Frequently asked questions

Yes! The conference starts on Sunday, Nov. 7 , and ends on Tuesday, Nov. 9, at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus.

The OSBA Capital Conference is the premier professional development and networking event for school board members, district administrators and school staff in Ohio. Come to explore trends in education and new and innovative uses for traditional best practices. 

Conference registration opens July 19. Registration online for the conference: View conference registration information. Housing opens Sept. 14 and information can be found here.

Your registration fee provides access to two general sessions, along with more than 130 learning sessions that will cover issues ranging from how to become a more effective board member to implementing a safer school environment for your students. In addition, you will have access to the conference trade show with more than 550 exhibitors and the opportunity to network with thousands of board members and school administrators in attendance.
Please note: meal function tickets must be purchased separately.

Inform your treasurer that you would like to attend the meal function. Your treasurer can use the conference online registration system to add these additional items.

Your treasurer needs to complete the Delegate Credentials and send it in with the district’s registration materials.

We’ll be sorry if you won’t be able to join us for this exceptional learning and networking opportunity. If it is necessary for you to cancel your conference registration, refunds will be made only if the registrations are canceled by 5 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 1. Cancellations can be made online in your conference portal, available at https://www.ohioschoolboards.org/conference/registration. OSBA encourages substitutions from within a district; contact Susie Cinadr to make any changes to your registration. There are no refunds for no-shows. Refunds of fees paid will be issued to the district after the conference.

For a cancellation of a ticketed event (Black Caucus Dinner, Monday Conference Luncheon or Tuesday Conference Luncheon), you must notify OSBA by 5 p.m. on Nov. 3 to receive a full refund or no charge to the district. Ticketed event cancellations received after Nov. 3 will be charged 50% of the fee. Cancellations the day of the event will be charged the full amount. There are no refunds for no-shows. Refunds of fees paid will be issued to the district after the conference.

Registration materials, including information on printing badges, are mailed in mid-October. This year, the Conference Guide will be available on site only; it will not be mailed prior to the event. Download the Capital Conference app in October to create your schedule, participate in the Trade Show badge game and log your credits for your certificate of attendance.

Please open the registration materials box upon receiving it. Check the badge information to ensure they are correct and you received all the necessary materials. Contact Susie Cinadr ASAP if corrections need to be made. 

OSBA has room blocks at many hotels in downtown Columbus. Click here to learn more about hotel rates. Please note: You must be registered for the conference or exhibiting in the Trade Show to request conference housing.

You will need a credit card to reserve your rooms. All major credit cards will be accepted.

You must be registered for the conference or exhibiting in the Trade Show to request conference housing. After you are registered for the conference, your contact person will receive a confirmation email containing the Internet link to the conference housing site, along with a unique housing code. Hotel reservations will be taken on a first-come, first-served basis beginning on Tuesday, Sept. 14, at 9 a.m. EDT. To make reservations, use the link and unique housing code that will be sent to your contact person. To receive the link before conference housing opens, your registration must be received no later than 3 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, Sept. 8. The housing link will not be available on OSBA’s website. Housing reservations can only be made with your unique housing code and must be made by Friday, Oct. 15, to receive conference rates.

Changes can be made via the conference housing site by modifying your reservation. Reservations may be modified — including changing hotels, the name on the reservation or the dates of the stay — at no charge until Wednesday, Nov. 3.

If you cancel a reservation at any time before 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 3, your credit card will be charged a cancellation fee of $100 for each room canceled.

No. You should modify your existing reservation to avoid the cancellation fee. You can change hotels, change the name on the reservation or add or delete a day from your stay at no charge by modifying your reservation. If you delete your reservation, you will be charged the cancellation fee.

During the conference, a number of learning opportunities have been designed with new board members in mind. Review the conference learning sessions under the topic “New board member” for suggestions.

We have a great line up of General Session speakers this year! Learn more about Nadia Comaneci, Bart Conner, Brandon Miller and other keynote speakers.

Yes, all presenters must register to attend the conference.

View information at http://conference.ohioschoolboards.org/delegates. There you can download the Official Business, a Credential Form for your delegate and details on the Business Meeting Briefing on Nov. 8.

View the tentative agenda. You also can download the 2021 Capital Conference and Trade Show Brochure

Yes! Conference attendees had an opportunity to earn 5.5 hours of Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credit on Tuesday, Nov.9.

Yes! All school board members who have registered for the OSBA Capital Conference and Trade Show will automatically receive 25 points towards the Training Award, part of OSBA’s STAR Awards. A Certificate of Attendance will be sent to all attendees who mark attendance at conference sessions and events in the Conference App. To record your sessions in the app, log in to the app and select the “check in” button for the sessions you attend. You can print a certificate of attendance from the app. If you prefer, you may complete the Certificate of Attendance form and return it to Melanie Price (mprice@ohioschoolboards.org).

Registrations for spouses and/or partners are complimentary. If spouses or partners would like to attend a ticketed event, the main registrant should purchase a ticket on their behalf. Register spouses/partners by selecting the spouse/partner function and entering the name of the spouses/partner when registering the board member. School board members and district personnel do not qualify for the spouse/partner complimentary registration. Complimentary spouse/partner registrations are only available to OSBA members. If you have questions about whether someone qualifies for this complimentary registration, please contactSusie Cinadr  at (614) 540-4000 or (800) 589-OSBA. In addition to the conference, Columbus has many attractions for your family to enjoy.

Below are a list of specific areas of conference and who to contact:

For registration, contact Susie Cinadr

For hotel or housing questions, contact Shannon Camerucci

For presenter or learning session questions, contact Gwen Samet

For Student Achievement Fair questions, contact Teri Morgan

For Trade Show questions, contact Wanda Bloch

For other questions, contact Jeff Chambers.