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, Keene, 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, Salmon River, Saranac, Saranac Lake, Schroon Lake, Ticonderoga, Tupper Lake, Westport and Willsboro

Area Director Electronic Newsletter

Welcome to the May 9, 2008 issue of the Area 6 electronic newsletter. The electronic newsletter is designed to facilitate communication between members of your NYSSBA Board of Directors and the Areas they represent. The newsletter contains information about Area 6 and NYSSBA. I hope you find it informative. I would appreciate your sending comments and suggestions for future newsletters to me at area06director@nyssba.org. If any of your board colleagues do not have computer access, a copy will be sent to the district office for distribution. If others with email did not receive their own copy, please submit their e-mail address to NYSSBA at info@nyssba.org.

The recent BOCES Workshop in Albany was a wonderful occasion filled with valuable information.  It was great to see Jules from Long Lake/FEH BOCES, Roger from SLL BOCES, and Tom from Salmon River/ FEH BOCES.  The information we gleened from the presenters will be invaluable to us and to the staff it will be shared with.  These workshops are cosponsored by NYSCOSS, NYSBO and NYSSBA.  The combined planning and information sharing is invaluable to not only all who attend, but to all members of all three organizations.  Non-BOCES Board members should examine the brochures in the future and find a way to attend.  It is of benefit to everyone.  More superintendents and Business Officials would be great to have.  Although we see approximately 100 people there, it would be even better to fill the conference center to the walls.  Please think about attending next year if you were unable to do so this year.
 
Kudos to Tim Kremer for giving us a chance to address the current focus by the Attorney General on BOCES.  We all must be aware of the possibility of more such issues being questioned by that office, which points all the more to the need for membership in NYSSBA and the importance our organization represents to us as our advocate in Albany.  Our Administrators, Legal Staff, Governments Relations Staff,  Communication Staff and many others in Latham are and have been invaluble to us and will be in the future in repesenting our interests to all governmental entities. 

Fiscal Oversight Training

Champlain Valley Educational Services has announced three tentative dates in 2008 to collaborate with NYSSBA in providing Fiscal Oversight Training in the North Country.  The dates are as follows:  September 13th in Plattsburgh, November 8th at Jefferson-Lewis BOCES, and December 13th in Canton.  Leadership Development will be finalizing contract details for these dates shortly and adjuncts for all three dates have been confirmed.  A NYSSBA hosted fiscal oversight workshop in Watertown will be cancelled to accommodate the November 8th Jefferson-Lewis BOCES date.


Value-Added Conference

A one-day value-added conference titled “Ready, Set, Grow,” sponsored by NYSSBA, NYSCOSS, SAANYS and the Capital Region BOCES, is set for May 28 in Albany.   For more information and to access the registration form, go to www.bocesinstructionalresources.org/IRS/valueadded.htm.  Pre-registration numbers are very encouraging.  A late addition to the program are two sessions that will be presented by representatives from New York City Department of Education.


Resolutions

The deadline for submitting a resolution to be considered at the Annual Business Meeting is June 16.  The 2008 Resolutions Kit has been mailed to all districts. The kit is also available online at www.nyssba.org.  If you have any questions about a potential resolution, please contact Christine Decatur at christine.decatur@nyssba.org or 518-783-3740.


Tax Cap Commission
 
“Excelsior! Key Drivers Behind New York’s ‘Ever Upward’ Property Tax Burden”, a report written by Paul Heiser, was the focus of Tim Kremer’s recent testimony before the New York State Commission on Property Tax Relief.  The report is available on the NYSSBA website at www.nyssba.org.


School Board Elections

Member Services is gearing up for school board member May 2008 elections.  For 2008, an online form will be send to district clerks the second week of May to collect information on non-contested elections.  This will provide a head start before the onslaught of new members after the May 20th elections.

Speaking of board elections, a revised “Essentials of School Board Service” book went to press for delivery in time to insert into new member kits, which will be distributed after the May 20 elections.


