Area 6 Director Dana Smith Represents the Following School Districts:
Au Sable Valley, Beekmantown, Brasher Falls, Brushton-Moira, Canton, Chazy, Clifton-Fine, Clinton-Essex-Warren-Washington BOCES, Colton-Pierrepont, Crown Point, Edwards-Knox, Elizabethtown-Lewis, Franklin-Essex-Hamilton BOCES, Gouverneur, Hammond, Harrisville, Hermon-DeKalb, Heuvelton, Indian Lake, Lake Placid, Lisbon, Long Lake, Madrid-Waddington, Malone, Massena, Minerva, Moriah, Morristown, Newcomb, Northeastern Clinton, Northern Adirondack, Norwood-Norfolk, Ogdensburg, Parishville-Hopkinton, Peru, Plattsburgh, Potsdam, Putnam, Raquette Lake, Saint Lawrence-Lewis BOCES, Saint Regis Falls, Saranac, Saranac Lake, Schroon Lake, Ticonderoga, Tupper Lake, Westport and Willsboro
Area Director Electronic Newsletter Clinton-Essex-Warren-Washington BOCES, Colton-Pierrepont, Crown Point, Edwards-Knox, Elizabethtown-Lewis, Franklin-Essex-Hamilton BOCES, Gouverneur, Hammond, Harrisville, Hermon-DeKalb, Heuvelton, Indian Lake, Lake Placid, Lisbon, Long Lake, Madrid-Waddington, Malone, Massena, Minerva, Moriah, Morristown, Newcomb, Northeastern Clinton, Northern Adirondack, Norwood-Norfolk, Ogdensburg, Parishville-Hopkinton, Peru, Plattsburgh, Potsdam, Putnam, Raquette Lake, Saint Lawrence-Lewis BOCES, Saint Regis Falls, Saranac, Saranac Lake, Schroon Lake, Ticonderoga, Tupper Lake, Westport and Willsboro
A big thank you to those who attended the Area 6 Annual Dinner in Malone on September 22. Dave Little shared a wealth of information concerning the activities of our elected legislature. Regent Dawson shared insights with us regarding the acitivities of the Board of Regents. Next year’s event will be held at the same place, Malone Golf Club, on September 20, 2012.
Budgets are being put together as this is written. The struggle for our rural districts is being shared with our legislators and the governor’s office. The inequality of state aid is the important message being shared with them. Hopefully they will begin to understand our dilemma and listen to the suggestions for equity throughout the state.
The Convention is hot on our heels. The program is exciting and fulfilling. I hope many of you will be taking advantage of the upstate venue this year and next year.
New Board Member Training is coming up in Lake Placid. The numbers are encouraging and we have continued to have good turnouts each year. Hopefully that will continue so that we expect to have other NYSSBA training events in our Area.
Stay in touch with your legislators. That is the only way for them to understand how important their activity or INactivity on our students’ behalves is having an impact.
92nd Annual Convention
NYSSBA staff will be shuffling off to Buffalo on Wednesday, October 26 and will be ready to greet you beginning at 5 p.m. that evening in the Convention Center when registration opens for the 92nd Annual Convention. Have you registered yet? No? Good news! It’s not too late. On-site registration is available in the Buffalo Convention Center from 5 – 7 p.m. on Wednesday; 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. on Thursday; 7 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. on Friday and 7 a.m. – 3 p.m. on Saturday.
You don’t want to miss any of the excitement, from the over 100 educational sessions to the pre-convention workshops on Thursday to the 160+ trade show exhibits to the Leaders Roundtable session on Friday afternoon. It also offers you a great chance to network with fellow board members.
For more details on the Annual Convention, go to www.nyssba.org OR http://www.nyssba.org/clientuploads/Convention10/ConventionMain/Home.html.
NSBA Northeast Region Meeting
Members of the NYSSBA Executive Committee headed to Hyannis, MA recently to attend the National School Boards Association Northeast Region Meeting. NYSSBA 2nd Vice President and Area 7 Director Lynne Lenhardt was recommended by the Business Meeting delegates to be considered for a presidential appointment to the 2012 NSBA Policy and Resolutions Committee; NYSSBA President Florence Johnson was chosen to sit on the 2012 NSBA Nominating Committee.
BoardDocs update
The number of school districts around the state now subscribing to BoardDocs is growing quickly. BoardDocs is a way to improve communications, reduce costs and streamline the process of producing paperless board meeting packets. The latest subscriber from New York State is Hyde Park (Area 9).
For additional information on how BoardDocs can save your district both time and money, please visit www.nyssba.org/paperlessmeetings. To arrange a demonstration or for any questions, please contact James Page, NYSSBA’s Director of Information Technology, at 1-800-342-3360 or james.page@nyssba.org. Be sure to visit the BoardDocs booth (# 432) in the exhibit hall for continuous demonstrations.
In the Media
NYSSBA Area 6 Director Dana Smith’s recent On Board Director’s Dialogue column on bullying was recast and published on the Washington Post’s Answer Sheet blog. Dana joins Anne Byrne, NYSSBA Past President and NSBA Director, in that distinction.
The NYSSBA Pulse Poll press release on the results of whether teachers should grade student exams was picked up by Cara Matthews’ blog, which ran in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle and the Journal News, WAMC radio, The Journal-Register (Medina, NY) and The Hicksville Illustrated News. The Glens Falls Post Star retweeted the link and it even appeared on the website of the Naples TEA Party Patriots.
NYSSBA Mailbag
The latest Mailbag editions include topics on “What is BoardDocs and how can it help my district”?, “Is there any state requirement for having a student representative on the school board”, “Can a school board member vote on an appointment of a family member or does he/she have to abstain by law?” and “What does my district need to do to comply with the new Dignity for All Students Act?”.
Mailbags are available for viewing on the NYSSBA website – www.nyssba.org.
Welcome New Members
NYSSBA is pleased to report that the school boards of South Glens Falls (Area 7) and Pittsford (Area 2) have rejoined NYSSBA effective immediately.
NYSSBA Staff Update
More than 70 staff and guests attended a festive retirement luncheon for Michele Oliveri, Membership Data Coordinator, whose last day after 26 years at NYSSBA was September 28. Michele’s successor, Denise Carmichael, worked at NYSSBA in the late 1980’s, and since then built an impressive resume in the healthcare and government sectors. We welcome her back to her former place of employment! If you need to make any changes to your membership record (phone number, address, etc.), contact Denise at denise.carmichael@nyssba.org or via phone at 800-342-3366.
Upcoming Events – 2011
Fiscal Oversight Online
October 26 – December 7
November 2 – December 14
92nd NYSSBA Annual Convention
October 27-30, Buffalo
Board Officers Academy
November 4, White Plains, Crowne Plaza
New Member Academy with Fiscal Oversight
November 4, Lake Placid, High Peaks Resort
Fiscal Oversight Fundamentals
November 5, Lake Placid, High Peaks Resort
Policy Workshop
November 10- Rochester, Airport Marriott
November 16- Islandia, Marriott Long Island
November 17- Latham, NYSSBA Headquarters
Winter School Law Conference
December 9, Albany
December 15, Rochester
January 12, 2012, Long Island
Webinars
Maintenance Operations Reviews (complimentary AdvisorySolutions webinar)
November 8, 2:30 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Hiring and Firing School District Employees
November 9, 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
School Closing Studies (complimentary AdvisorySolutions webinar)
December 6, 2:30 p.m. – 4 p.m.