Illinois Association of School Boards

What Illinois Association of School Boards does

Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB) is a private, member-funded, non-profit corporation organized under Article 23 of The Illinois School Code, providing governance training, policy services, advocacy, and professional development to all 849 public school boards in Illinois (founded c. 1913; headquarters in Springfield with a regional office in Lombard). Its core offerings span four service lines: professional development (the Joint Annual Conference — co-hosted with the Illinois Association of School Administrators and the Illinois Association of School Business Officials — online learning, mandatory board member training, and in-district workshops), policy services (PRESS, PRESS Plus, School Board Policies Online, and Administrative Procedures Online), governance support (Executive Searches, BoardBook meeting-preparation tool, the IASB Online Community member platform), and publications (the bimonthly Illinois School Board Journal and the Inside IASB Podcast).

The organization is structured around 21 geographic divisions staffed by Directors of Outreach & Training who serve as the direct field link between each district and Association services, and a Delegate Assembly that sets statewide advocacy positions. Revenue is generated principally through membership dues from its 849 member districts, conference and training fees, the PRESS subscription and its enhanced PRESS Plus tier, executive-search engagements, and bookstore sales of pamphlets, tools, and policy resources. Service Associates and partnerships (COSSBA, INSPRA, Learning Technology Center of Illinois, ECRA Group) extend its commercial and advocacy reach without altering its non-profit structure.

The leadership team, headed by Executive Director Kimberly A. Small, J.D., includes dedicated governmental-relations staff for state and federal advocacy and editorial leadership of the Journal. With 5,900+ elected board members, 1,200+ newly-elected members trained annually, and a statutory basis under Illinois School Code, IASB occupies a quasi-official role in Illinois K-12 governance with 100% market coverage of its defined customer base.

Name

Illinois Association of School Boards

Legal name

Illinois Association of School Boards

Website

https://iasb.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1921

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Illinois Association of School Boards is a 100+ year-old, member-funded non-profit under Article 23 of The Illinois School Code providing governance training, policy services, advocacy, and publications to all 849 public school boards in Illinois.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Association Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Governance & Board Effectiveness Advisory (BPAHAFAC)

Keywords

• School board governance
• Policy services
• Education advocacy
• Board member training
• Superintendent search

Headquarters

HQ city

Springfield

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: IASB is a voluntary membership organization of local boards of education. All 849 public school boards in Illinois hold active membership, suggesting membership dues as the primary revenue source.
2. Conference and Training Fees: Revenue generated from the Joint Annual Conference (one of the nation's largest state education conferences), professional advancement seminars, and in-district workshop services.
3. Publications and Bookstore: Sale of publications including the Illinois School Board Journal, pamphlets, tools, and policy resources through the online bookstore.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

IASB is a voluntary membership association of local boards of education that provides governance training, standardized policy reference services (PRESS/PRESS Plus), superintendent executive searches, advocacy representation at state and federal levels, conferences, workshops, and publications to all 849 public school boards in Illinois. Members receive access to online learning, the bimonthly Illinois School Board Journal, the Inside IASB podcast, BoardBook meeting preparation tools, and an online community for peer exchange.

Product overview

The Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB) offers a comprehensive portfolio of member services organized around four core areas: professional development (training, conferences, online learning, workshops), policy services (PRESS policy subscription, administrative procedures), governance support (executive searches, BoardBook, Online Community), and publications (Illinois School Board Journal, Inside IASB podcast). These offerings are designed to support school board members throughout their governance responsibilities, from policy development to superintendent recruitment to ongoing professional learning. The organization serves all 849 public school boards in Illinois through regional divisions and annual conferences.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Joint Annual Conference

Quantifiable outcome

• IASB trains over 1,200 newly-elected board members annually on governance roles and responsibilities.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

AI capability1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Illinois Association of School Administrators (IASA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIASB partners with IASA on co-hosting the Joint Annual Conference and Professional Advancement Seminars, combining resources for statewide education leadership development.
• Illinois Association of School Business Officials (IASBO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIASBO co-hosts the Joint Annual Conference with IASB and IASA, providing professional development for school business officials across Illinois.
• Consortium of State School Boards Associations (COSSBA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCOSSBA coordinates federal advocacy conferences where IASB members join school board members from across the nation in Washington D.C. to advocate for federal education policy. IASB hosts COSSBA events and training.
• Illinois Chapter of National School Public Relations Association (INSPRA)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerINSPRA is the Illinois professional organization for school communications, providing monthly professional development sessions that IASB promotes to member districts.
• Learning Technology Center (LTC) IllinoisminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLTC Illinois provides digital equity training and consulting support for broadband connectivity and device access. IASB Journal references LTC resources for member districts.
• Service Associates ProgramminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIASB's Service Associates are approved partners and vendors that provide services to member school districts. The program includes various education service providers vetted by IASB.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• New York State School Boards Association (NYSSBA): Statewide membership association serving New York school boards with training, policy services, and advocacy — a close peer in governance focus and service portfolio to IASB.
• Texas Association of School Boards (TASB): Major Texas school boards association providing policy services, training, executive search, and advocacy — directly comparable to IASB in scale, service breadth, and member-services model.
• National School Boards Association (NSBA): The national umbrella association for U.S. public school boards, providing training, policy resources, and federal advocacy — the national-level analogue of IASB and the most directly comparable peer in mission and product set.
• California School Boards Association (CSBA): California's statewide school boards association offering governance training, policy services, and advocacy — a direct regional peer with a service mix closely aligned to IASB.
• Florida School Boards Association (FSBA): Florida's statewide school boards association offering training, advocacy, and governance support to member districts — a directly comparable state-level peer to IASB.
• Pennsylvania School Boards Association (PSBA): Statewide Pennsylvania school boards association providing training, policy, and advocacy services — a comparable state-level peer in mission, governance focus, and member services.
• Ohio School Boards Association (OSBA): A large Midwest state school boards association offering training, policy services, and advocacy to Ohio public boards — directly comparable in scope, membership model, and service mix to IASB.

Broad incumbents

• Illinois Association of School Administrators (IASA): Adjacent Illinois education association serving school administrators rather than boards; a co-host of the Joint Annual Conference with IASB and a natural cross-organization peer in the Illinois K-12 governance ecosystem.
• Illinois Association of School Business Officials (IASBO): Illinois professional association for school business officials, co-hosting the Joint Annual Conference with IASB and IASA — an adjacent peer within the same Illinois K-12 governance community.

Others

• Consortium of State School Boards Associations (COSSBA): Coalition of state school boards associations (including IASB) coordinating federal advocacy and shared training — a strategic ecosystem partner rather than a competitor, but a relevant peer for benchmarking multi-state governance engagement.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/ILschoolboards/?utm_source=footer%20navigation&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=footer%20tracking&utm_content=Twitter
• Facebookfacebook.com/illinoisassociationofschoolboards/?utm_source=footer%20navigation&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=footer%20tracking&utm_content=Facebook
• Instagraminstagram.com/ilschoolboards
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/illinois-association-of-school-boards

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

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 Illinois Association of School Boards