Summer Leadership Institute FAQ

Because of space limitations due to social distancing requirements, attendance will be capped in San Antonio and Fort Worth. TASB has develop a fair registration process which begins with lottery entries from April 28 to May 6. 

During this timeframe, any district wanting to send in-person attendees to SLI can "put thier name in the hat." 

The lottery for in-person attendees will take place on May 7, 2021 at 3 PM.
Watch the lottery live on this Zoom Link.

True "Registration" with the session selection sheets and payment will begin on May 10, 2021 once the lottery process is complete. (See FAQs below for additional information.) 

TASB’s 2021 SLI lottery system gives everyone an equitable opportunity to attend the event in person, removing pressure from district staff to be the first to register board members. Here is how the process will work: 

Step 1: TASB opened lottery entries at 9 a.m., Wednesday, April 28, for any district wanting to attend SLI in person. Districts will have from April 28 to May 6 to “put their name in the hat” to attend either SLI location. Lottery submissions will be made by indicating how many members from your district will want to attend. This means if you indicate all 8 members of your board-superintendent team would like to attend in San Antonio and your district is selected in the random lottery, ALL 8 are able to attend in person at the location requested. How early you enter your district in the lottery will not affect your chances of being selected. (See FAQs below for additional information.) 

Step 2: On Friday, May 7, at 3 PM TASB will use an automated system to randomly draw from the list of districts enrolled in the SLI attendance lottery. Watch the lottery live on this zoom link. 

Step 3: Beginning on May 10, 2021, districts selected to attend in person (via the lottery) will be emailed the session selection forms to complete as part of finalizing registration. The email from TASB's registrar will contain registration and housing links. A session selection sheet must be completed before registration and housing are entered. 

TASB will hold the first drawing on Friday, May 7, but the district lottery entry link for SLI will remain open even after this date. Historically, TASB has cancellations in the weeks leading up to SLI and there will be more chances for districts to win seats as they become available.  

In addition, TASB will continue to watch CDC guidelines and work with the hotels to maximize our seats for SLI while maintaining a safe event for our members. If your district is not selected, TASB is developing a robust virtual SLI that will livestream from Fort Worth, June 23-26. 

No, the first step for this lottery is to simply tell us how many seats you would like at each location. If you have members who simply want to attend, and don't have a location preference, select "either." 

Payment for SLI will be handled in Step 2 once a district is selected to attend in person and sent the session selector sheets for registration.  

We love it when a board can attend SLI together but understand that personal schedules get in the way sometimes. A district does not have to select to attend together. During the lottery entry time period, a district may divvy up which board members attend the two locations, or may select "either." 

If a district reserves for two seats in San Antonio and four seats in Fort Worth – and the districts name is drawn to attend in person, TASB will send a registration link for two people in San Antonio and four people in Fort Worth. 

In person attendees: $435 per member. 

Virtual attendees: $335 per member

Virtual + Attending a Local Watch Party: $435 per member

TASB is planning local watch parties to enhance the virtual experience. Locations are TBD but will be finalized by the time Virtual Registration opens on 5/17. Meals will be included at local Watch Parties.

All attendees will receive online access to watch recorded sessions for 30 days after the conclusion of SLI Fort Worth. 

TASB's Post Legislative Conference will take place on Saturday morning for an additional $160.

Yes, TASB would love to have your full team of eight to attend together if your district is selected in the lottery. We must limit attendance to 8 members per district unless your district has more than a 7-person board.  

During the Fort Worth dates, June 24–25, TASB will livestream the General Sessions and breakout sessions. All of the recorded sessions will be available for 30 days after the virtual conference.

TASB is reducing the price of virtual SLI to $335 and adding a new option to attend a local Watch Party during virtual SLI. The fee for the Watch Party will be $435 and will include meals. 

The Post Legislative Conference will take place on June 26. Attendees may watch virtually for an additional fee of $160. 

If you have board members or a superintendent on the fence about attending, it will be much easier to cancel a registration rather than add on one or more after the fact due to our limited attendance policy, so we recommend including them in your initial lottery sign-up. We may be able to make space for them after the fact, but we cannot guarantee it.  If you have an election in May, register the board member up for election and then contact registrar@tasb.org to substitute in the new board member should that be necessary. 

