The past few years have tested school boards on every front: cybersecurity and AI governance, school choice and enrollment shifts, polarized debates over curriculum and inclusion, and constant regulatory change at the state and federal level.

Through it all, boards have continued to innovate, steady their districts and keep students at the center of every decision.

What’s ahead for 2026? To find out, we asked education leaders what’s really on school boards’ minds for the year ahead.

Their answers paint a clear picture: 2026 is the year boards shift from short‑term crisis response to long‑range, strategic governance.

Below, we unpack the top trends shaping K‑12 governance in 2026 — and what your board can do now to prepare.

1. From recovery to acceleration: Student success stays at the center

Post‑pandemic “learning loss” conversations are giving way to a longer‑term focus on learning acceleration and durable student growth. Districts are moving beyond remediation to redesigning instruction and supports around what works best for each learner.

According to our experts, school boards in 2026 will be focused on:

High‑impact tutoring and evidence‑based instruction as core levers for long‑term improvement, not temporary interventions.

K–3 literacy reforms, as more states adopt new laws and guidance on early reading, curriculum and teacher training.

Integrated MTSS that braids together academic, behavioral and mental health supports instead of treating them in silos.

Equitable outcomes across student groups, with boards demanding data that shows who is benefiting — and who isn’t.

Tie every strategic goal to clear, measurable student outcomes and ask for regular progress monitoring updates.

Use trend data — not just one‑year snapshots — to guide decisions about programs, staffing and funding. For a 

deeper dive into budget decisions driven by data

, explore expert tips for leveraging data for school board budgets.

 makes longitudinal student and financial data easy to access, compare and discuss.

2. AI, technology and future‑ready learning move from pilots to policy

 has been on the agenda for the past couple of years; in 2026, it becomes unavoidable. Boards are being pushed to move from “watching the trend” to setting clear boundaries and expectations. 

Our experts see several priorities emerging:

Developing AI governance frameworks that define ethical use, protect student data and clarify acceptable uses for staff and students.

Integrating AI tools to reduce teacher workload (e.g., drafting communications, building lesson ideas, analyzing data) while safeguarding professional judgment.

Expanding career pathways, STEM/STEAM, computer science and work‑based learning so students graduate with future‑ready skills.

Updating technology infrastructure to support 1:1 devices, secure networks and meaningful digital literacy — not just access.

Defining the graduate profile your community wants, then aligning curriculum and assessment to that vision.

Implementing smartphone policies as more states tighten rules and districts shift from debating “whether” to problem‑solving “how.”

Tackle compliance, ethics, and public trust with a kit built for public sector boards and councils.



Make AI risks less risky

3. Safe, supportive and inclusive school environments under pressure

Creating safe, supportive and inclusive school climates remains a top priority and a moving target in 2026. Experts highlighted several intertwined challenges:

Rising student mental health needs, and the cost and complexity of staffing counselors, social workers and prevention programs.

Systematic work on belonging, climate and culture, supported by surveys, listening sessions and dashboards that track progress over time.

Evolving safety and threat‑assessment protocols, as federal and state guidance continues to shift.

Managing behavioral escalation while maintaining fair discipline, restorative practices and adequate staff support.

Ensuring compliance with changing equity and inclusion regulations, including protections for LGBTQ+ students and students with disabilities.

Ask for climate data alongside academic data — and use it to inform resource allocation.

Ensure policies on behavior, bullying and discrimination are up to date, clearly communicated and consistently implemented.

, compliance checklists and crisis communication so leaders can act quickly.

4. Financial stewardship in an era of enrollment shifts and higher needs

The financial picture in 2026 is complex: declining birthrates and increased school choice are reshaping enrollment even as needs and expectations grow. Andrea Messina, CEO of the Florida School Board Association, underscores that any discussion of enrollment decline must include demographic trends and the rapid expansion of choice options across the country. 

The ESSER cliff aftermath and what happens once pandemic‑era federal funds are gone.

The rising cost of special education and auxiliary services, which Dr. Audrey Young, member of the Texas State Board of Education, flags as a major concern for 2026. 

