By

Ray Pinney

I am sitting in the passenger side of my car talking in a calm, reassuring voice to the driver—my  son.  The voice is masking my inner terror. That terror can be observed by noticing how tightly my hands grip the door and how my right foot is applying extreme force to a brake that is not there. Once again, in fulfilling one of my parental duties, I am teaching a teenager how to drive.

There are very few things that I enjoy less than being in a car with a teenager who has a brand new driver’s permit. It is an experience that can fray the nerves of even the bravest individual.  New drivers tend to hug the right side of the road so closely that I feel I can reach out and touch every mailbox, sign, and tree.  At one point I am looking far down a winding country road and just around the next bend I spot a truck stopped in the road with his back up lights on.  I noticed my son is just focused on what is right in front of him and does not see the danger that looms ahead.  My calm demeanor is nowhere to be found as I yell “Stop! A truck! Stop!”  Thankfully he does stop in time.

I ask. “Didn’t you see the truck?”

“No, I wasn’t looking that far down the road.”

“You need to focus on the entire road, not just what is in front of you.”

It occurred to me at that moment that the legislative process and legislators—especially this time of the year—are not much different than teenage drivers. Read the rest of this entry »

By Dr. Larry Feinsod

His life was an American success story—the type often portrayed in movies and one particularly representative of New Jersey and its people.

When Sen. Frank Lautenberg died on June 3, he left a legacy of achievement in business and government. He also left behind an inspiring story.  This is not a partisan political tale; it is Read the rest of this entry »

By Dr. Larry Feinsod

Often I’ve heard school board members say that the most satisfying aspect of the position is handing out diplomas at the high school or eighth grade graduation.  I concur.  In my experience as a district superintendent, I found tremendous enjoyment by participating in commencement exercises.  They are a rite of passage for our students and a source of pride for parents, teachers and the school community at large.

On May 22, I had the honor of serving as commencement speaker during the graduation Read the rest of this entry »

By Dr. Larry Feinsod

Just about every soccer parent can recall a time when the coach shouted out “Good idea!” from the sidelines after a player passed the ball to an open teammate or defended a position as instructed.  It’s positive reinforcement.

Unfortunately, in the game of lawmaking, public interest advocacy sometimes requires just the opposite approach.  We are in that situation today.

On Monday, the Assembly gave final legislative approval Read the rest of this entry »

By Dr. Larry Feinsod 

After Superstorm Sandy struck New Jersey last fall, the outpouring of concern and generosity from people across the country was comforting.  Many of those contacting the NJSBA Sandy Relief Effort had experienced destruction and tragedy first hand during Hurricane Katrina or other natural disasters.  They knew the needs of displaced families and the types of equipment and supplies required by schools that were severely impacted by the storm.

Yesterday, a super tornado carved a two-by-20 mile Read the rest of this entry »

By Dr. Larry Feinsod

As NJSBA’s semi-annual Delegate Assembly approaches (Saturday, May 18 is the meeting date), it’s a good time to recount the Association’s progress on key initiatives Read the rest of this entry »

By Dr. Larry Feinsod

Last week, I had the honor of recognizing a gentleman who has served his community as a school board member for more than half a century.   You read that correctly: 50 years! Calvin Back, the president of the Middle Township Board of Education in Cape May County, first joined his board at the age of 27. When Calvin started on his board, John F. Kennedy Read the rest of this entry »

By

Ray Pinney

There is a nationwide focus on the achievement gap and weak academic performance in our poorest communities. It’s certainly warranted.  In New Jersey, this issue  has been at the core of the Abbott rulings by the New Jersey Supreme Court.

Unfortunately, there seems to be the notion that to improve the educational achievement of our poorest children, we need charismatic leaders with bold ideas that will be implemented quickly, dramatically and with great fanfare. That is why charismatic educators like Michelle Rhee, Geoffrey Canada, and several years ago, Joe Clark, become overnight stars –for awhile.

What if the way to academic success in our poorest school districts is slow, quiet, and actually accomplished with some ordinary practices? That is what David Kirp, author of the book Improbable Scholars argues is probably the direction we should go. He holds up the New Jersey school district of Union City as a model.

In New Jersey, we grab headlines when the state “takes over” a district as it did with Jersey City, Newark and Paterson. Recently, the state announced that it would initiate a state “intervention” in the city of Camden. The Camden “intervention” is different than that in the other three cities because it appears that the community and the district did not object to the state’s action.  Nonetheless, it did grab headlines.

It should be noted that Union City, the star district in Kirp’s book, was itself was on the verge of a state takeover about a quarter of a century ago. Read the rest of this entry »

By Dr. Larry Feinsod

It isn’t very often that one finds unanimity among state-level education organizations on issues before the Legislature. Last week, however, Read the rest of this entry »

 By Dr. Larry Feinsod

New Jersey’s 21 county school boards associations play a critical role in developing sound educational leadership.  They can be a valuable source of training and information, as well as a forum for sharing ideas and concerns across district lines. Throughout my 32 years Read the rest of this entry »