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 June 12, 2009 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 end of the school year is upon us.  Many boards will be facing their annual reorganization meetings with experienced members missing and new members being sworn in.  It's important that those retiring members be recognized appropriately.  NYSSBA has a very nice array of items for that purpose and provides a certificate of appreciation for those leaving upon request. 
 
New board members will be motivated by the New Member Academies.  We will be having one in the northcountry in October.  Make sure that the new members are enrolled in a new member academy--for the good of your board.  Announcements are out and information is available on the NYSSBA website - www.nyssba.org.
 
Don't forget to keep September 24 open for the Area 6 Annual Dinner at the Malone Golf and Country Club.  Chancellor Tisch will join us, along with David Albert, Director of Communications for NYSSBA.  It promises to be a great evening.  I had the pleasure of spending last Saturday morning meeting informally with the Chancellor and found her to be refreshing, open and a pleasure to talk with.  She is looking forward to her visit with us in September.
 
Please have a great summer and keep in touch if there is anything NYSSBA or your Area Director can do for you.

Welcome Kits

NYSSBA has mailed Welcome Kits to newly-elected board members congratulating them on their election.  The kits contain a message regarding the benefits of NYSSBA membership and  information regarding NYSSBA programs and services.


Board of Directors Meeting Highlights

The NYSSBA Board of Directors met on Saturday, June 6.  Four members of the Board of Directors were nominated as the slate of officer candidates who will go before the delegates at the Annual Business Meeting in October.  They are:  

President - Florence Johnson, Buffalo
First Vice President - Tom Nespeca, Webster
Second Vice President - Lynne Lenhardt, Bethlehem/Capital Region BOCES/Tech Valley HS
Treasurer - Michael Masse, Fayetteville-Manlius

Wayne Schlifke of the Erie 1 BOCES will automatically become the Immediate Past President.

The guest speaker at the meeting was the newly-elected Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch.  The Chancellor touched on topics including the search for the new education commissioner, standards and assessments, P-16 data systems and charter school approvals.

Four sunsetting resolutions were approved by the Directors to go before the delegates in October.  The topics of the resolutions are Wicks Law, certified special education teachers, capital equipment purchases under a contingency budget and cultural diversity.

The Directors approved the endorsement of Anne Byrne from the Nanuet School Board in her bid for re-election as NSBA Director.


Consolidation Feasibility Studies

NYSSBA will soon be offering a new service to school districts that are considering consolidation and inter-district partnerships.  The Consolidation Feasibility Studies Services brochure will be mailed to all members district in mid-July.  The NYSSBA AdvisorySolutions Consolidation Feasibility Studies team is cognizant of the sensitivities around consolidation.  The team of experts - including former superintendents and school administrators of successfully merged districts - will bring experience, new perspectives and an impartial voice to the process.


School Budget Vote Media Inquiries

Just after the school budget votes, NYSSBA fielded a number of print media inquires, including inquires from the Associated Press, Watertown Daily Times, Binghamton Press & Sun Bulletin, Journal News (Westchester) and Utica Observer-Dispatch.  Executive Director Tim Kremer was scheduled for nearly two dozen broadcast interviews for the budget vote. He did several interviews with radio reporters from around the state, appeared on Albany-area television stations Capital News 9, WRGB Ch. 6 and WXXA Ch. 8 and also participated in several live call-in shows (Albany, Finger Lakes, Ithaca, Poughkeepsie).


Membership Updates

NYSSBA staff logged in board election updates for every member district within 10 days of the election.  This was a first and huge accomplishment.  Please be sure to contact NYSSBA any time there are changes to your board.


Convention

Online registration for the 2009 annual convention opened on June 1.  Already NYSSBA has received over 300 registrations!  The convention promotional brochure has been mailed; if you have not received it yet, please contact NYSSBA at 800-342-3360 or check the website at www.nyssba.org.

As part of NYSSBA’s “Going Green” effort, all educational seminar presentations and handouts will be posted on NYSSBA’s website - www.nyssba.org.  Paper copies of these handouts will not be available on-site at this year’s Convention. 

NYSSBA is pleased to welcome back Utica National Insurance Group, CompassLearning and Prepared Response as convention sponsors.  Utica National will again be sponsoring the meal functions on the trade show floor, CompassLearning will be co-sponsoring the photo booth, and Prepared Response will again be sponsoring a strand of educational seminars.  We also welcome our new year-round sponsor, ECG Engineering LLC.  This brings our total number of sponsors to 19.

Three new vendors have signed up to exhibit at this year’s Convention – Parabit (security and technological services), Superior Telephone (communication services), and Mimio (interactive white boards).  This brings our total number of new exhibitors to 9.


Leadership Toolbox Series

The upcoming Leadership Toolbox Series session, “The Board’s Role in Teacher Quality Part I: Attracting and Developing High-Quality Teachers”, has an impressive group of speakers and panelists.  The Regional Education Laboratory (REL) Northeast and Islands will be providing researchers to present the REL’s 2008 study “An Analysis of State Data on the Distribution of Teaching Assignments Filled by Highly Qualified Teachers in New York Schools”.  To see the REL press release and full report, go to:  http://www.relnei.org/news.pressarchives.studentaccess.php. 

