NYSSBA president sees progress

On Board Online • November 5, 2012

By Eric Randall
Editor-in-Chief

Stepping up to the plate as an advocate for public education can be like stepping onto a treadmill, NYSSBA President Thomas Nespeca told delegates at NYSSBA’s Annual Business Meeting. “It seems that as soon as you cross one item off the list, three others have to be added,” he said.

Nevertheless, NYSSBA had an exceptionally good year of advocacy, Nespeca reported just prior to being re-elected to a second one-year term. His examples:

• “With your help, NYSSBA secured a huge victory when Gov. Cuomo vetoed a very bad bill that would require consideration of a student’s culture and home environment when making special education placements.”
• “NYSSBA was the lead advocate on pension reform, which was recognized when New York’s lawmakers delivered Tier VI pension reform, that will make employee retirement systems more affordable in the long term.”
• “Lawmakers agreed to allow schools to use national purchasing cooperatives and ‘piggyback’ onto large municipal contracts, paving the way for millions in cost savings. Passage of this legislation was also led by NYSSBA.”

“We have a reputation as an organization of school boards that is progressive and results-oriented,” Nespeca said.

The involvement of rank-and-file school board members in advocacy is vital, he added.

“School board members can be very effective lobbyists at the grassroots level,” he said. “Oftentimes, you know your local assembly member or state senator – or key members of their staff.  And a phone call, a note or an email in support for a NYSSBA initiative might be just the help we need to finish the task. This is a team effort.”

Nespeca described NYSSBA’s relationships in Albany as healthy and strong, noting the governor and legislators sought NYSSBA’s support for a “balanced approach” regarding the confidentiality of teacher and principal evaluations. While not making these ratings public information, the revised law “still allows those who need the information the most – parents – to know the quality ratings and effectiveness scores of their children’s teachers.”

He cited NYSSBA-supported legislation including new laws that allow school districts to continue using lever voting machines, provide aid for instructional days lost to storms, and permit BOCES to contract with libraries and out-of-state school districts.

But much more work lies ahead, he said. “We still lack a sufficient and equitable state aid formula. New York public schools need relief from outdated, costly and burdensome mandates and the flexibility to initiate common-sense reforms locally.”

He added: “You can be sure that NYSSBA will put forth the maximum effort to achieve our goals. We will never lose sight of our mission to give students the best opportunity to have a great experience in the classroom and achieve success. New York is the national leader in education, and with your energy and dedication it will stay that way.”