Superintendent evaluations tied to financial performance and the pressure that comes with failing to control spending.

Greater focus on bond elections, capital planning and “rolling over” bond capacity to keep facilities viable without shocking taxpayers.

Boards that succeed will link every dollar to the strategic plan — and communicate clearly with their communities about the trade‑offs involved.

5. Talent, workforce and organizational health: The human side of strategy

Teacher and staff shortages are not new, but 2026 will force boards to treat talent strategy as core governance, not just HR’s job.

Board member training is equally critical,

 particularly as boards take on a more active role in talent strategy, workforce oversight, and organizational health. 

Recruitment and retention that goes beyond pay to include workload, recognition, career pathways and culture.

Grow‑your‑own educator pipelines and deeper partnerships with universities and alternative certification providers.

Sustainable compensation and benefits that balance competitiveness with long‑term fiscal responsibility.

Strengthening leadership pipelines for principals, assistant principals and central‑office leaders — not just superintendents.

Intentional work on staff climate and organizational health, backed by data and board‑level accountability.

6. Governance excellence and community trust in a polarized era

How boards govern will matter as much as what they decide in 2026. As expectations rise and public scrutiny intensifies, 

alignment across the board–superintendent team

 is a recurring concern — and a critical determinant of whether districts can move from reactive decision-making to sustained, strategic leadership. 

Steve Schroeder, Director of Administration & Analysis at the Association of Wisconsin School Administrators and former board president in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, highlights several governance themes: 

Moving from operational to strategic governance, with clearly defined roles for the board and superintendent.

data privacy and social media obligations

 as new technologies and regulations emerge. 

Regular board self‑evaluations and governance goal‑setting so boards model continuous improvement.

Proactive, transparent community engagement through listening sessions, advisory councils and accessible dashboards — rather than reactive crisis communication.

“Boards need to move from operational to strategic governance. That means clarifying roles with the superintendent, updating policies on AI and data privacy, and engaging the community proactively through listening sessions and dashboards — not just when there’s a crisis.”


— Steve Schroeder, Director of Administration & Analysis, Association of Wisconsin School Administrators and former board president, Sun Prairie School District

7. Facilities, enrollment and long‑range planning

Facilities and enrollment planning may feel technical, but they’re increasingly central to long‑range strategy. Experts see boards focusing on:

Modernizing facilities and designing flexible learning spaces that support collaboration, technology integration and specialized programs.

Tracking demographic trends closely and making decisions on boundary adjustments, school consolidations or grade reconfigurations.

Ensuring facilities can support CTE, STEM and hands‑on learning, not just traditional classrooms.

Weighing sustainability investments — from energy efficiency upgrades to carbon‑neutral goals — against competing capital needs.

These decisions are inseparable from finance, community trust and student experience, making them ideal for board study sessions and multi‑year planning.

8. Legal compliance, cybersecurity and risk management: The stakes keep rising

The legal and regulatory landscape for K‑12 is only growing more complicated. Boards face a crowded docket:

Ongoing changes in Title IX, special education guidance and teacher licensing rules.

New or expanded state laws on curriculum transparency, parental rights, public records and data privacy.

, with K‑12 remaining a high‑value target for ransomware and data breaches.

To manage these risks effectively, boards should ensure that 

, roles are clearly defined and secure technology platforms support compliance and collaboration. Modern solutions can help minimize human error, enforce permissions and maintain regulatory standards, all while making critical information available to the right people at the right time.

If the last few years have taught school boards anything, it’s that change is constant. What doesn’t change is your core mission: delivering a high‑quality education for every student in every community you serve.

To lead in 2026, boards need clear shared goals, reliable real‑time data and secure modern tools to manage meetings, policies, training and community communication.

 is purpose‑built for public sector boards — including school districts — to help you run efficient transparent meetings, collaborate on policies, manage data securely and keep your community informed from a single platform. 

 to see how it can help your board lead with oversight, insight and foresight in 2026 and beyond. 

2026 in focus: Top trends for school boards 

Leaders in public education and local government should make accessibility an item on their board agenda for many reasons: legislation like the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), the fines and reputational damage that result from noncompliance and their overall mission.

