, strategic planning facilitation, and community engagement frameworks. The Board of Directors is composed of elected school board members drawn from member districts, with Executive Director Valarie Wilson leading a staff of 51-100 employees.

The organization's core technology product is Simbli, a proprietary board management software platform offering policy management, strategic planning, superintendent evaluation, and governance workflow tools delivered to member districts through a web-based interface at gsba.engagifii.com. Simbli is augmented by a broader service portfolio including Board Development, Community Engagement, Financial Services (notably the BuyBoard purchasing cooperative), Policy and Legal, Risk Management, Strategic Planning, and Superintendent Search services. Programmatic offerings include the Excellence in Governance Institute (co-developed with the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education), the Youth Advisory Council, and the Excellence in Governance Foundation Fund (a 501(c)(3) component launched in 2026).

GSBA operates a subscription-style membership revenue model funded primarily by annual membership dues paid by school districts, supplemented by conference and workshop registration fees, Simbli software subscriptions, and sponsorship revenue. Go-to-market is direct-to-member via a sales-led motion anchored by the flagship GSBA/GSSA Annual Conference, regional workshops, Capitol Watch legislative communications, and Simbli web onboarding. The association markets to local boards and superintendents as its primary customer segments, with secondary reach to district administrators, support staff, and student leaders via the Youth Advisory Council. GSBA is celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2026 and serves as the exclusive statewide provider of GaDOE-approved board governance training for Georgia public school boards.

Name

Georgia School Boards Association

Legal name

Georgia School Boards Association

Website

https://gsba.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1951

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Georgia School Boards Association is a 75-year-old non-profit membership association serving virtually all 180+ public school districts in Georgia across 14 regions, delivering advocacy, GaDOE-approved governance training, risk management, and Simbli board management software to local school boards and superintendents.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Lawrenceville, Georgia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: GSBA operates as a membership-based association serving local school boards and districts across Georgia. Revenue is generated through annual membership dues paid by member school districts, which fund the full range of advocacy, professional development, policy resources, and operational programs.
2. Professional Development and Conference Fees: GSBA hosts an annual conference (GSBA/GSSA Annual Conference), regional workshops, and webinars. Revenue is generated through attendee registration fees and sponsorship opportunities.
3. Simbli Software Subscriptions: Simbli, GSBA's proprietary board management software, is offered to member districts as a software platform for governance, policy, and strategic planning, likely on a subscription basis.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

GSBA is a non-profit membership association that delivers advocacy, professional development, policy and legal resources, risk management, financial services, strategic planning, and superintendent search support to Georgia's local school boards and districts. It also develops and licenses Simbli, a proprietary board management software platform used by member districts for policy management, strategic planning, and governance workflows.

Product overview

GSBA offers a unified portfolio of services centered on Simbli Board Management Software as its core technology product, supplemented by professional development, advocacy, and governance support services. Simbli provides board management, policy, and strategic planning capabilities. The service suite includes Board Development, Risk Management, Community Engagement, Financial Services, Policy and Legal, Strategic Planning, and Superintendent Search. GSBA also administers award programs (Governance Team of the Year, Beacon Award, Student Video Contest), runs the Excellence in Governance Institute training program, manages the Youth Advisory Council student leadership initiative, and operates the GSBA Foundation Fund for scholarships and advocacy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Graduation rate improved to 97.7% for Dublin City Schools following strategic planning collaboration with GSBA (2020–2024)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education (GPEE)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 February 2025GSBA and GPEE co-developed the Excellence in Governance Institute, a year-long program for school governance teams (board members and superintendents) from selected districts. The program focuses on strategic planning, policy development, and collaborative problem-solving. Four training sessions are delivered by GSBA and GPEE jointly, with capstone projects presented at GSBA's Annual Conference. The inaugural cohort includes Columbia County, Douglas County, Fulton County, and Jefferson City Schools.
• Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGSBA's professional development and training programs are submitted to and approved by the Georgia Department of Education. This approval is critical — state law and State Board rules require school board members to obtain board governance training each year, and GSBA's training is among the approved providers. This creates a structured, quasi-regulatory alignment between GSBA and GaDOE.
• Consortium of State School Boards AssociationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGSBA maintains an active presence at the national level through participation in the Consortium of State School Boards Associations Federal Advocacy Conference, enabling collective advocacy on federal education policy on behalf of Georgia's school boards.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Ohio School Boards Association (OSBA): Ohio's statewide school board association offering board development, policy services, and legal support. Directly comparable to GSBA on service portfolio and association-driven GTM.
• Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB): Membership association serving Illinois school boards with board development, policy, and advocacy services. Closely parallel to GSBA in mission, member-funded model, and statewide coverage.
• eBOARDsolutions: Board management software provider for K-12 school districts and an existing partner/donor of GSBA. Direct competitor to Simbli in governance software and also adjacent to GSBA through its Foundation Fund relationship.
• California School Boards Association (CSBA): California's statewide school board association providing governance training, policy resources, and advocacy. Comparable to GSBA in mandate, service portfolio, and membership-driven revenue model.
• Texas Association of School Boards (TASB): Statewide membership association for Texas school boards offering governance training, policy services, and advocacy, structurally analogous to GSBA but at much larger scale. Directly comparable on service mix, GTM motion, and quasi-regulatory training approval.
• New York State School Boards Association (NYSSBA): State-level school boards association serving New York districts with professional development, advocacy, and policy services. Directly comparable in structure and member services to GSBA.
• Pennsylvania School Boards Association (PSBA): Pennsylvania's statewide association of school boards providing advocacy, training, and policy support to member districts. Peer-level comparison to GSBA across governance services and member-driven funding.

Emerging players

• Diligent (BoardDocs): Provider of board management and governance software used by school districts and other public entities. Competes with GSBA's Simbli platform in the board management software category.
• Frontline Education: K-12 administration software suite including human capital management and board governance tools. Comparable to Simbli as a software vendor serving the same school district buyer.

Broad incumbents

• National School Boards Association (NSBA): National umbrella organization for U.S. school boards, providing federal advocacy and programming that complements state associations like GSBA. Comparable in mission and audience but operates at national rather than state level.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/gsbacomm
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/georgiaschoolboards
• Facebookfacebook.com/gsbacomm
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/georgia-school-boards-association
• Instagraminstagram.com/gsbacomm

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Georgia School Boards Association