FOR RELEASE: March 20, 2020

CONTACT: David Albert
(518) 783-3716 office (518) 320-2221 cell

@nyschoolboards

The New York State School Boards Association is urging candidates for their local boards of education not to go door-to-door in order to collect signatures on their petitions to get on the ballot for school board elections this May.

On Board Online • March 16, 2020

By Eric D. Randall
Editor-in-Chief

If your school district has to close one or more schools due to the spread of coronavirus in your school community, is your school board prepared to:

• Educate students remotely (including students with special needs)?
• Ensure continuity of meal programs for needy children?
• Crosstrain employees for critical job functions?

On Board Online • March 16, 2020

By Eric D. Randall
Editor-in-Chief

Public school enrollment in New York State is down, dropping at least 5% in most districts since 2007-08. But spending is up. Why?

The Office of the State Comptroller answers that question in a new report that is sympathetic to the pressures on school boards and school administrators.

On Board Online • March 16, 2020

Robert S. Schneider
NYSSBA Executive Director

Shortly after I became executive director of NYSSBA this year, school districts got sobering news about the state property tax cap. The state comptroller announced the allowable tax levy growth factor will be just 1.81%.

My background is in finance, and I know what a struggle it is for governance teams to create a budget every year. In the last two budget cycles, school districts have had to rely on more than $2.1 billion from fund balances.

On Board Online • March 16, 2020

By Cathy Woodruff
Senior Writer

State officials are considering revising an old label used for a condition shared by roughly 5 percent of students receiving special education services around New York.

"Emotional disturbance" was the diagnosis specified for nearly 24,000 students in New York schools in 2017, the most recent year for which figures were available from the State Education Department.

On Board Online • March 16, 2020

By Maille Bowerman

There's an epidemic in schools, very real to the students, but all too often hidden from parents, teachers and administrators. Depression, anxiety and mental illness affect more than one in five students. That means in your average classroom of 25 students, five or more students consistently have feelings of sadness, inadequacy, and loneliness that interfere with their daily lives.

On Board Online • March 16, 2020

By Paul Heiser
Senior Research Analyst

If your school district or BOCES has an early college high school, chances are it's giving the community a lot of bang for the buck. Students who attend early college high schools tend to graduate and go on to postsecondary education at higher rates and earn more money than their peers who d

March 9, 2020

On Thursday, the state legislature, in a joint vote, reappointed Regents Kathleen Cashin, Beverly Ouderkirk, Catherine Collins, Roger Tilles and Lester Young to new 5-year terms, beginning in April.

The legislature also selected Frances Wills to succeed the late Judith Johnson on the Board of Regents.

FOR RELEASE: March 5, 2020

CONTACT: David Albert
(518) 783-3716 office (518) 320-2221 cell

@nyschoolboards

Two-thirds of school board members said they need additional support or guidance from state and local health officials in preparing for a possible coronavirus outbreak, according to a poll by the New York State School Boards Association.

FOR RELEASE: February 28, 2020

CONTACT: David Albert
(518) 783-3716 office (518) 320-2221 cell

@nyschoolboards

The New York State School Boards Association has updated its popular School Board Member Experience website for 2020 with an expanded collection of resources for New Yorkers seeking to learn more about school board service.

The user-friendly site offers a virtual journey from the decision to run for school board through the first year of service.