Professional Development for Trustees, School Leaders, & Emerging Leaders. 2025-26 School Year

Online offerings for Waldorf school board members, school leaders, administrators, and lead teachers

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The courses below are open to all and are especially designed for those who have completed the Foundational Board Training

Strategic Finance/Budgeting

The Art of Building Financial Sustainability

Fiscal oversight and practices leading to financial health are at the heart of the Board work. This course outlines board financial duties, explores the social foundations of financial oversight, examines core values that guide financial decision making, defines the purposes and uses of key financial documents, offers insights into interpreting financial documents, and outlines the budgeting cycle. Bring your questions!

Jan 27, Feb 3, 10      (Tues 4:00 pm-6:00 pm)

Led by Jody Spanglet, Michael Soule

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Engaged and Effective Board Officers 

Cultivating inspired leadership on the Board

You’ve been elected an officer of your school’s Board of Trustees. Now what? Join other board officers in examining and discussing topics such as: exploring officer roles and duties, guiding fiscal and legal oversight, developing effective practices for planning and leading meetings, employing the framework of a board calendar, approaches to communication, developing and implementing strategic objectives, board recruitment, board review, and guiding generative conversations. Bring your questions!

Jan 30, 31 

(Fri 4:00-6:00 pm) (Sat 9:00 am-1:00 pm)

Led by Lisa Mahar, Christine Laird-Scherding

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Building a Healthy and Effective Board

What is the foundational work needed for the Board recruitment process? What are the steps from recruitment to trusteeship? What are examples of other ways a recruitment committee can support a healthy and effective Board.

Feb 24, 25, 26 

(Tues-Thurs) 8:00 am-9:30 am

Led by Rebecca Soloway, Connie Stokes

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Here is a preview of our March offerings

Inspiring Philanthropy

Transforming your community’s relationship to giving and fundraising

Inspired by board leaders to nurture the capacity to create and sustain a healthy culture and practice of philanthropy for the school. For board members who have completed the board training, including: The fundamentals of financial strength, building board, community, and friend’s capacity for supporting the school through giving.

Mar 12, 13 (Thurs and Fri) 9:00-10:30 am

Mar 26, 27 (Thurs and Fri) 12:00-1:30 pm

Led by Valerie Colis, Connie Stokes

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Strategic Institutional Guidance

The art of conscious development into the future through strategic Planning

Mar 13, 14 

(Fri 4:00 pm-6 pm) (Sat 9am–1pm)

Led by Christine Laird-Scherding, Michael Soule

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The Art of Facilitation

Creating and leading inspired meetings and

encouraging participatory decision making

The art of preparing and leading healthy meetings *Practices leading to sound decisions *The soul and spiritual aspects of group work • Developing balanced agendas • Key facilitation skills • Asking good questions *Nurturing engaged listening • Leading effective participatory decision making • Creating mutually supportive agreements • Reflective practice for continuous improvement.

Apr 10, 11 

(Fri 4:00 pm-6:00pm) (Sat 9:00 am-1:00 pm)

Led by Lisa Mahar, Jody Spanglet

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All courses by Zoom and timeslots shown in Pacific Time

Fee: $350 ($300 additional participants from the same school)

For more information visit: https://www.leadingwithspirit.org/

or contact Connie Stokes constancedstokes@gmail.com

Register: Here

Also check out our ongoing basic course for trustees

Already participated in by 40 schools

Prepared to Serve 

The Art of Working on a Waldorf Board

Foundational training for Waldorf School board members, including:

Join colleagues from schools across the continent for Leading with Spirit’s board basic training course. Already some 50 schools and 300 participants have completed this basic training. The course, accompanied by LWS’s resource Guidebook for Waldorf Boards, offers everything a new or experienced trustee needs to know to be a successful member of their board. From the 3 basic duties of a trustee, to how to integrate the AWSNA principles in board work, to deeper understanding of the history and mission of Waldorf education, to organizing the 6 primary functions of a Waldorf board, to keys to collaboration, recruitment and better meetings. Plus a guidebook chock full of helpful resources. Guaranteed to improve your work as a board member and as a whole board.

Jan 23, 24 (Fri 4:00-6:00 pm)

(Sat 9:00 am–1:00 pm)

Led by Connie Stokes, Michael Soule

Connie Stokes and Michael Soule have led Waldorf schools as administrators and board members for 40 years, and contributed to the movement as AWSNA leaders and school advisors.

And check out our training courses for Administrators and our advisory services for schools at Leadingwithspirit.org