| On Board Online • February 19, 2018 By David Kraus Amid myriad potential financial headaches facing school board members this year, Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia says she would like to ease at least one. "I want to go on record. I am not interested in approving your budgets," Elia told board members at NYSSBA's annual Capital Conference. "I don't want to be in a position where I have to look at these budgets and say yes or no. That's your job. Just do it well, and we will all be happy." |
|
|
| On Board Online • February 19, 2018 By Janet Ives Angelis & Kristen Campbell Wilcox Why do the English language learners (ELLs) in some elementary schools beat the odds? One reason is that their teachers and administrators effectively use data to monitor and support their performance, according to our study of six outstanding elementary schools. |
| On Board Online • February 19, 2018 By Stephanie Combs When your board discusses school policy, do you ever hear things you consider "fake news"? It's out there. Many myths in the world of school policy have been brought to our attention. Here are just some of the misconceptions that have been recognized over the past year:
|
|
|
| On Board Online • February 5, 2018 By Brian Fessler The initial media coverage of Gov. Andrew Cuomo's eighth executive budget proposal touted a proposed 3 percent increase in education spending. That percentage exceeded the self-imposed state spending growth cap of 2 percent and is double what would have been allowed under a state benchmark called the personal income growth metric. However, if your school district is one of the approximately 175 across the state slated for an operating aid increase of only 0.25 percent, the governor's plan to improve educational investments probably is of little comfort. |
|
Timothy G. Kremer For many years, NYSSBA and other education advocates have called for "equitable funding" for schools. We have used this phrase to call for a distribution method of state education aid based on the cost of providing a sound basic education, taking into account regional cost differences, pupil needs and local resources. The U.S. Congress is also interested in equity in school funding. In the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), it created a new requirement that states gather data on what school districts spend per pupil at the school building level. And now Gov. Andrew Cuomo is calling for state oversight on how some districts spend money at the building level.
|
| On Board Online • February 5, 2018 By Cathy Woodruff The State Education Department (SED) plans to create a four-stage system for working with schools and districts with high test refusal rates to improve participation, according to SED Associate Commissioner Ira Schwartz. The first stage will require a self-assessment from schools to determine why refusals are high and what steps can be taken to improve. The second stage will bump the process up to the district level for assistance in year two. |
| On Board Online • February 5, 2018 By Julie Marlette Gov. Andrew Cuomo's 2018 executive budget includes two proposals that, if approved by the Legislature, would directly impact local school district budget practices. "We see this as an attempt by state government to influence local decision-making and autonomy," said NYSSBA President William Miller. "The proposals are inconsistent with the long-standing concept of local control." |
| On Board Online • February 5, 2018 By Julie Marlette One might assume that Gov. Andrew Cuomo's annual executive budget proposals are mostly numbers. But recent budgets have included plenty of policy language. This year is no exception; appropriations bills were accompanied by several thousand pages of text. Some of the language was needed to implement spending plans and distribute the money while other portions had nothing to do with money. |
<< Previous Page Next Page >> |
On Board Online • February 5, 2018