Area School Technology Professionals Gather for the 2026 Kane County TechBash
SAINT CHARLES, Ill. – Nearly 200 technology staff from school districts across the region gathered Thursday, June 11, for TechBash 2026, a free day-long event hosted by the Kane County Regional Office of Education at Thompson Middle School in St. Charles. The day offered a full schedule of engaging presentations, peer networking, and hands-on looks at the latest digital tools and developments shaping K-12 technology.
The morning opened with arrival and networking, followed by welcome remarks led by Kane County Regional Superintendent John K. Jonak and Director of Operations and Technology Phil Morris. Their welcomes led into an opening interactive presentation from Google for Education on using artificial intelligence (AI) to make technology offices more efficient.
From there, attendees moved into more than two dozen breakout sessions and roundtable discussions led by district practitioners and industry partners. “The people who keep our schools’ technology running do some of the most important, and least visible, work in education. TechBash gives them a day to learn from one another and see what’s coming next, and this year the energy around AI showed just how fast that work is changing and how ready our teams are to meet it,” said John K. Jonak, Regional Superintendent for Kane County.
AI was the throughline of this year’s program. Building on that opening session, others explored how to set sensible rules for using AI responsibly and how it is reshaping the way districts guard against online threats. One session demonstrated emerging tools that let AI assistants work directly with school computers and equipment in a safe, controlled way. The day closed with a “District AI Challenge” in which attendees teamed up to turn what they had learned into practical ideas that could be brought back to their own districts.
Keeping schools secure and running smoothly rounded out the agenda. Sessions offered practical guidance on protecting student and staff data, defending against cyberattacks, keeping software up to date, and building reliable computer networks – including a look at a statewide program that helps Illinois schools strengthen their online defenses. Popular peer-led discussions tackled the everyday realities of running a school help desk, meeting state reporting and student-privacy requirements, and finding smarter ways to automate routine work. Other sessions previewed what is coming next from major technology providers, giving attendees a forward look at where school technology is headed.
TechBash is built to help technology teams learn from one another and build the relationships that make regional collaboration possible.
“We built this year’s program around the questions our districts are wrestling with today, from putting AI to work responsibly to keeping our networks secure,” said Phil Morris, Director of Operations and Technology for the Kane County Regional Office of Education. “Watching nearly 200 colleagues spend the day trading what works was exactly the point, and the conversations didn’t stop when the sessions ended.
