Vision & Mission

Vision

When education advocates and aspiring school board members are empowered with the knowledge and network they need to drive systemic change, every child will have the opportunity to succeed in school and beyond, and the entire community will be positively impacted.

Mission

At School Board School, we are activating a diverse coalition of education advocates and aspiring school board members to create significant and sustainable change in our school system. We prepare them with the skills, mindsets, networks, and experiences needed to be ready to serve in roles impacting students throughout our community. And, we support them over the long-term, as they work together to reach their individual goals and in collective actions that drive change at schools, in districts, and throughout our region.

Theory of Action.

We offer interactive learning experiences with content area experts and create a community of engaged citizens who believe that every child can achieve and that it is our collective responsibility to build and support school systems that allow every child to thrive.

To be effective in this work, we believe school board members and education advocates must be representative of their communities, grounded in a strong sense of purpose, and have a deep understanding of the most important issues affecting students in their community. They must listen to the needs of the school community, understand their roles, support their district and school administrations, and build coalitions in their communities that work collaboratively to pass and implement meaningful policies.

Team

**Elisa Hoffman**

Founder & Executive Director

Elisa Hoffman founded School Board School in 2018 through a People’s Liberty/Haile Foundation Fellowship. She is a parent, former teacher, and education advocate who has worked for over twenty years on issues of educational equity, including serving a four-year term on the Cincinnati Public Schools Board of Education. When she’s not working with the School Board School crew, Elisa enjoys reading (just about anything), writing (mostly fiction), and hanging out with her husband and their twin middle-schoolers.

Andrea Granieri
Director of Member Organizing and Support

Andrea has over fifteen years of experience in the non-profit sector, primarily in social service and education organizations. Her work has included fundraising, marketing, volunteer management, and community partnerships.

Andrea felt called to advocate for a more equitable education system when she observed the contrast between the district where she worked, where the students were majority Black and where the majority of students’ families were economically disadvantaged, and her own child's experience in a wealthier, whiter district. Andrea started by volunteering on a school board candidate's campaign, and that led to her becoming a precinct executive, and then a school board candidate herself in 2021. Unfortunately, the outcome of that election saw a slate of disruptor anti-equity candidates take four out of five seats in the Forest Hills School District. Andrea knew that these new school board members did not represent the majority of constituents in her district, and she has been instrumental in helping organize a community movement that continues to put pressure on the school board in support of diversity, equity, and inclusion through methods like rallies outside meetings, speaking at school board meetings, identifying and supporting values-aligned school board candidates for upcoming elections, and taking legal action.

After completing School Board School Class 5, Andrea was thrilled for the opportunity to bring her professional and personal experiences together to benefit School Board School members and their various goals for supporting students throughout the Greater Cincinnati area.

**Miyah Byrd**
Director of Programs and Communication

A storyteller, advocate, and public speaker, Miyah has been a leader in the local nonprofit space for almost a decade. She's a Contributing Writer to Berkeley Now, Soapbox Cincy, various online publications, and she’s a board member of Your Store of The Queen City-the first community-led grocery store in Cincinnati. She's also the founder & host of the podcast, We Don’t Talk About That!, featuring deep conversations about oft-ignored topics in justice.

**ANNIE CERVENKA**

Director of curriculum and coaching

Annie has worked for more than a decade in public education, serving as a teacher, school principal, and educational consultant for both small organizations and large school districts. She has worked for School Board School in a number of roles, and currently uses her deep understanding of curriculum and teaching to lead the design of our work to codify our learning program process and curriculum, and coach partner regions on implementing it with fidelity.

lanisha simmons

Director of curriculum and coaching

Lanisha Simmons began her career in education 15 years ago as a high school English Language Arts teacher. Most recently, she was the Curriculum Manager of K-12 English Language Arts at Cincinnati Public Schools. In this role, she spearheaded the development of instructional frameworks and practices focused on the whole child, aligned with district goals, enhancing leadership and instructional capacity district-wide. Collaborating with district leaders, coaches, principals, teachers, and reading specialists, her work focused on improving literacy outcomes for students.

In 2021, Lanisha received the Champion of Equity-District Leadership award from the American Consortium for Equity in Education. Lanisha believes every child, regardless of circumstance, should receive the best education possible. Her work’s purpose has been to ensure every student receives an equitable education that breaks barriers, bridges divides and empowers individuals with the knowledge and skills to contribute meaningfully to pursuing justice, preserving liberty, and realizing true freedom for all.

Lanisha holds a Master of Education (M.Ed) in Curriculum and Instruction, a Master of Education (M.Ed) in Educational Leadership from Ashland University, and a BS in Secondary Education and Teaching from Ohio University. Originally from Columbus, OH, Lanisha enjoys traveling, new adventures, spending time with her husband and daughter, working out in service of self-care, and good food.