The USD 253 Board of Education has paused its membership, but not fully withdrawn, from a national education advocacy organization.
During the board’s regular meeting Wednesday night, members voted unanimously to suspend its annual membership fee to the National School Boards Association (NSBA) for the 2025-26 school year. Emporia is not unique in this move as several boards across the nation have distanced themselves from the organization since 2022, with many saying it was due to the controversy surrounding a letter sent to then-President Joe Biden in 2021.
The letter drew sharp criticism for requesting federal intervention to address perceived threats and intimidation by parents at school board meetings. Specifically, the letter compared some parents to domestic terrorists, drawing backlash from many state boards.
With that in mind, noting it has been more than three years since that situation, KVOE News asked board member Art Gutierrez, who led the discussions Wednesday, if that situation had anything to do with the board’s decision Wednesday. Gutierrez stated it did not, the decision was solely made from a funding and resource perspective, noting both have been decreasing for the agency in recent months, leading Gutierrez to say the “return on investment isn’t in line with previous years.”
With this in mind, Gutierrez says the board will re-evaluate its NSBA membership over the next year and, in the meantime, focus more attention on state-level advocacy.
Gutierrez says advocacy for public education is especially important at this time, noting there are a lot of “anxieties” around the subject due to developments at the Federal level. Specifically, Gutierrez pointed to the uncertainty surrounding the US Department of Education, which is in danger of being unraveled due to the executive order signed by President Donald Trump back in March.
Again, KVOE News asked Gutierrez if these developments had any impact on the board’s decision Wednesday, to which again he stated it did not; however, he does believe it “Shines a light” on the matter. He added that he believes the Department of Education is a critical entity for all states.
While Gutierrez says the national developments had no impact on the district’s decision Wednesday, KVOE News asked if that would be the case come next year. Specifically, we inquired if funding were to continue decreasing, thus further reducing the resources available, if that would have any bearing on whether or not the district chooses to continue its membership.
Gutierrez stated, “potentially.”
The National School Boards Association is a non-profit organization founded in 1940 that represents more than 90,000 school boards across the nation. The organization hosts an annual conference each year, which members of the USD 253 Board have frequently attended, with Gutierrez noting he still plans to attend the conference this year despite the district pausing its membership dues.
