On Board Online • April 2, 2018

By Jamie McPherson
Leadership Development Manager

A common misconception is that only boards who are in some type of dysfunction should engage in a retreat.

Although dysfunction necessitates a retreat, many high performing boards see the value in holding regular retreats. They discuss processes and protocols on items such as requesting information, communicating via email and responding to community complaints.

On Board Online • April 2, 2018

By Cathy Woodruff
Senior Writer

Should someone in school have a gun?

Where the question has arisen, it has led to others: Who? What kind of gun? How much training should be required?

At least two Long Island school districts, Miller Place and Hauppauge, have heard those questions debated at public forums.

On Board Online • April 2, 2018

By Allison Duwe

As a school board member, I am a huge supporter of public education. At the same time, I am also a fierce critic.

• Are we teaching the subjects and skills that students really need?
• Are we measuring the most important things, or just what's easy to measure?
• Do we have the right priorities?

On Board Online • April 2, 2018

By David P. Keefe
Board President NYS Teachers' Retirement System

The ability of the New York State Teachers' Retirement System (TRS) to provide teachers in your district with a secure pension is a shared responsibility. Your school district and your employees provide required contributions, and TRS provides disciplined investment management to achieve optimal long-term returns.

On Board Online • April 2, 2018

By Eric D. Randall
Editor-in-Chief

"How will schools meet the forthcoming mental health education requirement?"

That was the topic of a panel of experts at NYSSBA's Mental Health Summit held on Long Island on March 15.

The short answer: We'll have a better idea once the State Education Department (SED) provides guidance on the requirement.

On Board Online • April 2, 2018

By Merri Rosenberg
Special Correspondent

Linda Romano's classroom in the Newburgh Enlarged City School District looks a lot like a nursing home or hospital. Dressed in dark blue scrubs, students were washing life-like dummy figures and practicing their skills at transferring a "patient", i.e., a classmate, from a hospital bed to a wheelchair. A washing machine and dryer stood ready to renew the supply of clean bedding and towels.

"Be the professionals I know that you are," Romano told the students. "Being in uniform counts as part of your 108 clinical hours."

On Sunday, New York State Director of the Budget Robert Mujica  issued a statement alleging that local officials are not allocating school funds in a manner that is fair and equitable. Our response to Mr. Mujica’s claim is simple: Who do we want to decide local school budgets – state bureaucrats in Albany or local boards of education representing school district residents?

On Board Online • March 12, 2018

By Eric D. Randall
Editor-in-Chief

New York State officials and the Trump administration remain divided regarding whether transgender students are protected by federal civil rights law.

On Feb. 12, the U.S. Department of Education confirmed a report by BuzzFeed that it no longer will investigate allegations that schools have violated the civil rights of transgender students by denying them access to bathrooms that match their gender identity.