Iowa Superintendents Finance & Leadership Consortium (ISFLC) February Conference

Wednesday, Feb. 18–Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026
FFA Enrichment Center, Ankeny

Online registration will open in December 2025!

The ISFLC February Conference is the second of two conferences offered in the winter as part of the ISFLC program. Both of these conferences are developed for current and aspiring superintendents, as well as school business officials. All session tracks are led by Iowa experts with skills and expertise in identified criteria areas. Please note that aspiring superintendents must first complete Dollars & Sense: Fundamentals of School Finance (Track 1) as the initial program of study. After completing this session, aspiring superintendents may register for any of the remaining session tracks.  

Intensive Sessions (Tracks)

How to Prepare & Present Your District's Budget with Confidence (Track 3)

Build Your Leadership Toolbelt for Student Success—Capitol Visit (Track 13)

Iowa's Standards for School Leaders (ISSL) guide effective leadership for Iowa schools with a comprehensive set of criteria reflecting the necessary knowledge and skills. This intensive session, using ISSL as a framework, will add tools to your leadership toolbelt with the ultimate goal of student success through effective leadership and advocacy.

Leadership is essential for systemic change, but first, the conditions and leadership skills needed for this change must first be addressed, as well as any individual leadership challenges. As you spend substantial think time on how to define metrics for measuring personal style and fit based on district needs, you will also consider ways to develop skills within your district leadership team. Remember, a leader is only as good as their team!

Led by two experienced superintendents, participants will discover how to go from concept, to planning, to successful execution of a shared vision of learning; a positive school culture; an effective instructional program; and community collaboration. In addition, you will dig into integrity, fairness and ethics and how to apply them consistently in all facets of your work.

On day two, you will head to the Capitol for a hands-on, in-person outing to further develop your leadership skills by interacting with your legislators and learning firsthand how to respond to and influence the political environment.

Instructor:
Mark Lane, Superintendent, Woodward-Granger Schools

 

Funding the Financial Spectrum of Special Education (Track 14)

Leadership-Life Fitness for Superintendents & School Business Officials (Track 15)

A work-life balance seems like a buzzword, a pipe dream that will never become reality. But what if we told you that by abandoning the idea of work-life balance and shifting your thinking to integrate a leadership life-fit, you can bring more joy and satisfaction to your life? This session, geared toward school business officials and superintendents, will introduce a new paradigm for thinking about work-life balance.  

Education leaders who develop and practice a more holistic approach to work and life are more likely to succeed within your organization. Experts from SAI and Western Dubuque Schools will share tools and strategies to maximize your energy and time for greater efficiency and effectiveness.   

Over the two days, you will identify your "big rocks" and purposes, create an action plan to support a quality leadership-life fit, and experience a variety of tools and strategies to help you achieve your goals. Ultimately, you will leave with a shift in your thinking around work-life balance and have the skills necessary to adopt a new leadership-life fit.

Instructors:
Dr. Sharon Dentlinger, Assistant Professor of Practice, Superintendency, University of Northern Iowa

Employee Laws & Regulations Every Employer Should Know (Track 31)

Employee relations—personnel matters—labor laws. Few words strike fear in the hearts of individuals as it does when hearing these words uttered. It doesn't have to be this way! Your district is likely one of, if not the largest, employers in your community. It is critical that as a leader in your district, you understand employment law, and that you can effectively administer it as well.    

The instructors are well-equipped to lead participants through activities to ensure in-depth understanding of employment-related issues from hiring all the way through to separation of employment. Once you've mastered these concepts, you'll transition into the myriad of legal issues that may arise throughout the employment process and discover when it's appropriate to contact district legal counsel, as well as learn how to develop and maintain a strong working relationship with employees.    

As you're building your skills throughout the two days, you'll take a look at your board policy; explore administrative regulations; and review forms, records and other materials that relate to employment law. Additionally, scenarios will be presented to help you identify issue spotting in topic areas such as special education, the First Amendment, social media, or other PR related issues etc.—what's wrong with the scenario, how would you approach it differently, etc.    

Join a seasoned superintendent and experienced attorneys from the Iowa Association of School Boards and Ahlers & Cooney, P.C. to go deep into all these topics and more, including federal legal requirements, public records requests, employee rights, and compliant filing. 

Instructors:
Tara Paul, Superintendent, Indianola Schools
Anna Harmon, Legal & Policy Director, Iowa Association of School Boards

Recruiting, Onboarding & Retaining High Quality Staff (Track 47)

Current and proposed legislation, along with external factors such as the teacher shortage, changing demographics in Iowa, increased needs of students and staff, supplemental state aid that does not keep up with inflation, and projections of ongoing reduced state revenue have caused a unique challenge for school leaders. District leaders are compelled to revise traditional recruitment, onboarding and retention processes and procedures as well as benefits offered in an effort to attract and retain the best staff possible for their students, all while honoring the staff they currently employ. 

Attendees will learn about and brainstorm together creative methods of attracting new staff to their districts, along with sharing ideas on how to retain and honor the value of current staff. The Instructors will engage participants in conversations around topics such as effective onboarding, apprenticeships, bonuses, flexible working hours, creative scheduling, types of leaves, dealing with mental health issues, and balancing the needs of the system and students with the requests and new expectations of those working in the system. Funding these concepts and how to educate legislators as well as gaining legislative support for them will also be addressed.  

When you have completed the Track, you will have been exposed to a wide variety of methods to address what is likely to be the most difficult challenge in education in the near future: finding, hiring, and retaining the highest quality staff possible while maintaining the values of the district and those that currently serve in the district. 

Instructors:
Barb Schwamman, Superintendent, Riceville Schools
Deron Durflinger, Superintendent, Van Meter Schools

Registration Details