The why behind the policy: Navigating regulations in education

John Thomsen is Director of Engagement and Policy at NEOLA, working with school districts across multiple states to support legally compliant policies and governance frameworks that reflect community values.

John unpacks the “why” behind policy for public sector boards — especially K‑12 school districts — and how leaders can navigate changing regulations without losing sight of student success. He explains why boards must stay anchored in mission, vision and values while scanning the horizon for potential and actual regulation, so they’re ready to respond quickly and confidently when change arrives.

The discussion also covered the big challenges for the year ahead, from the sheer pace and volume of new rules to funding constraints and rising expectations for real‑time transparency through live‑streamed and more accessible board meetings. We also talked about policy in practice: how to tell the story behind a policy change, articulate the “why” before the “how,” and proactively review and update policies rather than scrambling reactively when mandates hit.

We also touch on the role of technology in governance, from using tools to manage policies, track legislation and increase transparency, to supporting accessible, compliant meetings without replacing the essential work of elected officials.

Stay tuned to the end as John shares his recommendation for how boards can embrace the change process, respond to evolving regulations and continuously improve outcomes for students year after year.

Further resources on regulations for public facing boards

Navigate 2026 public sector regulations with confidence, download our Regulations outlook guide.

Livestreaming regulations: What public facing boards need to know

Board training regulations: what public boards need to know

Cybersecurity regulations: What public facing boards need to know

AI regulations: What public elected boards need to know

Transcript for The why behind the policy: Navigating regulations in education

Jill Holtz: Welcome to the Leading with Purpose podcast where we share practical advice for purpose-driven work and board leadership and mission focused organisations. I'm your host Jill Holtz from Diligent and in this four-part series I talk to different leaders to explore regulations and compliance for public sector boards, what's coming in 2026, why oversight matters and how to prepare. We'll cover critical areas of regulation but also how public facing boards need to think about managing their oversight and compliance and policy.

I hope you enjoy the series. My guest today is John Thompson who is Director of Engagement and Policy at NEOLA who partner with school districts in six different states at the moment supporting them with legally compliant policy and more. When we discuss regulation John frames board members as stewards of public trust who have to be anchored in transparency, accountability and have an ethical lens and he emphasises how important it is to stay rooted in mission, vision and values while scanning the horizon for upcoming change.

We explore the big challenges for the year ahead, the sheer pace and volume of potential and actual regulation, funding constraints and growing expectations for real-time transparency including live streaming and accessibility. Listen now as we discuss how public boards can stay proactive on policy, what he thinks of AI and governance and why boards must weigh the risk of doing nothing alongside the risk of any action. And please stick around to the end for John's must-hear recommendation for public boards to be able to respond to regulation and keep improving outcomes year over year.

If you touch policy this conversation is one to listen to for 2026 readiness.

Compliance responsibilities of school boards

Jill Holtz: John, the reason I invited you to join me today is we've been looking at all the regulations and legislation that school districts have to comply with and we have a new guide coming out on this for public sector organisations for 2026 so I wanted to talk to you a bit about this topic and get your perspectives so welcome first of all. So just to kind of kick us off, in your view what are the core responsibilities of public sector boards so K-12 school districts for example in ensuring compliance but also organisational resilience and public trust and what I think we can all agree is a very rapidly changing regulatory environment.

John Thomsen: Yeah sure, great question. People at the boards really need to be stewards of public trust. They need to act in a level of transparency that includes all stakeholders communicating out.

There's a certain level of accountability each board member and the board itself needs to feel and operate under and really taking a look at every single issue through the ethical lens. So certainly there's some compliance issues that boards need to attend to make sure they're in a good legal position but also looking at every decision through the ethical lens. The most successful boards have a very clear mission, vision and values that they operate from and they're really strategic on how they do their work and so just making sure they stay at that level and they're clear on who they are and who they serve and where the regulations are to make sure they're in a really good legal position in order to make decisions that best reflect the values of the community.

And so there's a lot of change going on. There's a lot of potential for change. Not all of it comes to fruition but being aware of kind of what's on the horizon, being prepared to be able to respond accordingly that is in alignment with the mission, vision, values of their board and their community.

So when those changes have to be made they're in a really good position to make those changes.

Jill Holtz: I think that's excellent. So really it's about being aware of what's coming down the tracks but never losing sight of your core mission, your values and ultimately making decisions. I mean if we talk about K-12 school districts, it's student success that they're looking for.

So with any regulation that comes down to the tracks, how that going to impact, what do we need to set a policy for and how do we make a decision then to take that forward when we have to comply with that.