Public-sector organizations by definition exist to serve the public, meaning people with and without disabilities alike. Making digital materials, meeting livestreams and public websites accessible to all, while reducing barriers to these resources, is an ethical obligation, and essential to building community engagement and trust.

More broadly, when all members of the community have full 

 in programs and services, everyone benefits. Local governments see stronger civic engagement and public schools greater student success.

Setting an example with consistent, codified standards

Across North America, mandates and standards at the federal and state/provincial levels define what accessibility means and give these expectations teeth. Noncompliance risks costly fines and violations, along with reputational damage and weakened community trust.

But strong accessibility governance yields multiple benefits beyond compliance.

When accessibility efforts align to an official standard, the governance team knows it is bringing established best practices to their organization. Within the board, this means consistently delivering access to resources like meeting minutes, training materials and procurement guidelines. And boards who are familiar with these regulatory requirements are well-equipped to set accessibility policies for their broader organizations.

To help publicly elected boards develop strong, up-to-date policies for accessibility, we’ve rounded up regulatory developments into a user-friendly guide.

A detailed overview of laws and frameworks to know, plus agencies and issues to watch, in the regulatory landscape

Tips and guidance on accessibility governance and administration, from peers grappling with the same decisions

How Diligent Community can help you meet accessibility requirements

The regulatory landscape: Accessibility in local government and public education

Accessibility laws cover a wide-ranging and ever-expanding array of areas, from color contrast in PDFs to audio controls for recordings and video.

When navigating governance for your school or municipal organization, we recommend consulting with your legal team and doing in-depth research on specific agencies, laws and issues. But this high-level overview is a powerful start to understanding regulations that cover accessibility.

Accessibility guidelines for public sector entities are grounded in 

, founded in 1973 to prohibit disability-based discrimination in programs funded by the Department of Education, and the 1990 

Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA). Section 508

The ADA’s 1998 reauthorization keeps these regulations up with change by addressing technological barriers. The Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR) also considers 

technology accessibility and digital content

 an important part of its accessibility guidelines.

As technology has evolved, with more and more public services provided through websites and apps, so have these mandates. Key among them is 

, enacted by the DOJ in 2024. Title II applies the latest Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), 

, to websites, Word documents, PDFs, apps, social media posts, broadcasts, recordings and more:

A few of these comprehensive requirements include:

Descriptive identifications (e.g. alt text) for photos, graphics and other images

Captions for live audio content and audio descriptions for pre-recorded video

Inclusive use of language, text style and size, color and contrast

Accessible headings, prompts, audio controls and navigation

It’s important to remember that these new standards apply to all of your public content, both what you provide yourselves and the third-party content you make available. For instance:

Does your city work with a private company’s payment app for public parking?

Do online student programs and services include third-party content?

Are the board meeting minutes and agendas published on your website “up to code”?

Unless these situations specifically fall within 

, your leadership is responsible for making sure they meet WCAG 2.1AA accessibility standards.

Just as vital for public sector leaders to know: the 

. Entities serving 50,000-plus people must be in WCAG 2.1AA compliance by 

. Special district entities and those serving smaller communities have a bit longer, until 

Heightened enforcement strengthens the case for escalating accessibility on the board agenda.

 article explored increased Title II enforcement by the DOJ and noted that “an emerging area of law is whether places of public accommodation can include virtual spaces.”

When the OCR assessed the online programs of 

 in Michigan, it called out important images that lacked alt text and PDF documents that were incompatible with screen readers

 in Sacramento, California, revealed similar deficiencies, along with insufficient color contrast and content access issues related to computer keyboards and navigation

North Carolina Department of Adult Correction

 must provide inmates with hearing disabilities video telephones, visual notification systems and other tools for equal access to services and activities.

Many states incorporate federal ADA and WCAG standards into their own guidelines and augment them with their own laws and frameworks, including 

 has state legislation related to nonvisual standards and access.

 requires state agencies to post certifications of compliance.

