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Welcome to our first Board of Directors meeting of the new
school year.
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September began with some very good news for New Jersey’s
public school community.
Our state’s public schools received the top ranking in Education
Week’s annual report on school quality, which was released on
September 4th. Education Week cited New Jersey’s financial
commitment to public education, its efforts to close the
achievement gap, and overall student academic performance.
The high performance of our public schools is nothing new. In
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fact, we consistently rank near the top in the Education Week
survey and other measures of school quality. This month’s report
is one more indicator of the hard work and commitment of our
state’s school board members, educators, parents and students.
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Our schools attained another benchmark when the Governor
announced that New Jersey became the first state in the nation
with universal access to arts education. This is a significant
accomplishment, and one that will benefit our students.
I’ve always been very proud of NJSBA’s efforts to put the “A”
for “arts” into STEAM education. The fine, visual and
performing arts can have a powerful and positive impact on
students’ academic performance, their careers, and the quality of
their lives.
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Achieving universal access to arts education has been an initiative
of Arts ED New Jersey, a non-profit advocacy group that is
headed by our own Bob Morrison. Bob is one of the nation’s
leading researchers and advocates for arts education. He has
worked tirelessly for many years to make universal arts education
a reality for our students.
This summer, it was my pleasure to present Bob with the Certified
Board Leader Award from NJSBA’s Board Member Academy
during a meeting of the Watchung Hills Regional Board of
Education.
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I am happy to report that NJSBA is also off to a very good start
this year. Member participation in September activities has been
very healthy.
The Legislative Committee met on September 14, with over 60
people in attendance. In addition to the updates and discussion of
state and federal legislation, we heard an presentation on student
assessments from Diane Pasculli, deputy assistant commissioner
at the New Jersey Department of Education.
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We had an excellent turnout for last Saturday’s CAL meeting.
Leaders of the state’s 21 county school boards associations heard
an excellent presentation on social-emotional learning from Liz
Warner and Patricia Heindel of St. Elizabeth’s College.
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The County School Boards Associations have become a true
success story for NJSBA. And we are committed to continuing
that success. As I frequently say, the health of NJSBA is
dependent of the health of the county school boards association.
And we remain in excellent shape, thanks to the formula of
excellent programs, good locations and good food. Eleven
counties met in September, and overall attendance was up by 9.5
percent compared to their first meetings in 2018.
As always, I make a commitment to visit all 21 county
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associations. I have attended the Warren and Union County
meetings so far. Both were well attended. This year, the subject of
my presentations at the county meetings will be the final report of
the NJSBA Task Force on Mental Health Services in the Public
Schools. It’s titled Building a Foundation for Hope. More about
that later.
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As I’ve reported previously, our non-dues revenue is at an all
time high—36.6%. Nonetheless, we are still primarily a dues-
supported organization. And the rate of dues payment serves as
another indicator of member support. As of today, over 95% of
the state’s school districts have paid their dues. That is roughly
equivalent to last year.
But before we break out the Champaign, I have to add a dose of
reality to the conversation. There is a possibility that a small
number of districts will hold back on paying their dues. If this
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transpires, we are prepared to take the necessary legal action.
Tonight, the Board of Directors took an important step by
approving the new policy on loss of membership services.
I would be remiss if I did not address the fact that, last week, the
Toms River Regional Board of Education adopted a resolution
calling on its legislative representatives to introduce a bill to
eliminate mandatory membership in NJSBA.
We’ve been down this road before. A number of our members—
Toms River included—do not realize the full extent of the benefits
they receive from NJSBA. From 2014 through 2018, Toms River
saved $459,023 through NJSBA’s ACES energy program. That
works out to $94,970 per year—or over three-and-a-half times its
annual NJSBA dues.
When NJSBA was founded in 1914, the Legislature required
membership by all school boards so that they could speak with
one voice on educational issues. Today, mandated membership
also enables us to be one of the state’s largest providers of shared
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services, such as the ACES and TEC purchasing programs. It
helps many local school boards receive direct services and
training that they would not be able to afford otherwise. Our
partnerships and initiatives, which advance education and save
school boards money—such as Future Ready Schools, STEAM
education, Sustainable Jersey and NJSBA TEC—would not be
possible without the level of dues income provided by mandatory
membership.
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Partnerships are critical to our future growth. I’ve shown this
chart before. It lists some—but not all—of the partnerships
we’ve built over the past six years, as part of our Strategic Plans.
I’d like to briefly focus on developments related to some of these
collaborative efforts.
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Our relationship with the U.S. Army, provides our members with
valuable training and consultation related to STEAM education.
It’s an important membership benefit. Last Friday, we hosted a
meeting with Lt. Col. Brendan Toolan, the new commander of
the Mid-Atlantic Recruiting Battalion. He replaced Lt. Col. Keith
Bryant, who was a strong supporter of our partnership.
The colonel has expressed his enthusiastic support for continuing
our partnership. He has authorized the Army’s continued funding
of a STEAM education specialist on our staff. Right now, the
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specialist is Staff Sergeant Joe Wittmer, who participates in our
STEAM training and consultation for local school districts and
helps to direct the annual STEAM Tank Challenge. By the way,
this year, the STEAM Tank Challenge has engaged over 2,000
public school students.
Sergeant Joe will be taking on a new assignment with the Army in
January, and Col. Toolan has made a commitment to place another
full-time STEAM education specialist on our staff, paid for
entirely by the Army.
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As part of our relationship with the Army, each year since 2016,
NJSBA has promoted Military Opportunities Day.