NYSSBA Annual Convention

NYSSBA is pleased to announce the addition of two new sponsors to the Annual Convention:  Hodgson Russ LLP and Nice-Pak Commercial.  Hodgson Russ will again be sponsoring the meal functions on the trade show floor, and newcomer Nice-Pak will be the unofficial sponsor of hand sanitizer stations on the trade show floor.

We are also pleased to welcome the following new exhibitors to the trade show this year:  EI Associates (architecture, engineering), Government Technology Solutions (IT solutions), Health and Educational Equipment Corp. (classroom furniture), and Hampden Engineering Corporation (educational training equipment).  This brings our total of new exhibitors to 15.  Also returning to our event is Dant Clayton (grandstands and bleachers).  Be sure to visit them in October.

Convention educational seminars have been finalized.  This year we will offer a total of 78 seminars under 7 strands.  Approval letters were mailed on May 5.

NYSSBA staff Barry Entwistle and Van Woodworth traveled to Rochester and met with the Convention and Visitor’s Bureau staff recently.  They discussed NYSSBA’s future rotation plan for 2011, 2012, and 2013 annual Conventions.  The following sites were visited:  Rochester Plaza Hotel, Clarion Hotel, Hyatt Summerfield Double Tree, Marriott Rochester Airport, Hyatt Regency, Woodcliff Hotel and the Rochester Riverside Convention center.  The Clarion Riverside Hotel has just completed a multi-million dollar renovation of all guestrooms.


Polls, Surveys and Press Releases

NYSSBA is conducting another Pulse Poll.  This topic of this poll is the school district budget vote and was sent out to board members on April 25.  NYSSBA has also distributed an online survey to presidents, superintendents and county SBA leaders on the topic of school district foundations.  This survey was sent out on April 29.  Please contact NYSSBA at 1-800-342-3360 if you have not received either the poll or survey.

The first On Board content-related press release went to media outlets, touting the stories in the April 28 edition. A number of newspapers picked up NYSSBA staffer Marc Humbert’s interview with Assembly Speaker Silver, including the New York Sun, the New York Daily News, and the Albany Times Union.


Policy Update Service

The May quarterly issue of the Policy Update service is about to be emailed to subscribers.  Included in this issue are updated policies on Booster Clubs, Copyright, Payroll, Compensation and Benefits, and a new policy on Contracting for Professional Services.


Local School Board Associations’ Annual Dinner Meetings

Members of NYSSBA’s staff, along with members of the Board of Directors, will be traveling throughout the state in May and June to attend the following annual meetings of local school boards associations.  Be sure to say hello.

Association                  Date            Assigned                  Location

Adirondack                  5/15            Michael Bieber        Queensbury
Broome-Tioga              6/11            Julie Marlette           Binghamton
Capital District BCS     5/15            David Albert            Capital Region
Central New York       5/29            Barry Entwistle         Auburn
Chautauqua                  5/15            David Little              Chautauqua
Dutchess                      6/5              Joseph Natale          Poughkeepsie
Erie County                  6/12           Wayne Schlifke         Depew   
Four County                5/29            Wayne Schlifke         Geneva
Genesee Valley            7/21            Rita Lashway            LeRoy
Monroe County           5/28            Jay Worona              Rochester
Nassau-Suffolk            6/2              David Little              Woodbury
Oneida-Madison          5/15           Wayne Schlifke         Utica
Orange County            6/4             Wayne Schlifke         Middletown
Rockland County         6/5             Wayne Schlifke         Pearl River
Saratoga County          5/12           Joseph Natale           Saratoga Springs
Schuyler-Chemung      5/22           Wayne Schlifke          Painted Post
Schoharie County       5/15            Christine Decatur       Schoharie
Steuben County         5/19             Michael Bieber          Hammondsport
Sullivan County          5/28             Rita Lashway            Livingston Manor
Ulster County             6/2              Wayne Schlifke         Kerhonkson
Westchester-Putnam   5/29            Rita Lashway            Eastchester


NYSSBA Area Elections

Nominations for the Area 6 representative on the NYSSBA Board of Directors must reach NYSSBA offices by 5 p.m. on July 31.  Candidates are required to obtain nominations from five separate member board.  Nominations should be sent to:

Mary Metheny, Executive Assistant
NYSSBA
24 Century Hill Drive, Ste. 200
Latham, NY  12110

If you have any questions, please contact Mary at 518-783-3709, 1-800-342-3360 or mary.metheny@nyssba.org.