Entities violating accessibility laws in 

 can be ordered by the court to fix the accessibility issues and pay a fine of either $3,500 per violation or actual monetary damages.

 aims to “make Canada barrier-free by 2040.” Applying to organizations “under federal responsibility,” its sweeping provisions include information and communication technologies and the design and delivery of programs and services.

 include accessibility plans that are updated every three years in consultation with people with disabilities, with feedback processes and progress reports.

 undergo review and finalization, organizations are encouraged to follow WCAG 2.0 guidelines and the Harmonized European Standard.

Accessibility legislation at the provincial level is 

, as disability advocate Carly Fox details in her blog. Quebec has been a leader in disability-specific legislation for over 25 years, Alberta has embedded accessibility considerations into its National Building Code, and eight of the 10 provinces, from British Columbia to Nova Scotia, have acts of their own, with varying purviews and degrees of penalties.

Resources have emerged for applying these guidelines to digital content and in an educational setting. A few include 

Practical tips for accessibility compliance

1. Make sure the governance team and board are up to speed by researching relevant laws and regulations. These should include any accessibility-related stipulations for grant funding. Store these resources in the document library of your board management software to make them easily accessible for onboarding and other training requirements.

2. Apply this research to your organization:

Start with your board and the areas where public accessibility is mandated, such as minutes, agendas, meetings and recordings.

Identify activities across the organization where inclusive access is particularly critical. In public education, this could include admissions, enrollment, payments and learning materials.

Consider the possible repercussions of noncompliance, including fines, investigation litigation and settlements, along with diminished community participation and trust

3. Evaluate how your apps, livestreams and other digital content currently measure up. This could include auditing your website against 

, are all members of the public able to navigate it?

, so people with disabilities can interact with it in the same way as those without disabilities?

, with software programs that accommodate assistive technologies?

4. Work with relevant departments (legal, risk management, IT) to oversee the development - and implementation - of an accessibility plan. This plan should include:

Critical deadlines, like those for Title II/WCAG 2.1AA compliance

5. Hold partners to the same standards. Incorporate ADA and WCAG requirements into vendor contracts and procurement processes.

6. Develop processes and policies for compliance oversight - and revisit them regularly as the regulations evolve.

7. Keep your community informed throughout. One way to do so is a public accessibility statement published on your website that:

Clearly explains how your organization is meeting WCAG and other standards

Includes contact information for feedback

“By livestreaming and recording meetings and ensuring agendas and minutes meet accessibility requirements, providing the ability to search meeting agendas, minutes and policy documents online, and enabling constituents to easily subscribe to meeting notifications and updates, boards can build trust with the public and improve transparency.” - Ellen Glasgow, General Manager, Mission-Driven Organizations, Diligent

Diligent Community: inclusive access, today and tomorrow

Across public-facing web pages, agendas, minutes and livestreaming features, Diligent Community meets accessibility requirements fully, including WCAG 2.1AA and ADA requirements, and is moving toward WCAG 2.2AA compliance.

Features that support inclusive access for all board members and community stakeholders include:

An accessible, ADA-compliant public transparency site

, connecting community members to essential documents such as meeting agendas, policies and supporting materials in compliance with U.S. open meeting laws

 that are compatible with assistive technologies

High-contrast color schemes and scalable text 

Keyboard operability and optimized navigation 

that makes public meetings accessible to a wider audience. Recordings can be made available afterward, alongside timestamped minutes for easy navigation.

 that keep community members informed about upcoming meetings and updates

AI-supported meeting minutes and templates,

 using livestream transcripts to ensure that all discussions and decisions related to information and service accessibility are quickly and accurately captured, documented and readily available

Regular audits and VPAT documentation strengthen compliance confidence, assuring public sector leaders of conformance with federal and state accessibility standards.

