|
|
| On Board Online • August 20, 2012 By Cathy Woodruff In a lab at the University at Albany’s College of Nanoscale Sciences, a half-dozen middle school students from the Newburgh Enlarged City School District were taking turns viewing ultra-small cells and proteins through a fluorescent microscope. Graduate student Rick Hynes explained that a blue light helped to “excite” molecules on a slide and make otherwise invisible things visible. “Awesome! I can actually see the vapor,” one student exclaimed as he examined a slide through the lens of the sophisticated instrument, valued at $25,000 to $50,000. |
| On Board Online • August 20, 2012 By Aileen Abrams It is well established that school boards may use public resources to present objective, factual information to voters, and that it is improper to use district resources to exhort the electorate to vote in a particular way. The same restrictions apply when school district libraries seek voter approval for referendums, according to a recent decision by the state commissioner of education. The commissioner of education ruled recently that trustees of school district libraries must refrain from using school district or public library funds or resources in a partisan manner during votes on library propositions and must avoid the appearance of impropriety in activities related to the vote. |
| On Board Online • August 20, 2012 By Aileen Abrams A school district can require students to participate in an extracurricular activity as part of an elective course for academic credit, according to a decision by the commissioner of education. In Appeal of Garifi, a high school student auditioned for and was accepted into concert band, a class for academic credit. The district required that students enrolled in concert band also participate in marching band, an extracurricular activity. The student did not wish to do so and, as a result, was excluded from concert band. He was permitted to participate in symphonic band, a different class, in which he would also be able to earn academic credit. |
| On Board Online • August 20, 2012 By John King Jr. This school year, your schools will be undergoing major changes, including implementation of the Common Core standards, a move to more challenging assessments, and, of course, rigorous teacher and principal evaluations that support professional growth. To make sure all of these changes get implemented efficiently and effectively, everyone involved in school governance and administration has a crucial role to play. Principals must make certain that their teachers are aware of the instructional shifts called for by the Common Core and integrate those shifts in their instruction. They must have a laser-like focus on teaching and learning and must build a culture of reflection and continuous improvement in their schools. Additionally, principals must spend as much time as possible in classrooms to collect evidence and artifacts that will drive improvements in teacher planning and practice. |
|
|
| On Board Online • August 20, 2012 By Lisa Bielmeier When Orleans/Niagara BOCES and several member districts started taking a close look at payments made for worker’s compensation two decades ago, patterns emerged. “The number of people out with back injuries was just overwhelming,” recalls Clark Godshall, then the BOCES’ school business official and now the district superintendent. “We had to hire private investigators to follow people.” That’s part of what it takes to responsibly self-insure workers’ compensation. For 20 years, the BOCES has partnered with component districts in the Orleans/Niagara Workers’ Compensation Consortium, resulting in savings in premiums of $3.2 million when compared with other insurers. |
| On Board Online • August 20, 2012 By Aileen Abrams A small city school district improperly calculated the deadline for school board candidate nominating petitions as April 27, 2012 and provided notice of that date to the public. According to the Education Law the deadline was actually April 25, 2012, which was the 20th day preceding the annual election. When a potential board candidate submitted her nominating petition to the district clerk prior to the district’s published deadline, but after the correct statutory deadline, the district clerk refused to accept the petition on the grounds that it was untimely. The candidate appealed to the commissioner of education. |
|
|
| On Board Online • August 20, 2012 By Aileen Abrams In 2006, a school district health teacher sustained injuries to his head and back while attempting to break up a fight between students. Those injuries qualified him to receive workers’ compensation benefits. Following his retirement, in 2009, the district and its workers’ compensation carrier sought to suspend the teacher’s workers’ compensation benefits because he voluntarily withdrew from the labor market. The state Workers’ Compensation Board agreed, and the teacher appealed. |
| FOR RELEASE: July 31, 2012 CONTACT: David Albert School board members welcome the governor’s veto of 7722-A / A.10722-A. The bill would have made a child’s cultural and family background a factor in special education placements, thereby promoting religious segregation in special education placements at taxpayer expense. This result is contrary to the pluralistic values upon which our public education system was established. |
<< Previous Page Next Page >> |