If you are having contested elections this May, you will need to wait until after the May 4 election to register your new board members. TASB’s new registration system requires that all registrants have an active record in the TASB member directory. You can add or update member information using the Member Profile application within myTASB prior to registration. We know it’s important for your new board members to receive training immediately following their election. Rest assured that we will monitor the TASB ISD sessions registrations so that every new board member is admitted. 

Please contact registrar@tasb.org if you have questions.

No, there is no committment to attend the virtual event if your district is not selcted in the lottery. 

Yes. Members who are attending SLI in person will need to pre-select sessions. This is more important than ever since the breakout rooms will be set for maximum seating including the 6-foot social distancing rules and cannot be changed on site.  

The session planning forms will be emailed to those districts selected in the lottery drawing. Expect an email from the TASB registrar on Monday, May 10. 

Keep an eye on our Registration page for more details.  

No, because of the limited attendance numbers, it is likely that everyone attending in-person at San Antonio and Fort Worth will be able to stay at the headquarter hotel. 

In Fort Worth, if you chose to stay at another hotel, the city of Fort Worth offers a free "Molly the Trolly" service in the downtown area. 

School Board members will be able to take Evaluating and Improving Student Outcomes (EISO/SB 1566) training at SLI 2021. We will also be offering the 2021 Legislative Update and the required Child Abuse Prevention course at SLI this June.  

What board training am I required to have each year? Take a look at our continuing education requirements for a full overview of annual training requirements. 

Yes, members who are attending SLI in person will need to pre-select sessions. The session planning forms will be sent to districts who are randomly selected to attend in person. Sessions must be officially chosen to complete the registration process.  

This is more important than ever since the breakout rooms will be set for maximum seating, adhering to the 6-foot social distancing rules. Changes to your session selections cannot be made on site, so please pay extra attention to what you sign up for when the session selection information is released. 

As long as you included the purchase order number on the registration form TASB does not need a copy of the purchase order. We will invoice on the number so if you make any changes to registrations, be sure you change the totals on the same number.

All registrations must be prepaid by check or credit card or include a school district purchase order.

If you sign up but are unable to attend SLI, the following terms will apply:

All registrations must be prepaid by check or credit card or include a school district purchase order. If you sign up but are unable to attend, the following terms will apply:

1. A registrant may cancel the registration and receive a refund, less a cancellation fee, if the notification of cancellation reaches the Association 14 days before the event. The cancellation fee will be $25.
2. After 14 days before the event, no refunds will be provided, but substitutions will be permitted for eligible persons.
3. No-shows will not be refunded.

The registration coordinator may edit, cancel, or make name substitutions through the registration system, accessible on the event registration webpage.

If TASB must cancel the event, TASB will refund registrations in full but will not be responsible for any indirect, special, or consequential damages (including transportation, lodging, and meal costs) sustained by the registrant.

To pay the SLI registration fees with a check, please mail them to 

TASB, Inc.
PO Box 975112
Dallas, Texas 75397-5112

TASB is working closely with the San Antonio and Fort Worth venues to follow guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for large gatherings to the extent feasible. 

Attendees will find a variety of safety measures at SLI, including requiring masks, limiting room capacities, regular sanitization, observance of social distancing, and other measures.

View TASB's complete COVID-19 Safety Measures for Attendees to learn more.

Yes, with your cooperation social distancing will be observed at SLI. Sessions will be planned to maintain social distancing.

View TASB's complete COVID-19 Safety Measures for Attendees to learn more.

Yes, attendees and hotel staff will all be required to wear a mask in public areas of the hotel.

No, TASB is neither requiring attendees to be tested for COVID-19 before attending the event nor proof of a current COVID-19 negative test result. However, by registering to attend SLI in-person, attendees commit to abide by all requirements to reduce the transmission of COVID-19; that by showing up for the event they are not experiencing or have not previously (within the past 14 days of the event), experienced any symptoms associated with COVID-19; and that they will self-monitor for signs and symptoms of COVID-19 and avoid participating if there are symptoms.

