School Board Notes • July 31, 2012 • Vol. XXXVI No. 3
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Court Agrees with NJSBA on Closed Session Issue
- The state Supreme Court agreed with NJSBA arguments that the public interest could be harmed by a lower court's ruling that public bodies – including school boards – had to complete open sessions of meetings before entering into closed session.
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Appellate Court: Board's Policy Is 'Overbroad'
- A school board's policy barring students from sports and clubs for off-campus misconduct was "overbroad," according to a precedent-setting appeals court opinion. The ruling stated that students could conceivably be denied participation in extracurriculars for minor infractions such as littering.
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Senate OKs Cerf as Ed Commissioner
- The state Senate approved the nomination of Christopher D. Cerf as New Jersey Commissioner of Education on July 30. He had been acting commissioner since December 2010.
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NJ Ranks High on Kid-Friendly Study
- New Jersey's strong school system helped buoy the Garden State's standing in the national Kids Count Data survey, which ranks each state's child-friendliness. New Jersey ranked fourth overall in the nation, and its schools were rated second highest.
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Teacher Evaluation Pilot Program Expanded
- Two dozen New Jersey districts have been chosen to participate in either the second year of the teacher evaluation pilot program, or the first year of the principal evaluation pilot program during the 2012-2013 school year.
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Department of Education Releases Spending Guide
- The recently released 2012 Taxpayers' Guide to Education Spending – which was the Comparative Spending Guide until last year – found New Jersey's average total spending per-pupil was $17,352 for the 2010-11 school year.
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Workshop 2012 Program Schedule Now Available Online
- It may still be summer, but school officials can already use an electronic scheduling tool to view the entire slate of events at Workshop 2012, the state's major training conference for local education officials to be held Oct. 23-25.
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NJSBA Schedules Summer Meetings with Legislators
- Board members are urged to attend NJSBA's meetings with legislators who represent their districts. To date, NSJBA has arranged August and September meetings covering five Legislative Districts.
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Cost of Incarcerated Students at Issue
- Some local school officials have been raising the issue of the cost and assessment for incarcerated students, and NJSBA is seeking input from other districts with similar issues.
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Delegate Assembly Resolution Cutoff is September 4
- Resolutions submitted for consideration of NJSBA's November Delegate Assembly must be received at NJSBA's office by 5 p.m. Sept. 4. Policies adopted by the Delegate Assembly determine what NJSBA staff will advocated for or against in the legislature and the courts.
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Position Available: County Activity Coordinator
- NJSBA seeks a County Activity Coordinator to facilitate leadership development in the northern counties through regional programming for local board of education members.
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Request for Proposals: Paperless Meetings, Online Policy Manual Services
- NJSBA is seeking Request For Proposals for a vendor to provide paperless meetings platform and/or online policy manual services. Submissions are due by 3 p.m. August 31.
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Obituary: Louis Pennucci, Clinton Town
- Louis Pennucci, a Clinton Town resident who had served as a school board member in Hunterdon County for approximately two decades, died Tuesday, July 31.
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Survey: Random Drug Testing in Schools
- NJSBA is keeping open the 30-Second Survey, which asks readers about random drug testing of students.
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Applications for Governor's Environmental Awards Due Sept. 12
- The state Department of Environmental Protection is accepting applications for the 2012 New Jersey Governor's Environmental Excellence Awards until Sept. 12. The awards recognize outstanding environmental performance, programs and projects.
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