Practical AI for School Leaders
A working morning on what AI actually does for the operational and governance work of the central office. Led by a former Indiana superintendent.
Co-hosted by Willow Run Group and Red 7 Networking
The office most often left out of the AI conversation is the one carrying the most.
Almost all AI conversation in schools is about the classroom. Student use, academic integrity, what to allow and what to block. Real questions, but not the ones a superintendent deals with on a daily basis.
The work that fills a district leader's week runs through the central office. Board packets, community communication, budget and compliance, referendum planning, the constant triage of small decisions. That is the part no vendor is paying attention to, and it is where a superintendent's load can be heaviest. This AI session is about the real work that central office leaders encounter in their day to day.
You leave able to do something Monday you could not do Friday.
A readiness guide for the central office
A short, plain guide to what is worth bringing into district operations now, what needs groundwork first, and what to leave alone for the moment.
Ready-to-run leadership workflows
A sample set of workflows built for the work you already do: board prep, communication, and the reports that eat your evenings. Yours to take and use.
A peer district's results
A one-page look at what a fellow Indiana district did with this and what it produced. Not a vendor case study. A peer's actual experience.
The morning at a glance
Arrival and breakfast
Coffee, breakfast, and a brief welcome from your hosts to frame why this matters for the room.
Where AI actually stands in 2026
The honest state of the technology, and the part of the district it has skipped: operations, the central office, and leadership work.
Live demos on real district work
Built live using the latest AI tools. Board reporting, leadership work, and district finance. The output, not a description of it.
Break
Coffee and informal conversation.
Open questions
Peer-to-peer discussion. The room brings its real problems and the answers stay practical.
Close, then lunch
A clear and optional next step, a take-home packet for everyone, and lunch with open conversation to follow.
Dr. Steve Troyer
Dr. Steve Troyer spent 22 years in public education, 15 in administration and leadership, and five as a superintendent in northern Indiana. He led a district of roughly 2,500 students and 450 employees, with an operating budget near $32 million and more than $77 million in capital projects.
He left the superintendency in early 2026 to build the tools he wished he had while doing the job. That is the difference between this morning and the usual technology talk. Steve did the job the room does and understands the role and the demands that come with it.
A current Indiana superintendent on an AI Audit and Professional Learning engagement with WRG.
“Practical, grounded, and no AI hype. I came away with a working approach to meaningfully reduce the burden of recurring tasks that take up significant time in my week.”
Superintendent, MSD Steuben County
This is not:
- ×A vendor pitch with a sign-up sheet at the end
- ×A keynote about how AI will change education
- ×A technical tutorial that assumes prior experience
- ×Generic business advice repackaged for schools
This is:
- ✓A working morning built by someone who ran a district
- ✓Specific to school operations and governance, not classroom policy
- ✓Honest about what AI cannot do, not only what it can
- ✓Practical enough to use the following Monday
Everything you need to know
9:00 - 11:30 AM
Shine Family Conference Room, 2nd floor. 3000 Technology Ave.
Provided. Come hungry, leave full.
Discussion, live demos, and open questions.
Superintendents, assistant superintendents, business officials, and central office leaders.
A take-home packet for every attendee.
Reserve your seat
Thursday, July 16, 2026. 9:00 - 11:30 AM, with lunch to follow. Register below.