School public relations leaders have entered a year that’s complex and demanding, to say the least. If you were to describe it in a meme, it might be the cartoon dog standing in front of a burning house calmly insisting, “this is fine.” They’re navigating everything from crisis response and public scrutiny to enrollment challenges, budget pressures, and growing expectations around transparency and trust.
Earlier this month, National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) state and regional leaders gathered in Fort Worth, Texas for the annual Presidents Summit. It’s an opportunity to step back from the day-to-day and focus on leadership, collaboration, and the year ahead. Over a few days, chapter presidents, presidents-elect, and executive directors came together to share perspectives and strengthen the networks that support school communicators across the country.
This year’s conversations reflected what many school PR professionals are facing right now: leading through uncertainty while remaining steady, empathetic, and grounded in service to their communities.
Leading Through Challenges
The NSPRA Presidents Summit is a smaller conference compared to other national events. Its small scale allows for more direct conversation in small and large groups around the issues shaping school communities.
One of the main sessions focused on guiding chapters through difficult and unpredictable moments. A panelist from Minneapolis described managing communications during ongoing immigration enforcement-related protests that have disrupted schools and entire cities. Others discussed the ripple effects of deeply polarizing issues, and the responsibility of guiding both their districts and their chapters through them.
Weather closures also surfaced. Some schools were out for ten days at a time due to winter storms. Every cancellation brought public opinion. Potential extensions of the school year brought more scrutiny. What begins as an operational decision quickly becomes a reputational one.
A group of school PR leaders collaborating at the NSPRA Presidents Summit. Photo courtesy of NSPRA.
At the same time, districts are navigating bond measures, budget pressure, and enrollment decline. School choice initiatives continue to shake up communities and funding models. Families aren’t simply choosing the school next door anymore. They’re choosing based on values, opportunity, and experience.
Public schools have no choice but to communicate clearly about who they are and what they offer. That means social media and marketing matter more than ever before.
Yet even with school communications being integral to enrollment and funding stability, many professionals still find themselves protecting their roles and proving their value within leadership teams. They don’t just post pictures of students. They guide schools through controversy, crisis, and high-stakes public conversations. Not everyone sees that, but the responsibility is real.
During sessions, it wasn’t uncommon to see someone step into the hallway to take a call and handle a crisis unfolding back home in real-time. School communicators are always on—and they’re expected to handle it with composure and neutrality.
They represent all students, all families, and all beliefs. They must show empathy without taking sides, provide clarity without escalating tension, and make decisions without appearing reactive.
These challenges are unique to schools. And so are the conversations around them. That’s why being in a room with people who understand the work matters. And why NSPRA and events like the Presidents Summit provide so much value.
Strengthening Chapters & Leaders
While the challenges shaped the conversation, the focus of Presidents Summit remained centered on leadership and sustainability.
Chapter leaders discussed membership growth, conference planning, and how to deliver professional development that reflects the realities of school communications in 2026. Some chapters are just getting started. Others have membership in the thousands. Leaders represent states that vary widely in political climate, geography, and community expectations.
There’s also a mix of veteran and new leaders stepping into their roles. Conversations about leadership transitions, officer onboarding, and preventing burnout were front and center. How do you build continuity? How do you prepare the next person to step in? How do you make sure your chapter remains strong even when the work is heavy?
NSPRA President, Kelly Wachel, speaks at the 2026 Presidents Summit. Photo courtesy of NSPRA.
Mentorship was brought up throughout those discussions. Cindy Warner, National School Communicator of the Year, led a session titled “You’ve Got a Mentor in Me,” reinforcing how important it is to support others in the profession. Many school communicators work in small teams, often as a team of one. When they don’t know where to turn, they call on each other.
It’s something NSPRA president Kelly Wachel, APR wanted attendees to remember. She gave everyone a small business card with a message that read, “You are the leader and the person we need. Your chapter members and our school communities look to you to move them forward in these volatile times. Be steady, courageous, and wise. You may not have all the answers, but you have a powerful network in which to discover them.”
“You are the leader and the person we need. Your chapter members and our school communities look to you to move them forward in these volatile times. Be steady, courageous, and wise. You may not have all the answers, but you have a powerful network in which to discover them.”
– Kelly Wachel, APR, NSPRA President
NSPRA’s growth has been trending up for years now. Dr. Jill Johnson, Class Intercom president, is ingrained in the NSPRA community having attended chapter events, national conferences, and Presidents Summit for the past five years. She attributes much of NSPRA’s success to the work that happens at Presidents Summit. “When you’re doing it better state by state and chapter by chapter, that’s when you get the growth everywhere.”
Taking on “Cowtown” & Looking Ahead
Each evening, leaders gathered for happy hour and dinner in small groups. Conversations that started in sessions continued over meals.
Everyone made time for the infamous Fort Worth Stockyards. In a funny way, Fort Worth was the perfect setting. School communicators often describe their work as the “wild west.” High stakes, fast paced, and out of control.
A lunch break included a walk to the Fort Worth Water Gardens, where more than 10,000 gallons of water move through the fountains each minute. As leaders walked, they chatted, and only a few were brave enough to climb in the fountains.
It’s the simple and fun moments that mean the most for building camaraderie and relationships that uplift you in hard seasons. It’s events like Presidents Summit that foster them and strengthen the industry of school PR as a whole.
Kelly Wachel, who stepped into the role of president during her president-elect year, will continue through a second term in 2027—and we’re already looking forward to next year’s event. We’re proud to sponsor the Presidents Summit each year and support the work of these incredible leaders.
Until then, you can find us at SPRA events nationwide. We’ll be back in Texas for the Texas School Public Relations Annual Conference, then on to Tennessee, Indiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania, California, Kentucky, Oregon, Iowa, Kansas, Oklahoma, Ohio, and Minnesota before NSPRA’s National Seminar in New Orleans.
Thank you to NSPRA for hosting another strong Presidents Summit. We’ll see many of you again soon!
