Every district is already using AI. Far fewer have decided who's accountable when it touches a real decision about a student.
That gap is the reason for this workshop.
In one focused morning, you'll leave with a practical way to see where AI is entering your decisions — and a governance structure that keeps human judgment, equity, and public trust at the center. This is a leadership conversation, not an IT briefing. No technical background required.
Why now
64% of district leaders are already discussing operational AI. Only 12% report clear direction on oversight (CoSN, 2025). The tools are already inside your system. This workshop closes the gap between adoption and governance — before a problem forces it into the open.
What you'll walk away with

• A shared language for classifying any AI use case: how much control it has, and what's at stake if it's wrong
• The red lines — where AI must never decide, no matter how accurate it claims to be
• A method for surfacing the AI already running in your system that no one approved ("shadow AI")
• Role-specific tools: for district leaders building the governance architecture, and for site leaders operating it where AI reaches staff and students first
• A first 30-day move you can take back to your team on Monday
• A certificate of participation for your records

Built on the District AI Decision Architecture from Creative Futures Collaborative — a framework designed to help districts adopt AI thoughtfully, treating it as a tool that amplifies human judgment rather than replaces it.
Who should attend
Superintendents and cabinet members · assistant superintendents and directors (technology, HR, special education, business, curriculum) · principals and assistant principals · county office leaders · board members · any education leader navigating AI under real pressure.
How the morning works
Everyone starts together for the shared framing, then splits into role-specific breakouts — district leaders build the map, site leaders operate it — and reconvenes for a handoff where each level names what it owes the other. Bring a real AI use case from your world; you'll work on it in the room.
Your facilitators
Jerry Almendarez — Founder of Creative Futures Collaborative, former Superintendent and author of the District AI Decision Architecture. His work helps superintendents, cabinets, and county offices protect decision integrity, so leaders act on accurate information rather than on what a system filtered before it reached them.
Dr. Aubrey Escobar — CEO & President of the Center for Leadership, Equity, and Research (CLEAR) & Founder of CLAROedu. Her doctoral work on transformational leadership and technology adoption anchors her focus on helping leaders adopt AI in ways that strengthen human judgment, and trust.

Sponsored by The Boys & Girls Club of Orange County.
Seats are limited, and early-bird pricing won't last.

Early-bird: $699 per person. Register now to lock in your seat and your rate.