By

Ray Pinney 

When the NJDOE brought a proposal to the New Jersey State Board that would give school boards in some districts the ability to hire as superintendents individuals who do not hold administrators certification, I thought of the famed Lewis and Clark expedition.  

The proposal would allow school boards in persistently underperforming districts to hire an individual with a bachelor’s degree, who is accomplished in a field outside education but who does not hold a state administrator certificate.  He or she would undergo what is, in some respects, an alternate route to certification.

The latest proposal reflects a prevailing belief in education reform circles that we need to reach outside the current system to find more school leaders.  It’s an extension of the American principle that “leadership is leadership” and that a great military, business, or sports leader will make a great political leader. (more…)

By

Ray Pinney 

I recently received an email from a young board member alerting me to the passing of Sargent Shriver.  I noticed in my e-mail file that this young man had previously sent me correspondence that really dealt with a period that was before his time -the 1960′s and 1970′s.  When I saw him at a meeting, I asked him why he seemed so interested in an era he had not lived through. His reply was that he almost wished he were alive in that time period because it seemed that it was a time when “people could make a difference.” The funny thing is I felt much the same way when I was in college in the 1970s -that our issues then were not as significant as what older people had lived through. Maybe it’s a generational thing – that everyone looks back on times past as when history was really being made.

No observer of education in New Jersey could possibly think that now.  (more…)

 By

Ray Pinney 

When I opened an e-mail that announced the sad news that my former high school football coach had passed away, my immediate thought was of an NJSBA School Board Candidates’ Briefing that I spoke at many years ago.  It was at this meeting that I saw my old football coach and this time he was a candidate for the school board in Boonton Town, where he spent many years teaching and coaching.

Occasionally at Candidates’ Briefings I encountered candidates I already knew, but usually I got to know candidates after they were elected. I have always been impressed by the diverse backgrounds school board members bring to their position.

January is School Board Member Recognition Month in New Jersey, and I can think of no better way to mark the occasion than by remembering the contributions of three former board members who, sadly, have all passed away. These three gentlemen are testimony to the fact that there is no single skill or personality trait that makes an effective board member; board members can be effective in many ways.

The Coach I have to admit that I was a bit shocked when I saw Joe Molitoris (“Coach Mol,” as I knew him) at the candidates’ meeting. I knew he was retired and that he had given his all to Boonton High School, his players and his students.  However, he was also a champion for his hometown of Boonton, and he had a real desire to help the school district.  In his two terms on the board of education, Coach Mol employed the same skills that he brought to the football field – a talent for uniting people and a passion for the students and educational program.

At one meeting he told me he was proud that I was a Boonton High graduate. That made me smile. At the time, I didn’t know what to say.  I now know I should have said that I was proud of him for putting his skills to use on the board of education to help kids.  He taught me that passion and bringing people together may be more important at the board table than the football field.

The Comedian (more…)

By

Ray Pinney 

The watchwords of this budget are shared sacrifice and fairness. Individuals contribute, businesses sacrifice, local governments tighten their belts, and we end our addiction to spending. ….

Every department of state government has been asked to tighten its belt. And we will demand local governments do the same…..

So, local governments and school districts must be our partners in this shared sacrifice.

Gov. Chris Christie in his budget address -  March 2010

It is only reasonable to believe that a government that is smaller and cheaper is also a

government that does less.

David Rousseau, state treasurer under Gov. Jon Corzine, before the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee on May 13, 2008

Gov. Christie has made it clear that New Jersey can no longer afford the government we have had in the past, whether is at the state, county, local or school district level.  The government needs to be smaller and we will all share in the sacrifice.  The “sacrifice” we spend the most time talking about is the salary and benefits of public workers at all levels. It is assumed that most New Jerseyans in the private sector are already sharing in the sacrifice because many have had their wages frozen or even lost their jobs in this economy.

But we don’t really discuss what the impact of smaller local government will be.  After all, if New Jersey has a few thousand fewer public workers, whether they be teachers, police officers, or public works workers, how it is possible that those cutbacks would have no effect?  In 2010 many municipalities and school districts laid off staff members and, according to many analysts, the economic outlook for the coming year’s budget may be even more depressing. (more…)