John Thomsen: Yeah let me expand on that just a little bit. Boards have to make decisions around policies. Sometimes they get into some operating procedures because the nature of the policy but at the end of the day, how is that going to impact students and staff and how do we make sure that puts all in the best position to learn.

And so keeping a foot in the mission, vision, values, the eyes on the horizon and a foot in the classroom, I think is a really good healthy position for a board member and a board as a whole to maintain.

Regulation challenges for public boards in 2026

Jill Holtz: I like that because it can feel very overwhelming especially as regulations become more complex. Obviously there's more expectation now from the community on transparency and they have accountability. What do you see as the most significant challenges for schools and other kind of public sector boards as we go into the new year?

John Thomsen: The sheer value and pace of the potential new regulations and then the new regulations and how is a board best position to maintain a proactive policy position and then be aware of what might be coming and then start problem-solving around that. But you can't get stuck in that because some of this stuff never comes to fruition.

And so it varies by state. Certainly there's some federal regulations that are coming through that you need to respond to. There's some potential things at the state level that you should be able to respond to if they happen.

But just the sheer pace of that can be overwhelming. I think you have to attend to it but you can't get stuck in it because you still have to operate your school district. And so just being aware of that.

I think another thing that is challenging local boards is the constraints around funding. Consumers are looking for the best, right? As a consumer, I go shopping for a car, I don't want to pay a lot, and I want a really nice car.

Well, it's no different in education. I mean, people want to, you know, boards need to be great stewards of tax dollars. So making sure that with the amount of resources available, they're able to deliver a great product.

And so as resources are declining or in question, just making sure you're equipped to do the very best you can with the resources that you have. I think another challenge is the expectation for real-time transparency, you know, whether that's through live streaming. Not all states require that, but certainly consumers are expecting to have access to board meetings.

And so making sure that you can do that, and it's accessible to all, and then helping the public understand there's a difference between a public meeting and a board meeting in the public. And so there's a lot of education that has to occur from your school board, through the staff, throughout your whole community around what that is, and why meetings are set up that way to take care of business, and when that public engagement period occurs, and how the boards use that feedback for their decision and their process. I think the other thing, making sure, your board members need to be the lead learners.

So when new information is coming in, they're staying up to date on that, demonstrating their lead learners, and then they can make the most informed decisions possible.

Jill Holtz: I think that's excellent advice. And I mean, ultimately, if we think about education, you know, you're in the education business, you're a board member, you should be showing that you're leading, making sure you're up to date, learning, coming prepared. Talk to me a bit more about policy now.

Putting in place policy for regulations

So we've got a new regulation coming down the tracks. What do boards need to be aware of? I know you talked about how does it match our mission and vision, and ultimately student success.

But what do boards need to be aware of when it comes to policy that has to be put in place as a result of some new regulation that comes down the tracks?

John Thomsen: Yeah, really good question. I think boards need to tell the story. We're not changing policy just to change policy, right?

This is coming from somewhere. So being really clear on the why and making sure that everyone around that table and everyone within the organization and everyone listening has a clear understanding about why the policy needs to be changed and what the intent is. Once there's a clear understanding around the why, then we can get to the how.

And I think that's really important. The board needs to be able to tell their story. If they don't tell their story, someone else is going to, and it may or may not be accurate.

So when the board can articulate the rationale behind the why, then they own it, others will own it, and then it should be communicated in such a way that it's part of a public record, maybe some background. And then everyone is clear on the why, and the story is the story. And then just being able to work from that position to establish the policy revisions that are crystal clear for all the stakeholders.

It's really good to do that in a proactive position. You know, we're anticipating this change, this change happened, we have the background, now we're going to be proactive and put this in place. You're either in that position or you do nothing and then someday you will be reactive.

And that's not a good spot for boards to be in. And so the more proactive you can be around your policy modification, updates, and renewal, the better you're going to be long-term. And when that's in a good spot, then we can really focus on a range of topics that boards need to focus in on.

Again, making sure they're legally vetted, legally compliant, and within those policies they reflect the mission, vision, values of the board that really allow staff to do great things with kids.

Jill Holtz: Yeah, I mean, ultimately that's really what the goal is. So that's really interesting. I think that's such a great point you're making about being proactive and planned and organized rather than being reactive.

Where you're scrambling to catch up and having to put things in place in a hurry, you know, that's when mistakes happen or people don't get communicated very well to. And the why is so important.

Fostering a culture of proactive compliance

So how can public sector boards foster a culture of proactive compliance and ethical leadership?

I mean, you mentioned ethics earlier, rather than simply reacting to new mandates as they arise.

John Thomsen: You know, I think it goes back to being crystal clear on why we're here. Mission, vision, values. And what are we ultimately trying to achieve, right?

