What Wisconsin Assn of School District Administrators does

Wisconsin Association of School District Administrators (WASDA) is a nonprofit professional association founded in 1959 and headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, serving the chief administrators of Wisconsin's 421 public school districts, the 12 Cooperative Education Service Agencies (CESA), and County Handicapped Children's Education Boards. The organization operates with a 7-person staff and is governed by a member-elected Board of Directors with representation across all 12 CESA regions. WASDA maintains a wholly-owned subsidiary, WASSA (Wisconsin Association of School Superintendent Assistants), established in 2002 to serve superintendent assistants.

WASDA's product portfolio spans professional development academies (First Year Superintendents Academy, Early Career Superintendents Academy, Communications Academy, Operational and Capital Referenda Academies, and Supporting Principal Excellence Academy), resource libraries (Baird Video Library on school finance, Legal Library on school law), annual conferences (Fall Superintendents Conference, Summer Legal Seminar, Annual Educational Conference), and a Career Center job board. The underlying technology stack is built on the YourMembership association management platform, which powers the member portal, event registration, email communications, and career center. The organization also operates a Business Partner program connecting vendors with superintendent decision-makers.

Revenue is generated primarily through five annual membership tiers (Full Voting $1,255, Business Partner $1,255, Sponsored $627.50, Affiliate $215, and WASSA $115), supplemented by event registration fees, resource library subscriptions, and newsletter advertising. Strategic partnerships include AASA (Superintendent of the Year program), Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, WASB and WASBO (Joint State Education Convention), The Donovan Group (crisis communications), Howick Associates (leadership coaching), and Robert W. Baird & Co. (finance video library). Co-location with AWSA, SAA, and WASBO at the Wisconsin School Leadership Center creates a comprehensive ecosystem for educational leadership in the state.

Name

Wisconsin Assn of School District Administrators

Legal name

Wisconsin Association of School District Administrators

Website

https://wasda.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1959

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Wisconsin Association of School District Administrators (WASDA) is a 1959-founded nonprofit professional association serving Wisconsin public school superintendents across 421 districts and 12 CESA regions through membership, professional development academies, legal support, and advocacy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Madison

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: WASDA generates revenue primarily through annual membership dues from five categories: Full Voting Members ($1,255/year), Sponsored Members ($627.50/year), Affiliate Members ($215/year), WASSA Members ($115/year), and Business Partners ($1,255/year). The membership year runs July 1 through June 30.
2. Resource Library Subscriptions: Additional revenue from specialized resource libraries including Baird Video Library ($2,000/year for 2023-2024) and Legal Library ($100/year for 2023-2024) available to member districts.
3. Event Registration Fees: Revenue from professional development events and conferences including Summer Legal Seminar, Fall Superintendents Conference, Annual Educational Conference, and various academies with registration fees ranging from $150 to $1,675.
4. Newsletter Advertising: Advertising revenue in monthly online newsletter, with discounted rates for Business Partners. Ad dimensions and rates available in downloadable PDF.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

WASDA is a professional membership association serving Wisconsin public school superintendents through tiered annual memberships, multi-track professional development academies, resource libraries (school finance and school law), major conferences, and a Business Partner program for vendors. It also operates a subsidiary association (WASSA) for superintendent assistants and provides advocacy, legal support, and crisis communications services to members.