Honor an outstanding school board member

Know a school board member who has made outstanding contributions to public education? Then nominate that person for NYSSBA’s prestigious Everett R. Dyer Distinguished Service Award. The 2008 nomination forms and instructions have been mailed.  Electronic versions are posted on the NYSSBA website (www.nyssba.org) this month.  The deadline for nominations is June 2. If you have questions, please contact Barbara Bradley at NYSSBA at 1-800-342-3360 or 518-783-3719, or barbara.bradley@nyssba.org.


Upcoming Events
 
Fiscal Oversight Online course schedule
  May 14 thru June 25
  June 11 thru July 23
  June 18 thru August 6
  September 3 thru October 15
  September 17 thru October 29
  October 8 thru November 19

Fiscal Oversight Workshop
  July 18, Buffalo, Adams Mark Hotel (during the New and Veteran Academies)
  August 11-12, Hillburn, Suffern High School
  August 13-14, Syracuse, Onondaga-Cortland-Madison BOCES
  August 18-19, Holbrook, Eastern Suffolk BOCES
  August 23, Rochester, Marriott Airport Hotel
  September 5, Albany Desmond (during the New and Veteran Academies)
  September 13, Plattsburgh
  October 16, New York City, Sheraton New York Hotel
  November 8, Jefferson-Lewis BOCES
  November 15, Fairport, Woodcliff Hotel
  November 15 - Ronkonkoma, Cortland by Marriott Long Island
  November 22, Newburgh, Hilton Garden Inn Newburgh
  November 22 – Elmira, Holiday Inn Elmira
  December 13 – Oneonta, Holiday Inn Oneonta
  December 13 - Canton

Internal and External Audit Process
  May 16, White Plains, Crowne Plaza
 
Special Education Law Conference
  May 22, Latham, NYSSBA Headquarters
  May 29, Rochester, Marriott Rochester Airport
  June 12, Plainview, Marriott Residence
 
Value-Added Conference
  May 28, Albany, Holiday Inn

Media Relations Boot Camp
  June 13, Latham, NYSSBA Headquarters
  July 11, Rochester, Marriott Airport
  September 12, Plainview, Marriott Residence Inn
 
New School Board Member One-Day Academy
  July 11, Latham, NYSSBA Headquarters
  August 1, Saranac Lake, Saranac Lake BOCES
  August 8, Garden City, Nassau BOCES Admin Center
  August 15, White Plains, Crowne Plaza White Plains
  August 22, Rochester, Marriott Airport Hotel

New and Veteran School Board Member Academies
  July 18-20, Buffalo, Adams Mark Hotel
  September 5-7, Albany, Desmond Hotel

School Board Institute Courses
  July 18, Buffalo, Adams Mark Hotel
  September 5, Albany, Desmond Hotel
  October 16, New York City, Sheraton New York Hotel

School Law Conference
  July 18, Albany
  July 25, Long Island
 
Board Officers Academy
  August 9, Fairport, Woodcliff Hotel
  August 16, Ronkonkoma, Courtyard by Marriott Long Island
  September 20, Latham, NYSSBA Headquarters
  September 27, Binghamton, Broome-Tioga BOCES

32nd Annual Education Law Conference
  September 11, Syracuse, Syracuse University

Pre-Convention School Law Seminar
  October 16, New York City

89th Annual Convention
  October 16-19, New York City, Sheraton Hotel and Towers

Policy Workshops
  November 7, Rochester
  November 14, Latham, NYSSBA Headquarters
  November 20, Long Island

School Law Conference
  December 10, Albany