Twenty-nine percent of school superintendents in New York State said their school districts lack enough school psychologists to meet student needs. And among school psychologists, a whopping 66 percent believe there is not enough capacity to meet their needs.

Those findings come from surveys by the New York State School Boards Association (NYSSBA) and the New York Association of School Psychologists (NYASP).

Only 50 percent of school board members who responded to a recent NYSSBA poll said their districts are sufficiently preparing students to understand the role citizens play in a democracy. Accordingly, more than two-thirds would like to see civic readiness become a graduation requirement in New York.

Two professional seminars examining communications and legal challenges surrounding school safety will set the stage on Thursday, Oct. 25, for the New York State School Boards Association’s 99^th Annual Convention and Education Expo in New York City.

Dr. Janet M. Robinson, superintendent of the Newtown Public School District at the time of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings in 2012, will be among the featured speakers during NYSSBA’s Pre-Convention Communications Workshop, "Communicating Under Pressure," at the New York Hilton Midtown.

Some 2,500 school board members, superintendents and educators from throughout New York State are expected to arrive in New York City next week for the New York State School Boards Association’s 99th Annual Convention and Education Expo.

NYSSBA’s three-day conference will take place Oct. 25-27 at the Sheraton New York Times Square and the New York Hilton Midtown. The event will feature more than 100 educational sessions, workshops and speakers, including State Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia.

While this year’s transition to new two-day math and English language arts assessments makes it impossible to compare overall results with past years, we are pleased to see that revisions to this year’s exams have resulted in students spending less time on each test.

In addition, we are encouraged that the exams are being prepared with greater involvement by New York educators, who are writing and reviewing the questions and established the revised grade-level performance standards.

John Rieger, the president of the Washington-Saratoga-Warren-Hamilton-Essex (WSWHE) BOCES, has been named the winner of the New York State School Boards Association’s (NYSSBA) top award for school board service. He will receive the 2018 Everett R. Dyer Award for Distinguished School Board Service at the Association’s Annual Convention in New York City.

As the new school year begins, school boards are taking very seriously their responsibilities for ensuring students a safe and productive learning environment by improving school safety, implementing a new mental health curriculum, and optimizing resource equity across all buildings in the school district.

"In a world that is too often unfair, school board members are determined to protect the rights of every student," said New York State School Boards Association Executive Director Timothy G. Kremer.

The U. S. Supreme Court ruling that it is a violation of constitutionally protected free speech to compel non-union members to pay ‘agency fees’ is a matter to be addressed by an employee and his or her union. NYSSBA members will continue to negotiate agreements with unions that are fiscally sound and serve to benefit the school communities our members represent.

To borrow from the words of famous poet T.S. Eliot, the 2018 legislative session ended "not with a bang but a whimper." 

There was no deal on major issues such as teacher evaluations, school safety, or stop arm cameras for school buses.

The practice of removing children from their families at the U.S.-Mexico border, traumatizing the children and their parents, must end.

We are encouraged to hear that President Trump has signed an executive order intended to stop this horrible practice, and we hope that a more lasting, humane solution can be reached.