Yes, much of the in-person event will be recorded and available during the virtual event, June 24–25. After the lottery takes place, members who receive a spot for the in-person events will be sent session selection sheets and a registration link. Session selection will be very important this year as we must plan accordingly for social distancing in our meeting rooms. TASB will work to make the popular sessions available during the 30 days on demand after SLI ends.

Yes, the CDC and health officials recommend vaccinated individuals continue to wear masks in public to prevent spreading the virus.

While we are following CDC guidance for large gatherings, we feel the local guidance that allows people who travel together to sit together is more in the spirit of SLI. TASB staff is working on assigning General Session seating by district, allowing us to accommodate full boards at one table for breakfast and lunch.

With this plan, we will be able to fit more attendees than previously planned in San Antonio and Fort Worth. Breakout sessions will still be configured with the six-foot socially distanced spacing. 

All in-person attendees are responsible for monitoring their own health. TASB expects any attendee who starts to feel sick or display COVID-19 symptoms to avoid participating in any further SLI activities and to remain in their hotel room and notify TASB’s registrar at registrar@tasb.org.

We are closely monitoring the advice from local health authorities on screening participants, and we will follow that guidance. This may mean we use contactless temperature screening to identify anyone who has a high temperature. Anyone who presents a high temperature will be denied entry to the event.  If screening measures are put in place, we will let everyone know what to expect in advance.

Yes, the headquarter hotels will have hand sanitizer placed around the meeting spaces and common areas. There are also restrooms available for frequent hand washing.

View TASB's complete COVID-19 Safety Measures for Attendees to learn more.

All in-person attendees are responsible for monitoring their own health. TASB expects any attendee who starts to feel sick or display COVID-19 symptoms to avoid participating in any further SLI activities and to remain in their hotel room and notify TASB’s registrar at registrar@tasb.org.

We are closely monitoring the advice from local health authorities on screening participants, and we will follow that guidance. This may mean we use contactless temperature screening to identify anyone who has a high temperature. Anyone who presents a high temperature will be denied entry to the event.  If screening measures are put in place, we will let everyone know what to expect in advance.

All in-person registrants must acknowledge their understanding of this requirement during the registration process.

To protect the privacy of symptomatic persons, TASB will not identify any infected person by name but will give notice to others, to the extent feasible, who may have come in close contact (less than six feet) with someone who has COVID-19. 

Any in-person attendee who starts to feel sick or display COVID-19 symptoms is expected to immediately avoid participating in any further SLI activities. The attendee should remain in their hotel room and notify the TASB registrar at registrar@tasb.org. TASB will help that person with next steps.

No environment or space inside or outside of the home can ever be 100% safe. At large gatherings like SLI, we have put in place a comprehensive range of enhanced standards that make the health and safety for everyone who attends a priority.

Through measures such as enhanced deep cleaning before, during and after events, social distancing and crowd management, we are striving to provide the highest standards of safety, hygiene and cleanliness.

View TASB's complete COVID-19 Safety Measures for Attendees to learn more.

TASB Events is currently working on completing the session lineup for the virtual SLI, which gives you the freedom to take part in as little or as much of the program as you’d like.

Anyone who registers for SLI will have 30 days to watch any or all the sessions. 

Yes, you can still report your continuing education credit (CEC) just as you would when attending in person. Each session will provide a number at its conclusion, and you can use the Member Center (for board members) or myCEC (for administrators) to log your credits.

For a simple and brief explanation of how to enter your own continuing education credit, watch this video.

TASB usually opens housing first before registration but for 2021, we are conducting a lottery for seats at the two in-person SLI’s.  

Districts selected to attend in person (via the lottery) will be contacted by the TASB registrar on Monday, May 10 with links to everything you need to complete registration and housing. 

Because of the limited capacity of SLI in both locations and due to 6-foot social distancing restrictions, TASB will likely be able to house all in-person attendees at the headquarters hotel in both locations. Of course, if your board has a preference to stay somewhere else due to loyalty programs with another hotel chain, your board may select another hotel. In San Antonio specifically, TASB has agreements with La Quinta, Hyatt, Hilton Palacio del Rio, and Westin Riverwalk.