Many students and parents are not aware of the wide range of
opportunities offered by the U.S. Armed Forces, including
scholarships, training and certification in more than 200 areas.
We encourage schools to provide information about these
opportunities as part of their efforts to help students prepare for
post-secondary college and careers.
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The letter on the screen was distributed to school district leaders
on Monday. It s signed by the executive directors of the state’s
major educational organizations. They constitute a coalition called
Leadership for Educational Excellence, or the LEE Group.
Here’s a bit of history: The coalition’s roots extend back to the
1960s, when NJSBA and NJEA determined that there was a need
to put aside differences and work on common goals. Originally, it
was called the “Princeton Group,” because its meetings were held
on the campus of the Educational Testing Service, which provided
the space as a public service. Over the years, the coalition has
gone under several names, but its purpose has always been the
same—finding common ground to advance public education.
This year, NJSBA is hosting the meetings of the LEE Group, and
yesterday we held our first meeting of the new school year.
President Mike attended the meeting and was impressed by the
depth of what we covered. In addition to the educational
organizations, the commissioner or his representatives also attend
the meetings. Yesterday’s discussions focused on health benefits
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reform, the importance of an accurate 2020 Census for New
Jersey, school finance, and pupil transportation, among other
topics.
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We have discussed Sustainable Jersey for Schools, a partnership
with The College of New Jersey, before. It has now grown to
include 57 percent of the state’s school districts, representing 872
schools. Sustainable Jersey has distributed over $1.8 million in
small grants to school districts and enabled them to initiate 5,100
sustainability action. Any discussion of the value of NJSBA
membership cannot overlook partnerships like Sustainable
Jersey.
And I am proud to say that, like many of our members, NJSBA is
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also implementing sustainability actions. You will notice that
tonight we have new badges. These are biodegradable,
compostable and environmentally friendly. And we can thank
Sheli Dansky for her suggestion last spring that we move beyond
the typical plastic badge holders, which clog landfills and hurt the
environment.
The administration of another important partnership, Future
Ready Schools–New Jersey, is being moved from the New Jersey
Institute of Technology to Sustainable Jersey. We believe this
change make Future Ready Schools even more successful. Future
Ready Schools was founded by three partner organizations—
NJSBA, the New Jersey Department of Education, and the New
Jersey Institute of Technology. NJIT will remain a founding
partner.
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In a minute, I will address NJSBA’s goals for 2019-2020. These
are exciting initiatives. But I also want to assure you that we
continue to build on our goals from previous years.
A prominent effort was our 2018 report on educational
opportunities for the career-focused learner. Today, we continue
to work with the business community, the governor’s office, and
other educational groups to explore concepts such as
apprenticeships, micro-credentialing, and dual-enrollment.
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We are seeking volunteers to serve as ambassadors who will speak
at board meetings and other venues about the need to expand
educational opportunities for students who do not plan to enroll in
four-year colleges immediately after graduation. Thank you IPP
Dan for your advice, counsel and commitment to make this
happen.
We’ve brought along a brochure with further information about
the Career-Focused Learner Ambassadors.
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The advance material for tonight’s meeting includes a copy of
the Executive Director’s Goals for 2019-2020. Each year, I
develop a set of goals in consultation with the Association
president and the Officers.
In reality, these are goals for the entire Association. They are
aligned with objectives of our current three-year Strategic Plan,
which was approved by the Board of Directors in November
2017.
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This year’s goals encompass a major professional development
initiative—that is, the creation of the NJSBA Online University in
partnership with the Rutgers University Division of Continuing
Studies. We announced plans for this effort last spring. Rutgers
will provide in-kind services to develop online programs covering
mandated training and other areas of professional development.
Later this evening, Dr. Richard Novak, vice-president of
Continuing Studies and Distance Education for Rutgers
University, will talk about our exciting partnership. His
presentation will take the place of the usual interactive session.
The Executive Director’s Goals also include the implementation
of new Association Management System that will serve as a
membership database. It will provide reliable program registration
and enable members to track progress toward Board Member
Academy Certification. Last year, the Board of Directors
approved an appropriation for the new system, developed by
Cobalt, a company with extensive experience in developing
management systems for associations.
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In addition, during 2019-2020, we will focus training and
information on the concept of educational equity. Our goal is to
promote the ability of local boards of education to meet the needs
of an increasingly diverse student population. Please remember
that our NJSBA Equity Council is another source of information
regarding this critical area.
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This year’s Executive Director’s Goals also focus on the positive
impact of effective mental health services and early intervention
strategies on student health and wellness, school climate and
school security.
The key initiative is our study, “Building a Foundation for
Hope,” which is the product of almost a year’s work by our Task
Force on Mental Health Services in the Public Schools. This is
an impressive report with over 70 recommendations in nine
areas, including social-emotional learning, school climate,
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community relations, curriculum, professional development and
equity.
The initial roll-out will take place on Tuesday, October 15th at
Highland Park High School. Registration information is on our
homepage. In addition, a special Workshop group session will be
devoted to the report. That session will take place on Wednesday
at 9:30 a.m. in Room 304 of the Convention Center.
Tonight, we have copies of the report, which will be available at
the end of the meting. Don’t leave without taking a copy.
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As I mentioned earlier, as I visit the 21 county school boards
associations, I will address the work of the task force. The
centerpiece of my presentation is an excellent video that
describes the findings and recommendations of the Task Force on
Mental Health Services in the Public Schools. I’d like to
conclude my report by sharing an abbreviated version of the
video to give you a taste of this important project.
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