How NYSSBA helps your board succeed |
On Board Online • April 11, 2016
Timothy G. Kremer
NYSSBA Executive Director
Our recent membership survey reinforced the fact that school board members have a deep desire to better their communities and advance student achievement.
NYSSBA's mission is to help you do that. I was thinking about that as I reviewed our annual report summarizing NYSSBA's activities and finances. How good a job are we doing? Are our efforts aligned with the needs and aspirations of the membership?
Like your school districts, NYSSBA strives for continuous improvement. Overall, I think the Association provides our members with much value. In many cases, we work with allies to achieve goals, and in others we offer unique benefits available nowhere else. Here are a few examples.
1. We are the voice for local control.
NYSSBA employs a team of seasoned lobbyists, attorneys and policy specialists whose roles include influencing how state education laws and regulations that affect your schools. It's an essential voice at a time when state and federal governments have taken unprecedented roles in education, and local school districts are coping with largely uncontrollable increases in the costs of health care, special education and other items.
Our governmental relations team meets with legislators, agency heads and their staffs year-round. We review hundreds of legislative proposals, submit bill memos in support of your official positions, draft bill language and seek bill sponsors. I, personally, meet with the commissioner monthly and directly relay the concerns I hear from the field.
Our legal/policy team engages in litigation, files amicus briefs, asserts your interests to the Board of Regents and the commissioner of education, distributes timely policy briefs and draft sample language for your consideration.
2. We provide you with high-quality information.
Whatever the topic, if it's related to school board service, chances are good that we have a resource to help you. If you are reading this, you know that our signature newspaper, On Board, covers a wide range of issues and strives to keep you apprised of emerging issues that soon may be considered at the board table. It also strives to provide a common frame of reference for all involved in school leadership, especially school board members, superintendents and board clerks.
Our E-clips provides you with links to news stories from across the state each weekday, delivered right to your e-mail inbox. We release in-depth research reports on key issues facing schools such as test anxiety, the property tax cap, school safety, school mergers, APPR and more. We also publish handbooks for new school board members and board presidents, and we distribute tools and manuals to help you evaluate your superintendent and your school board.
Last but not least, we produce School Law, now in its 35th (soon to be 36th) edition, an indispensable tool for school officials and their lawyers.
3. We strengthen your skills.
NYSSBA provides members with a comprehensive leadership development program, referred to as School Board U, as well as free webinars and a custom board retreat program. Members tell me these services are invaluable in helping boards in many ways.
In 2015, we visited over 275 districts, including 95 visits for custom board retreats in school districts across the state. And of course, our Annual Convention and Education Expo in October is the largest gathering of public education officials in New York.
4. We call attention to the positive.
While there is no shortage of people telling you all that's wrong with public education, NYSSBA highlights achievements of local school districts and BOCES. Our video team travels around the state, visiting districts to bring their stories to the rest of the world via our NYSSBA News YouTube channel. We also recognize school board leadership and classroom innovations with several awards, including the Everett R. Dyer Award for Distinguished School Board Service. News reporters contact NYSSBA routinely for facts and our commentary.
5. We listen.
Membership organizations always are evolving, especially as the environment changes and creates new challenges. Our membership survey has given us a lot of food for thought on how a good organization can be even better.
What are your ideas? I am always happy to hear them. Email me at tim.kremer@nyssba.org .