15th Annual
Pre-Convention School Law Seminar
Thursday, October 27, 2011
9:30 - 4:30 p.m.
Hyatt Regency – Buffalo
Cost: $275
Tuition includes lunch, resource materials and a nonrefundable $50 administrative fee. You may pay by check, credit card, or purchase order. Cancellations will not be refunded after the pre-registration/cancellation deadline. No shows will be billed.
Who should attend?
| Board Members | Building Administrators | Pupil Services Staff |
| Superintendents | Human Resources Staff | Guidance Counselors |
| School Attorneys | Business Officials | School Social Workers |
Why attend?
- Learn about the hot issues and trends in collective bargaining over the new APPR regulations.
- Find out if your district is ready to implement the changes needed to comply with upcoming federal healthcare reform requirements.
- Hear about recent laws, regulations, court decisions, and other rulings affecting school district responsibilities.
- Understand better the challenges school districts face under the new harassment and bullying standards adopted by the federal Office of Civil Rights.
- Explore how districts can become more fiscally efficient to pass scrutiny of their management of school finances
6 CLE CREDITS (pending)
New York State Continuing Education (CLE) Credits: Application for accreditation for this course or program in New York State is currently pending. If approved, this program may be eligible for 6 CLE credit hours in professional practice.
Important Notice: Partial credit for program segments is not allowed. Under the New York State Continuing Legal Education Board Regulations and Guidelines, attendees at CLE programs cannot receive MCLE credit for a program segment unless they are present for the entire segment. Persons who arrive late, depart early, or are absent for any portion of the segment will not receive credit for that segment.
Tuition Assistance: Application for tuition assistance to attend this program may be made based on financial hardship. Under that policy, an applicant who has a genuine financial hardship may apply in writing no later than five working days prior to the program, explaining the basis of his/her hardship and, if approved, may receive tuition assistance, depending upon the circumstances. For more details, please contact Jay Worona, New York State School Boards Association, at 800-342-3360 or 518-783-0200, or by e-mail at jay.worona@nyssba.org.
AGENDA
| 8:30 - 9:25 a.m. | REGISTRATION |
| 9:25 - 9:40 a.m.
|
INTRODUCTION AND WELCOME
Jay Worona, General Counsel, NYSSBA and Laura J. Granelli, President, NYSASA |
| 9:40 - 10:00 a.m. | A STATESIDE VIEW ON THE STATE OF EDUCATION The Board of Regents, Commissioner of Education, and the State Education Department The Board of Regents, the Commissioner of Education and the State Education Department directly affect the continuous evolution of public education in New York State. Hear from SED's acting legal counsel about the latest developments and critical issues currently guiding the outlook for school district operations. Richard Trautwein, Counsel and Deputy Commissioner for Legal Affairs, New York State Education Department |
| 10:00 - 11:10 a.m. | TEACHER AND PRINCIPAL EVALUATIONS -
NEW NEGOTIATION CHALLENGES The regulations are out but negotiations continue over the implementation of the new teacher and principal evaluation system. What are the hot issues and trends? Where have districts been successful? How are districts that have been unable to reach agreement proceeding this school year? Get answers to these questions and more. |
| Panelists | David A. Farmelo, Partner, Hodgson Russ, LLP, and David S. Shaw, Partner, Shaw, Perelson, May & Lambert, LLP |
| Moderator | Benjamin J. Ferrara, Partner, Ferrara, Fiorenza, Larrison, Barrett & Reitz, PC |
| 11:10 - 11:25 a.m. | BREAK |
| 11:25 a.m. - 12:35 p.m. | HOW DOES HEALTHCARE REFORM AFFECT SCHOOL DISTRICTS? Full implementation of the 2010 Patient Protection & Affordability Act and Healthcare & Education Reconciliation Act will have a significant impact on school district compensation policies, plans and collective bargaining agreements. Learn what your district must do to prepare, and the consequences of noncompliance. |
| Panelists | Gregory J. Guercio, Partner, Guercio & Guercio LLP, and Justino D. Petrarca, Partner, Scariano, Himes & Petrarca |
| Moderator | John H. Gross, Ingerman Smith, LLP |
| 12:35 - 1:30 p.m. | LUNCH |
| 1:30 - 2:30 p.m. | A YEAR IN REVIEW - WHERE TO NOW? Review what is new and what has changed this past year. Find out how recent federal and state legislative and regulatory activities, court decisions and other rulings have reshaped school district responsibilities. Explore the next round of legal obligations districts must comply with. Pilar Sokol, Deputy General Counsel, and Kimberly A. Fanniff, Associate Counsel, NYSSBA |
| 2:30 - 3:30 p.m. | OCR's VIEW ON THE HARASSMENT AND BULLYING OF PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS |
Panelists |
Linda Bakst, Deputy Director of Policy Services, NYSSBA, Francisco M. Negrón, Associate Executive Director and General Counsel, National School Boards Association, and Udi Ofer, Advocacy Director, New York Civil Liberties Union |
| Moderator | Jay Worona, General Counsel, NYSSBA |
| 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. | FISCAL MANAGEMENT - SCHOOL BOARDS UNDER ATTACK Financial hardship is now a semi-permanent condition of school district governance. Enhanced scrutiny over a school board's exercise of inappropriate fiscal management has become the norm. Explore what districts can do to improve their fiscal efficiencies to survive official audits and gain public support. Laura M. Purcell, Partner, Harris Beach PLLC, and Vincent Cullen, C.P.A., Partner, Cullen and Danowski, LLP |
| 4:30 p.m. | ADJOURN |