A restart of the Foundation Aid formula with a three year phase-in plan for full funding tops the list of legislative priorities for the New York State School Boards Association (NYSSBA) in 2017.

In addition, changes to the property tax cap, support for English Language Learners, and additional funding for prekindergarten are among the Association's other priorities.

Community schools can help students overcome the adverse effects of poverty and other obstacles to academic success, according to a new research report by the New York State School Boards Association. 

The report, entitled "Community Schools: The Great Equalizer," offers an in-depth view of community schools, including a glimpse at life inside two community schools. 

"Community schools can help level the playing field for schools wrestling with a high level of student poverty and transiency," said NYSSBA Executive Director Timothy G. Kremer.

State Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia, Regents Chancellor Betty Rosa and nearly 2000 school board members will be in Buffalo next week to address such topics as educational inequities, bullying, drug abuse and other issues facing New York’s schools.

The discussions will take place at the New York State School Boards Association’s Convention on October 27 to 29 at the Buffalo-Niagara Convention Center.

SUNY Poly and New York State School Boards Association Partner to Honor Top Three New York School Districts’ STEM-Based Educational Programs

“Be the Change for Kids” Innovation Award winners singled out for innovative, easily replicable programs that encourage critical 21^st century skills

School districts should plan for limited state and local revenue growth in their budgets next year, based on projections for shrinking state tax collections and another low tax cap, according to State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli.

DiNapoli made the prediction in an interview with New York State School Boards Association (NYSSBA) Executive Director Timothy Kremer in an upcoming “NYSSBA News” program that will air on NYSSBA’s website beginning September 12.

School employees must now receive training on violence prevention and mental health, under a new law taking effect this school year. 

In addition, schools may have to begin testing their water supplies for lead contamination under a proposal passed by both houses of the state Legislature and expected to be signed into law by the governor.

Multiple legislative and regulatory changes to law have left some to question the value of evaluation plans

Once hailed as a game changer for public education by linking student achievement to teacher and principal evaluations, New York's teacher and principal evaluation law today largely represents for school officials an obligation to bargain, according to a new research report from the New York State School Boards Association. 

NYSSBA's report, "Building Trust at the Table," is based on interviews with school officials and an analysis of 100 approved Annual Professional Performance Review (APPR) evaluation plans.

For the first time in the award’s history, the New York State School Boards Association (NYSSBA) is honoring two school board members with the Everett R. Dyer Award for Distinguished School Board Service.

The winners of the 2016 award this year are Deborah Coates of the Nassau BOCES and Joseph DiMaio from the Jamestown City School District. The award is the highest honor NYSSBA annually bestows upon a single school board member.

The New York State School Boards Association (NYSSBA) issued comments to the United States Secretary of Education on the first round of Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) regulations.

Below is a link to NYSSBA's comments:

http://bit.ly/2asSo4r

New learning standards being crafted for New York State are likely to be similar to the Common Core standards they will replace, according to a new research report from the New York State School Boards Association (NYSSBA).

The report, entitled "Replacing the Common Core: New name, same standards?" examines what happened when three states – Indiana, Oklahoma and South Carolina – repealed the Common Core Learning Standards and adopted their own state standards in English and math.