Product overview

The Wisconsin Association of School District Administrators (WASDA) is a professional association serving public school superintendents since 1959. The organization offers a portfolio of professional development programs including the First Year Superintendents Academy, Early Career Superintendents Academy, Communications Academy, Supporting Principal Excellence Academy, and Operational and Capital Referenda Academies. Supporting these programs are resource libraries including the Baird Video Library (school finance videos) and Legal Library (school law resources). The association also manages the WASSA program for superintendent assistants, a Business Partner program connecting vendors with district decision-makers, a Career Center job board, and organizes major annual conferences including the Fall Superintendents Conference, Summer Legal Seminar, and Annual Educational Conference.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• First Year Superintendents Academy A year-long induction program for first-year Wisconsin public school superintendents offering in-person workshops, virtual academy sessions, executive coaching, mentoring, and on-demand access to recorded sessions covering governance, board relationships, student achievement, school law, fiscal stewardship, communications, and community engagement.
• Early Career Superintendents Academy A professional growth program for superintendents in their 2nd through 5th year of service providing personalized executive coaching and access to First Year Academy sessions for continued learning and skill refinement.
• Communications Academy A nine-session series for superintendents and communications staff covering communication fundamentals, engagement strategies, crisis communications, AI in communication, social media, and enrollment marketing. Includes live sessions (recorded for on-demand access), strategy consultations, and materials through September 2027.
• Operational and Capital Referenda Academies Two year-long focused tracks for district leaders on planning and managing capital and operational referendums, covering financial forecasting, statutory compliance, tax impact modeling, and community communication. Both academies meet September through January with in-person and virtual sessions.
• Supporting Principal Excellence Academy A joint WASDA/AWSA four-session program equipping school leaders with coaching tools and strategies to enhance principal performance in leading schools that support student success.
• Baird Video Library An online subscription library of over 100 short, interactive videos on school finance topics including WUFAR coding, referendums, revenue limits, fund accounting, levy calculations, equalization aid, and DPI reporting, organized into sections for various expertise levels.
• Legal Library An online subscription resource library featuring video presentations, legal briefs, and guidance in school law areas including communication, employment, personnel, special education, records, and student matters.
• Business Partner Program An annual membership program for businesses and vendors marketing products or services to Wisconsin public school districts, offering networking opportunities with superintendents at WASDA events, website listing, newsletter advertising at a discounted rate, article contributions, event sponsorship opportunities, and eligibility to present at the Annual Conference.
• WASSA Membership Program An annual membership program for superintendent assistants (Wisconsin Association of School Superintendent Assistants) providing Fall and Spring workshops, event communications, networking opportunities through discussion forum and Facebook page, and role-specific professional development.
• Career Center An online job board providing career opportunities for education professionals, accessible via the sbo.wi.associationcareernetwork.com platform.
• Annual Educational Conference WASDA's annual flagship conference bringing together superintendents and educational leaders for professional development, networking, and association business.
• Fall Superintendents Conference An annual fall conference held in Madison featuring keynote sessions, breakout presentations, and collaborative learning focused on current education issues, typically drawing 300+ superintendents.
• Summer Legal Seminar An annual three-day seminar on school law topics presented in cooperation with Wisconsin school law firms, held in Door County and typically drawing approximately 175 superintendents.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 250 superintendent assistants actively engaged through WASSA
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• The Donovan Group LLCcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2004Founded in 2004, The Donovan Group is a communications and community engagement firm focusing exclusively on education. Provides 24/7/365 crisis communication services to WASDA members at no charge, including counsel, custom letters, news releases, social media posts, and talking points. Also provides general communications consulting including referendum support and strategic communications planning.
• Howick AssociatescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1994For over thirty years, Howick Associates has provided advisory, training, and coaching services to education leaders. Services include community engagement facilitation, board governance development, and staff engagement consulting. Drew Howick works with public education focusing on community engagement, school board effectiveness, and organizational culture.
• Robert W. Baird & Co. (Baird)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBaird provides the Baird Video Library containing 100+ interactive videos on school finance topics including WUFAR coding, referendum planning, revenue limits, equalization aid, DPI reporting, and fund accounting. Baird's public finance team supports Wisconsin school districts with debt management and financial strategies.
• Wisconsin School Boards Association (WASB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-hosts the annual Joint State Education Convention in Milwaukee with WASB and WASBO. Organizations share educational programming and resources for Wisconsin school district leadership.
• Wisconsin Association of School Business Officials (WASBO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-hosts the annual Joint State Education Convention with WASB and annual academies including Operational and Capital Referenda Academies. Organizations collaborate on professional development for school district leadership.
• Association of Wisconsin School Administrators (AWSA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-located at Wisconsin School Leadership Center in Madison. Collaborates on professional development including the Supporting Principal Excellence Academy.
• School Administrators Association (SAA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-located at Wisconsin School Leadership Center in Madison. Dee Pettack, WASDA's Director of Government Relations, previously served as Executive Director at SAA.
• American Association of School Administrators (AASA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational partner administering the Superintendent of the Year program. Wisconsin winner advances to national competition. AASA National Conference on Education is hosted annually with state association participation.
• Wisconsin Department of Public InstructioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFall Superintendents Conference held in cooperation with State Superintendent Jill Underly. DPI consultants provide updates on regulatory topics and educational policy.
• YourMembershipsupportingTechnology or IntegrationProvides membership management software powering the WASDA website, including member portal, event registration, email communications, and career center functionality.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• National School Boards Association (NSBA): National association for school board members, complementary to WASDA's superintendent constituency. Broadly comparable as a national education governance membership organization serving the broader K-12 leadership ecosystem.
• AASA (American Association of School Administrators): National-level superintendent association that administers the Superintendent of the Year program in which Wisconsin's WASDA winner participates. Broadly comparable mission and constituency but operates at national scale with broader programming and policy influence.
• Association of School Business Officials International (ASBO): International professional association for school business officials, parallel to WASBO at the national/global level. Broadly comparable membership-based education-administration professional association model.

Direct peers

• Association of Wisconsin School Administrators (AWSA): Co-located peer association at the Wisconsin School Leadership Center serving Wisconsin school administrators (principals/assistant principals) rather than superintendents. Directly comparable in mission, governance, and operational structure, and jointly delivers programs like the Supporting Principal Excellence Academy.
• Wisconsin School Boards Association (WASB): Co-hosts the annual Joint State Education Convention with WASDA and WASBO. Directly comparable as a Wisconsin statewide education association, though serving board members rather than administrators.
• Wisconsin Association of School Business Officials (WASBO): Co-located Wisconsin peer association for school business officials, jointly delivering academies and the State Education Convention with WASDA. Directly comparable as a state-level education leadership association serving a different administrative function.
• School Administrators Association (SAA): Co-located Wisconsin peer association for school administrators, sharing the Wisconsin School Leadership Center with WASDA. Directly comparable as a state-level professional association with overlapping membership and joint programming.

Others

• The Donovan Group LLC: Education-focused communications and community engagement firm that has been a strategic partner of WASDA since 2004 providing crisis communications to members. Comparable as an adjacent ecosystem participant in the Wisconsin K-12 leadership services market.

Regional players

• Minnesota Association of School Administrators (MASA): State-level professional association for Minnesota school administrators. Comparable as a neighboring state superintendent association with similar professional development, advocacy, and membership structures.
• Illinois Association of School Administrators (IASA): State-level professional association for Illinois school administrators, structurally and functionally equivalent to WASDA. Comparable as a peer state superintendent association with similar programming, advocacy, and membership dues model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wasda-wisconsin-assn-of-school-district-administrators

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Wisconsin Assn of School District Administrators