ANN ARBOR—”Building for the Future,” a day-long conference at the University of Michigan, will bring together K-12 educators, school board members, school development teams, administrators, teachers, parents and students to examine the challenges communities confront in designing and financing schools of tomorrow.

The Oct. 30 conference is sponsored by the U-M’s A. Alfred Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, the School of Education and the Office of the Vice President for Government Relations, with assistance from the Michigan Association of School Boards.

“This conference will address many of the complex issues school districts across the state face today in having to build new schools or renovate old ones. Given the expertise of the speakers and panelists, I expect the discussions to produce some very helpful ideas and direction,” says Justin King, executive director of the Michigan Association of School Boards.

Luncheon speaker is Thomas D. Watkins Jr., Michigan superintendent of public instruction.

Registration deadline is Oct. 19; the $50 registration fee includes lunch. Space is limited. For more information, including the complete speaker list, or to register, go to the conference Web site, www.umich.edu/~govrel/bftf.html, or call the U-M government relations office, (734) 763-5554.