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 23, 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.

Clinton County SBA

It was great to see all the Board Members, families and, most important, the proud students at the recent Clinton County SBA Annual Student Recognition Banquet.  The event had 350 people present.  All the proud people at the event are to be congratulated.   This is the time when county school boards associations honor students identified as deserving by their schools.  It's a culmination event highlighting another phase of our service as volunteer school board members.

Salmon River Central School
 
I'm looking forward to  helping the Salmon River Central School celebrate their 50th Anniversary, Rededication and Open House this coming weekend.  The time I spend with that community and learning a bit more about the history of this part of the north country will be a wonderful way to spend a spring afternoon. 

School Budget Votes and School Board Elections

By now, you likely know that nearly 93% of the school district budgets passed statewide.  Given the poor economic outlook, this is a remarkable testimonial to people's belief in public education and their support for their elected school board representatives.  Many people worked hard to make this happen, especially those of you at the local level.  We also know that NYSSBA's advocacy, outreach, advice and data provided significant support. 

Prior to the election, NYSSBA’s Eric Randall received requests from 12 school districts for electronic copies of a list of ways to improve voter turnout for school district budget votes and school board elections that appeared in the April 28 issue of On Board.   The NYSSBA Communications staff also put together a 30-second Public Service Announcement encouraging residents to participate in the school budget vote and school board elections. The PSA was distributed statewide to nearly two dozen commercial television stations.

NYSSBA Executive Director Tim Kremer conducted dozens of radio and television interviews before and after the school budget votes, including multiple appearances on Time Warner Capital News 9, which broadcasts to much of upstate as well as WTEN, a local TV station.  He was also a guest on WAMC Vox Pop and New York Now with Susan Arbetter.
 
The morning after the votes, the entire Communication Department team tracked down budget vote results with the help of the BOCES District Superintendents.  We beat all other organizations in announcing the results by 9 a.m., which then generated an avalanche of media inquiries all day long.  We all can be proud of the school budget results.  NYSSBA will continue to assist those districts whose budgets were defeated. 
 
Welcome-A-Board

New school board member packets to welcome the new members to NYSSBA will be mailed beginning Friday, May 30 and every following Friday as new names and addresses are obtained, and will include important information that will help to get our newest members-elect off to a quick start in their school board roles.  Please see that new board member contact information is sent to NYSSBA immediately.  This can be done online or by calling or e-mailing NYSSBA.

Welcome New NYSSBA Member

NYSSBA is pleased to welcome our newest member, the Avoca Central School District.

Pension Investigation

On Thursday, May 22, Attorney General Andrew Cuomo held the first public hearing as part of his expanding pension investigation.  Dave Little monitored the proceedings on Long Island, but did not testify.  Dave is meeting privately with AG staff next week.  We also intend to submit testimony after we get a better feeling of the tone of this hearing, whether there will be additional hearings, and the overall direction of the investigation.  The AG has been very aggressive in his public statements against BOCES, school attorneys, superintendents and, by implication, school boards.  This investigation could have far-reaching effects -- some of which are in order.  Several pension reform bills are already in the hopper.  We remain vigilant in protecting the right of school boards to hire the best qualified individuals, given the issues they are facing at the time. 
 
In the meantime, Tim Kremer is working directly with Commissioner Richard Mills in analyzing the waiver approval process during a just-announced statewide 60 day moratorium on the approval of new waivers.

Tax Cap Commission Report

The report of the Tax Cap Commission, headed by Tom Suozzi, was to be released on May 22, but its release has now been delayed until June 3.  We expect a property tax cap to be recommended, although such a proposal will have a tough time getting through the Legislature.  It is likely that we will see other recommendations in the report having to do with pension reform and the Triborough Amendment that could draw our support.  We will be prepared to respond immediately when the report is released.

Next in On Board…

NYSSBA’s Senior Writer Marc Humbert interviewed both Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno and New York’s First Lady Michelle Paterson for an upcoming issue of On Board.

Board Officer’s Academy

NYSSBA staff has been working to re-develop the program for the upcoming Board Officer’s Academy.  The modules will focus on developing leadership skills, good communication skills and facilitation techniques through the lens of agenda setting, board meeting facilitation, spokesperson to the media, and managing and conducting public comment sessions.  The four Academies will be held in August and September around the state.  Again, please alert board clerks to the need to send us the contact information of board officers immediately after the organizational meetings in July. 

Convention Update
 
The Greenwood Corporation, Utica National Insurance Group, NYS Laborers, and Bond, Schoeneck & King, PLLC have all renewed their Annual Convention Sponsorship Packages.  Greenwood will again be sponsoring our Thursday evening Keynote Kickoff, and Utica National will be supporting the meal functions on our trade show floor.  Bond, Schoeneck & King, PLLC has agreed to sponsor our Pre-Convention School Law Seminar again, and the NYS Laborers are contributing to the coffee break which opens the trade show on Friday morning.  This brings the number of sponsoring organizations to 18.

We are also pleased to welcome back four past exhibitors - H2M Group, Marriott Vacation Club International, Loewke Brill Consulting Group and Harris Connect Graduate Connection.

New NYSSBA Staff

Marilyn Morey will be joining the NYSSBA staff in early June as Leadership Development Manager.   She recently relocated to the Capital District from Washington, DC, where she worked as a supervisory community outreach specialist for the U.S. Attorney's Office.  Earlier in her career, Marilyn was a teacher in Central Square CSD.

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.

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
  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)
  October 16, New York City, Sheraton New York Hotel
  November 15, Fairport, Woodcliff Hotel
  November 15 - Ronkonkoma, Cortland by Marriott Long Island
  November 22 – Elmira, Holiday Inn Elmira
  December 13 – Oneonta, Holiday Inn Oneonta

Special Education Law Conference
  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, Desmond Hotel
  July 25, Long Island, Islandia Marriott
 
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