In education, we want joyous learning opportunities for kids, right? Schools need to be places of discovery, joy, wonder, and then building skills that will leverage them to a life of success, right? That's why we're here.

So, you know, continuing to focus on why we're here, what's the why, and then continuing to proactively maintain a strong, legally vetted policy position. And then make sure the organization understands that. Because if there's clarity, then we can really focus on that ultimate vision.

If there's confusion in the system on a policy, the what, the why, and the how, is there's confusion there, we lose our capacity to focus on really why we're here. So I know there's a lot in that, but being proactive, being clear, coming back to the why, and just coming back to that all the time puts everyone in a good spot. Ultimately, if there's confusion at the board level, there's going to be confusion at the leadership level, and there's going to be a lot of confusion all the way through the system.

And so, really, boards have a huge ethical obligation to be clear on the work, clear on the communication, and ultimately, when done well, everyone's pulling on the same side of the rope. Without that, you could get all sorts of dissonance in the system and confusion, and that's not ultimately what's good for kids.

Jill Holtz: No, so I'm really hearing a through line of clarity, you know, clarity on the why, clarity that we're legally sound, clarity around communications across the whole sort of process, and that when you do that, because ultimately confusion, as you said, if the board is confused, then they're not going to be able to have that story about why we made and adopted that policy, for example. So everything goes back to the why, and being clear, and then clearly communicating that. We talk about operational resilience a lot now, especially when it comes to, again, new regulations, new compliance meeting mandates.

Organizational resilience and regulations

Why do you think organizational resilience is important? And what can boards do to build that organizational resilience? Because the regulations are changing so quickly.

John Thomsen: It's kind of connected to the last question. We talk about boards needing to be really clear on that. Sometimes it takes time to get clear on what that means.

What will this new regulation mean for our district, for our staff, for our students? So through an open public meeting, that's where they have that dialogue. And sometimes that gets really messy, and it should be messy, because it's often darkest just before the light, right?

We have to work through this as five, seven, nine independently elected officials to come to agreement on how we're going to move this forward. And so through that process, you build some resiliency, right? You're going to build that over time.

The first couple times through that for board members is really uncomfortable. But that has to happen. You have to go through that dissidence before it becomes clear.

And then ultimately, when you do that well, through that whole process, when that discussion is going on, you're continuing to provide great services for your stakeholders, for your staff, for your students, and for your families. While that's going on, that's resilience. You're able to work through it and still provide essential and targeted services.

So that's important. I think that's an indicator of a high functioning board. And through that whole process, you're always thinking about risk, all right?

As we're making this decision about this next policy, or decision a board has, you have to weigh your risks. Doing nothing is risky. Doing something is risky.

So you have to figure out where you want to end as a board. And then work through that process in a very transparent way. And again, if you're resilient, while that is going on, you're still offering high quality, dependable services.

Jill Holtz: I really like that. I think the idea of, you know, what risk does this bring, but also the risk of doing nothing about this? And what does that mean?

And always thinking back again to the impact on staff, impact on student, impact, you know, if we don't take action, what's going to happen? And I thought one interesting thing there was about kind of building muscle in this. Am I right?

That the board over time gets better and better at, you know, as you said, the first couple of times it's uncomfortable, but then they're kind of cohesively working as a board over time together. Because when they first join, you know, they came because they were passionate about the school district, or maybe they had a child there, and they stood for election. And they had their own mandate, they've got to realize they are collectively a board making a decision about policy.

John Thomsen: Yeah, and collectively, they have to be very comfortable or content with the level of dissidence that comes through this process, and the level of dissidence that comes through continuous improvement. When I see some of the most effective boards, they know where they've been. They know where they are now.

They know where they want to go. And they also realize they never arrive. We're just going to keep working to do better.

There is no okay, we've arrived. Yay, we're here. You know, that's not a new concept.

That's continuous improvement. And I think when you embed this concept in the policy renewal, update process, they really harmonize well together. And there's a certain level of freedom.

And we don't have to carry this weight all the time. Together, we'll work through this. And the more times we do it, the better we're going to get.

Jill Holtz: Yeah, love that. So AI, obviously, is top of mind for many organizations, including school districts. It introduces new opportunities, new risks.

AI regulations and governance for school districts

You obviously need to make sure if there are AI regulations in your locality, that you're complying with those. So how can boards start building a robust AI governance framework? What do they need to think about when it comes to AI and policy?

John Thomsen: I think they have to be crystal clear on how AI is going to be used throughout the system. Board level, leadership, instructional staff, support staff, students. They have to be crystal clear on that.

And I think this AI thing just rocketed past most people. And so we're trying to keep up with it and catch up with it. But I think they have to be really clear on acceptable use.