Other racility for this workshop include administrators, board members, a college dean and a panel of highly qualified teachers, including NYS Teachers of the Year for 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008.

NYSSBA staff is also developing a series of follow-up webinars to accompany this Leadership Toolbox Series topic.  The purpose of the webinars is to allow deeper focus and learning in areas related to the overall topic of teacher quality.  The one-hour webinars will provide additional training on the board’s role in the areas of teacher evaluations, policy related to teacher quality, and the 3020-a process.


Annual School Law Conferences 

Brochures have been mailed to school board members, school superintendents, building administrators, pupil services staff and school attorneys for the 15th Annual School Law Conferences to be held July 17 in Albany and July 23 in Islandia.  These conferences are jointly sponsored by NYSSBA and the Law Youth & Citizenship Program (LYC) of the New York State Bar Association.  Topics include: A review of this past year’s school law decisions and adopted legislation; negotiating collective bargaining agreements in tough economic times; recent trends in §3020-a proceedings; and the impact of privacy rights on misconduct investigations.


Statewide Organization Task Force

NYSSBA Deputy Director of Policy Services, Linda Bakst, has been representing NYSSBA at meetings of the Statewide Organizations Task Force of the Governor’s Summit on Student Engagement and Dropout Prevention.  One key area of discussion involves utilizing student data that districts already collect to reduce dropouts.


Upcoming Events - 2009

Fiscal Oversight Online
  June 17-July 29 (registration dates:  April 1-June 10)
  September 2-October 14 (registration dates:  August 5-August 26)
  September 16-October 28 (registration dates:  August 5-September 9)
  October 7-November 18 (registration dates:  August 5-September 30)

Rural Schools Association Conference
  July 13-15, Cooperstown

Summer School Law Conference
  July 17, Albany, Desmond
  July 23, Islandia, Marriott

New Member Academy
  July 17, Buffalo, Hyatt Regency
  July 31, Ithaca, Ramada Inn
  August 21, Islandia, Marriott
  September 11, Albany, Desmond Hotel
  September 26, Newburgh
  October 2, Lake Placid, Crowne Plaza Resort and Golf Club

Fiscal Oversight Fundamentals Workshop
  July 18, Buffalo, Hyatt Regency
  July 27, White Plains, Crowne Plaza
  July 28, White Plains, Crowne Plaza
  August 1, Ithaca, Ramada Inn
  August 22, Islandia, Marriott
  September 12, Albany, Desmond Hotel
  September 21-22, Binghamton, Broome Tioga BOCES
  October 3, Lake Placid, Crowne Plaza Resort and Golf Club
  October 15, New York City (to be held during the 90th Annual Convention)
  November 21, Rochester, Marriott Airport
  November 21, Latham, NYSSBA
  December 5, Islandia, Marriott

Board Officer’s Academy
  July 31, Fairport, Woodcliff Hotel & Spa
  August 14, Latham, NYSSBA Headquarters
  September 17, White Plains, Crowne Plaza
  September 25, Islandia, Islandia Marriott

Leadership Toolbox Series - “The Board’s Role in Teacher Quality Part I”
  August 3, Latham, NYSSBA
  August 5, Islandia, Islandia Marriott
  August 7, Watertown, Jefferson-Lewis BOCES
  August 8, Cortland, Hampton Inn

Policy and the Effective Board Meeting
  August 13, Rochester, Marriott Airport
  August 17, Latham, NYSSBA
  August 20, Islandia, Marriott Long Island

Leadership Toolbox Series - “The Board’s Role in Teacher Quality Part II”
  September 12, Cortland, Hampton Inn
  September 14, Watertown, Jefferson-Lewis BOCES
  September 16, Islandia, Islandia Marriott
  September 21, Latham, NYSSBA

33rd Annual Education Law Conference
  September 17, Syracuse

NYS Council of School Superintendents Fall Conference
  October 4-6, Rochester

School Board Institute Courses
  October 15, NYC (during the 90th Annual Convention)

Pre-Convention School Law Seminar
  October 15, New York City

90th Annual Convention
  October 15-18, New York City

Leadership Toolbox Series - “School Safety Part IV”
  November 14, Watertown, Jefferson-Lewis BOCES
  November 17, Latham, NYSSBA
  November 19, Islandia

Winter School Law Conference
   December 9, Albany


Upcoming Events - 2010

State Issues Conference
  March 14-15, Albany, Crowne Plaza

NSBA Annual Conference and Exposition
  April 10-13, Chicago, IL

10th Annual School Attorneys Conference
  June 4-6

NYSCOSS Fall Conference
  September 26-28, Saratoga Springs

14th Annual Pre-Convention School Law Seminar
  October 21, New York City

91st Annual Convention
  October 21-24, New York City