FOR RELEASE: August 11. 2020

We congratulate Betty Rosa on her appointment as interim commissioner of education by the Board of Regents.

We appreciate Dr. Rosa’s willingness to serve during this turbulent and difficult time. Her hands-on involvement in developing guidance for school reopening plans means she is familiar with the urgent educational challenges facing New York schools right now and can easily hit the ground running.

FOR RELEASE: August 7, 2020

FOR RELEASE: July 29, 2020

A majority of New York school board members would like to see students go back to their classrooms on a full-time or part-time basis in September, but they have reservations about whether they can do that safely without additional funding, according to a poll by the New York State School Boards Association.

FOR RELEASE: July 24, 2020

NYSSBA Executive Director Robert Schneider said, "NYSSBA has had a close working relationship with Interim Commissioner Tahoe that included texts and phone calls at all hours of the day and night. She has shown excellent leadership in a time when public schools have been coping with a pandemic in addition to the many ongoing challenges of public education. She will be missed."

As your membership Association, NYSSBA takes the health and well-being of its members seriously.  Therefore, we are transforming our annual convention, originally scheduled for October 29-31, into a two-week virtual event.

You’ll receive the same great quality experience that you have come to know and enjoy from our in-person event.

Our virtual convention will provide you with exceptional programming, keynote address, pre-convention events, expo, networking opportunities, entertainment and much more!

The dates and times of the virtual convention will be announced in the coming weeks.  In the meantime, if you have any questions, feel free to contact the individual listed below for your specific inquiry.

Barry Entwistle, Member Relations Director – General Convention – barry.entwistle@nyssba.org or 518.783.3767

Heidi Longton, Convention & Meeting Manager – Programming/Registration/Speakers – heidi.longton@nyssba.org or 518.783.3768

Anna O’Hara, Expo Manager – Education Expo – anna.ohara@nyssba.org or 518-783.3710

Cassandra Ingham, Business Development Manager – Sponsorships – Cassandra.ingham@nyssba.org or 518.783.3726

FOR RELEASE: June 18, 2020

An updated analysis of school budget votes by the New York State School Boards Association finds that 98.7% of school district budgets were approved by voters on Tuesday.

The analysis, which includes results for 667 of the 675 districts across the state that hold public budget votes, found that voters passed 658 school district budgets. The number of budgets defeated was nine.

FOR RELEASE: June 17, 2020

New York State voters approved approximately 99% of school district budgets on Tuesday, June 16, based on a preliminary analysis of budget vote results by the New York State School Boards Association.

"In the midst of a public health and economic crisis, voters in the state of New York showed how much they value public education by collectively and, in many cases overwhelmingly, supporting their local school district budgets," said NYSSBA Executive Director Robert Schneider. "We are grateful to the public for its strong show of support for education and the valiant efforts of school districts in providing educational services under extremely trying circumstances."

"Now, it is time for state and federal lawmakers to do their part and provide adequate levels of funding for our schools, especially in light of the ‘new normal,’ where reopening schools will require public health protections, additional student supports and other outside-the-classroom functions," he added.

Initial statewide results gathered by NYSSBA indicate voters passed 494 school district budgets. The number of budgets defeated was six. NYSSBA was still awaiting results for 175 districts.

This year’s budget vote and board elections were conducted entirely by absentee ballot, due to the coronavirus pandemic. Voter turnout was considerably higher than in previous years. Anecdotal reports suggest turnout increased by as much as three to eight times compared to previous years.

FOR RELEASE: June 9, 2020

The senseless death of George Floyd and the resulting protests are a call to action for all people of conscience, especially school leaders. We must channel our outrage into productive discussions and actions at the local, state and national levels. 

The Pledge of Allegiance refers to “Liberty and Justice for All.” What can we do to ensure that all children, particularly Black and Brown children, grow up in a world filled with opportunity and justice rather than hostility and fear? 

The answer must involve education, which Horace Mann called "the great equalizer of the conditions of men." Public schools are designed to be engines of equality and equity, and everyone troubled by the death of George Floyd and similar events should be prioritizing public schools as a vehicle for not just progress, but transformation. 

School boards will be part of the solution because they are dedicated to seeing every child succeed. Like leaders of all organizations, school board members can benefit from learning (or learning more) about implicit bias, structural racism, white privilege and anti-racism. Today, understanding such concepts is critical to creating safe and supportive school environments where all students feel accepted and valued. 

FOR RELEASE: June 7, 2020

CONTACT: David Albert
(518) 320-2221 cell

@nyschoolboards

The governor’s announcement today allowing outdoor high school graduation ceremonies for up to 150 people is welcome news, and a step toward allowing a more traditional graduation ceremony. While we understand the need to continue to be vigilant to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, school board members remain hopeful that the governor will allow graduating seniors the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to participate in a full high school graduation experience, albeit with appropriate safeguards in place to protect public health.

FOR RELEASE: May 1, 2020

CONTACT: David Albert
(518) 320-2221 cell

@nyschoolboards

School budget votes and board elections will be conducted this year under challenging circumstances, to say the least. With the July 1 beginning of the school fiscal year approaching for many districts, we had hoped for clarity on these issues weeks ago. 

That said, we can now move forward. There are many logistical issues involved in conducting school budget votes – from finalizing school budgets themselves to providing notice and absentee ballots to the public. There will be many obstacles to conducting these elections in a manner that is safe for the school district staff who must work with the absentee ballots, as well as the general public. Toward that end, NYSSBA stands ready to serve as a resource to our member districts as they work through the school budget vote and board election process put in place by the governor.