Open AI versus closed AI, let's be really clear on that. Because there are risks associated with each one. But if the board is not clear on it, then it's going to be kind of the wild, wild west out there for everyone.

So the board needs to be clear on that, work through that process. What do we expect? We have to make sure that the rights of students and staff are protected regarding AI, not sharing information into those tools that should not be shared.

And just making sure we're really clear around that, protecting privacy, protecting bias, and making sure we're using AI in the classroom that doesn't replace the human interaction and helping us to nurture students to become independent problem solvers. There's a place for AI, but we still need kids to be able to learn and think and struggle. The learning occurs during the struggle.

And if we simply throw AI at something, every time there's a question, we're going to become a pretty dull society. So making sure we're being very purposeful and strategic on how we're going to use this important tool, when, how, and then be clear on the why. I think those are some of the things boards are going to have to wrestle with and become increasingly clear on.

Are there's going to be all sorts of uses of AI that I don't think are going to best serve staff, students and community as a whole?

Asking the right questions as a board member

Jill Holtz: I mean, ultimately, the board members don't need to be AI experts. But what they need to do is ask the right questions. You know, how is it being used?

What is the impact? How are we making sure there's no bias, etc? It comes down to always asking the right questions, doesn't it? Especially when it's something technical like that.

John Thomsen: It does. I think if you would want to compliment a board member, one of the best compliments you could give them is, you ask really good questions. Because that is the catalyst for the thinking we need to do at the board level and beyond.

Jill Holtz: Yeah. Can I move now on to the topic of technology? How important is it for public sector boards, ed, K-12, school districts, local government, etc, to think about integrating technology into their governance for compliance?

Role of technology in managing compliance and governance risk

You know, we're passionate about Diligent Community that we sell, how it helps boards. But, you know, do you see a role in technology in helping them manage compliance and governance risk?

John Thomsen: I think technology is an important tool. And it certainly has its place. I think high functioning boards are high functioning because of the dialogue and the conversations they have during their meetings to get to decisions.

We can use technology to build efficiencies. We can use technologies to increase transparency. You may use AI to do some checking.

But AI is a tool. Technology is a tool. I'm not convinced it's going to replace the important work that elected officials do.

But look for opportunities to build efficiencies. And so that's kind of where I sit on it. I think there's a spot to help us keep an eye on potential legislation coming our way.

Jill Holtz: Yeah.

John Thomsen: I think there's a spot to help us manage policy and operating procedures. I think there's a spot to help us manage our board meetings, you know, create that record for the transparency. That's kind of where I see it right now.

I'm probably more of a traditionalist in terms of when I think of an elected official serving on a board. I don't see technology replacing that essential work, just helping with efficiencies.

Jill Holtz: I think so. I think efficiency touched on transparency. It can do a good job because it can make available information for the community really easily.

Or even doing things like live streaming that we talked about a few minutes ago for the meetings that you are holding publicly. I think in a way, though, even to make sure that your board members aren't doing things on email when they shouldn't, because that could go against, you know, open meeting laws. So being able to use technology smartly to manage how you prepare for meetings and collaborate on projects in a way that doesn't, you know, keeps you compliant.

And maybe from an accessibility point of view as well, that technology can help with that as well.

Advice for school board members and leaders about regulatory uncertainty

Finally, as I'm really conscious of your time, thanks so much for talking to me today. I just wanted to ask you, what is one piece of advice that you have for leaders and board members of public facing boards for future-proofing their organisation against the regulatory uncertainty and risk that we talked about? If you had to answer in one thing that they should do, what would you advise, John?

John Thomsen: Yeah, I think there's a couple things I want to try to weave together. I think understanding the change process, being comfortable with that change process, because the regulations will change, which will require you to do some things differently, which will require you to do some policy modifications. And then you're going to make those in a way that are legally compliant and reflect the mission, vision, values, the community you serve.

So that's really the target. And then working with other board members to do that in a proactive way and to embrace that as part of the position. I like to say we're perfectly designed to keep getting the outcomes we're getting right now.

And so we want improved outcomes, which means boards have to think differently and really embrace that change process in order to innovate, respond to regulations, and create wonderful learning opportunities for students. So just embracing that change process. We don't change for change sake.

We have to really understand the why, communicate that out, engage stakeholders for feedback. And then at the end of the day, you're elected on that board to make things better. And so really embrace all of that and move forward in a way that makes sense.

So that's the feedback and recommendation I would give. When I see the most highly effective board members and highly effective boards, they're in that zone.

Jill Holtz: I love that. Thank you so much, John. That's really excellent. Thank you. Thanks so much for taking the time to talk to me today. I really appreciate it.

John Thomsen: You're welcome.