“We have been able to increase the accessibility of information and increase the amount of engagement from all of our stakeholders. It [Diligent Community] allows us to very clearly open the doors to how we are making decisions. We have a single pane of glass for families and community members to follow along and engage during board meetings.” - R.J. Gravel, Deputy Superintendent of Glenbrook High School District 225

Accessibility leadership and confidence await

Diligent Community can keep your public sector board on top of accessibility expectations, ahead of technological and regulatory change and on the path to stronger governance

Accessibility regulations: what publicly elected boards need to know

This article originally appeared in our December 18th edition of the Diligent Minute Newsletter. For more insights like these, delivered straight to your inbox, subscribe 

As we close out 2025, I’ve been reflecting on what this year taught us and the word that comes to mind is “unprecedented.” Insights from the Diligent Institute’s research show how directors navigated multiple unprecedented challenges – often simultaneously – while also driving major change. The lessons we learned this year aren’t just a look back. They can be a compass pointing to the directional shifts boards will need to embrace as governance moves into a faster, more AI-enabled era.

Five governance shifts boards must prepare for in 2026

What will change: Boards will move beyond passive reporting and lean into more 

 Predictive analytics and scenario planning will become part of everyday conversations, helping directors navigate volatility before it hits.


Why? Director confidence hit historic lows in 2025. Our 

 conducted in partnership with Corporate Board Member, landed at just 4.8 out of 10, among the lowest since the pandemic. That’s a wake-up call for faster, smarter decision-making. If you’re curious whether sentiment is shifting, our Q4 results will be live by the time this issue hits your inbox. Check them out to see if optimism is making a comeback.

What will change: Dashboards won’t just summarize risks. They’ll surface them within hours, and crisis protocols will kick in during the first 72. AI-powered assurance will scan massive datasets to catch anomalies as they happen, and directors will be able to ask complex questions in plain language and get instant answers. Oversight will move from reacting after the fact to staying ahead of the curve, a fundamental change in risk management.

 7.9 out of 10. Quarterly updates aren’t enough anymore. Boards need early-warning systems and integrated intelligence to keep pace.

3) AI governance moves to the top of the agenda

What will change: Agentic AI is moving fast, from assisting to acting. Boards will need to build AI literacy, test for bias and keep humans in the loop to manage less visible risks.

Why: Two-thirds of directors used AI tools in 2025, but 

, 57% of respondents said their organizations had deployed AI in one or more areas of the business, but only 36% had audited usage.As AI deployment climbs higher on the priority list for 2026, closing this governance gap is critical.

4) Integration becomes a growth essential

What will change: M&A ambitions will stall without tech integration. Boards that prioritize scalable platforms will unlock faster, cleaner transactions and reduce risk during rapid growth periods as integration readiness becomes a board-level KPI.

 conducted in partnership with Wilson Sonsini and NetSuite, found only 4% of organizations had fully integrated GRC and financial systems.

What will change: Board agendas will shift toward forward-looking conversations powered by predictive analytics and cultural insights. Directors will widen their lens beyond financials to include culture and workforce resilience, using anonymized data to spot risks before they surface.

Why: The ability to anticipate, not just react, will define effective governance in 2026. Boards that lean on AI-driven scenario modeling and continuous feedback loops will stay aligned with fast-changing realities.

Turning 2025 board lessons into a 2026 action plan

2026 will reward boards that act, not just react. That means pairing human judgment with AI-driven foresight, embedding continuous assurance and integrating systems for scalability. Governance is moving from static to dynamic – and the boards that thrive will be ready to keep pace.

Check out the full blog on trends shaping governance in 2026.

From risk to strategy: The governance agenda for 2026 

Boardroom confidence surges in final quarter despite tepid 2026 expectations 

After three quarters at a five-year low, director confidence jumped 23 percent in December—yet the outlook for 2026 remains muted. One director's advice: 'Defend and survive.'

America's corporate directors ended 2025 on an unexpectedly optimistic note.

After languishing at a five-year low for three consecutive quarters, the Director Confidence Index—a quarterly poll conducted by Corporate Board Member and Diligent Institute among U.S. public company board members on their sentiment for business—surged 23 percent in December, climbing from 4.9 out of 10 to 6.0 and finally breaking into "Good" territory. 

A better understanding of how tariffs are impacting businesses and the economy, lower interest rates and increased CapEx spending are the most common factors directors shared to explain this rebound. 

Diligent

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2026 in focus: Top trends for school boards

Accessibility regulations: what publicly elected boards need to know

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