By

Ray Pinney

The miracle of any good choir is that it unites a group of good singing voices and turns in a great performance.  A choir is a perfect example of something where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.  To be truly great a choir must have many different voices. It is the blend of the voices that makes a choir performance special.

In many ways NJSBA is the choir for local school districts.  We bring together the many different school districts and our collective voice is stronger than any district’s voice would be individually. It is a choir made up of our largest urban districts and our smallest rural districts, districts that house students from some of our state’s richest households and some of our state’s poorest. Sometimes the rich and the poor are found within in the same district. 

In recent days there has been some public criticism levied at both NJSBA and the local school board members. (more…)

By

Ray Pinney 

Throughout the course of history when nations felt their national security was threatened they usually had to do something to strengthen themselves.  They had two primary options: upgrade their military technology and capabilities, or forge alliances with other nations for protection (an option especially useful for smaller nations). Such alliances were particularly popular in Europe in the early 1900′s.

A similar line of thought, from time to time arises in the area of teacher contract negotiations.   There is the idea that at the bargaining table, the deck is stacked in favor of the unions. In order to even up things, we need to combine school districts for the bargaining process. The feeling is that a group representing, say, five or six school districts, will have more strength at the bargaining table than just one. With the state’s budget in a crisis mode, the call for changing the way contracts are negotiated has come from several legislators. (more…)

By

Ray Pinney  

After months of a public debate that split New Jersey we finally have a winner.  Depending on where you live, your allegiance was with one or the other of the competitors.  In this competition, passions ran high. Just watching the supporters and players on that deciding night provided a study in contrasts. One group was wildly enthusiastic and looked like an out-of-control party while the other camp looked like a funeral. 

For awhile it seemed like the game could go on forever. However we needed a decision and the winner was crowned this week.  It is the New York Yankees!

Yes, I know you all want to hear about the gubernatorial race and Chris Christie’s victory.  I will get to that, but I am struck by how similar the emotions and the scenes are in both sports and politics, particularly on election night. (more…)