Urban Boards Focus on Pressing Issues

School safety is about well-managed schools, not equipment, according to a security expert, who will address the annual Urban Boards Group Session on Thursday morning, Oct. 26. The program is one of several Thursday sessions open to all Workshop attendees and of interest to urban school districts.

Dale Yeager, a criminal analyst from SERAPH, Inc., will discuss School Safety and School Boards: Trends, Problems, and Solutions during the Urban Boards Group Session, from 9:15 to 10:45 a.m. in Convention Center Room 405-406. Yeager will provide cost-effective solutions to safety issues at all grade levels. In addition, he will explain how truancy affects school safety and how it can be solved without cost.

Participants will walk away with an understanding how safety management programs can reduce overhead costs and liability.

Ray Milam Award From noon to 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, the NJSBA Urban Boards Committee will sponsor its annual luncheon in Convention Center Room 201/202. Tickets, at $39, may be purchased onsite until 10:30 a.m. on Oct. 26.

The program will include the presentation of the committee’s third annual Ray Milam Award to a school board that exemplifies commitment to its school district mission and to public education. The luncheon also provides an opportunity for urban school board members to address issues of mutual concern.

Student Achievement The Thursday General Session, from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. in Hall A, will address issues related to educating disadvantaged students. Keynote speaker Dr. Pedro A. Noguera, professor, author and activist, will address Making Connections to Student Achievement. Noguera will share his findings on how diversity, violence, and social and economic conditions factor into student achievement.

H.S. Redesign and Voc-Ed

The New Jersey Council of County Vocational-Technical Schools will explore Career and Technical Education in the 21st Century on Thursday, from 10 a.m. to noon in Convention Center Room 418. Discussion is expected to address how the state’s high school redesign initiative and plans for a new funding formula will affect career and technical education. The session is open to all Workshop attendees.

For more information about programs, visit the NJSBA Workshop 2006 page.

Teacher of the Year

Karen Ginty, who has taught Kindergarten at the Monmouth Beach School for 33 years, is the 2006-07 New Jersey State Teacher of the Year.

Ginty will be honored at the Workshop 2006 opening general session on Oct. 25 in Atlantic City. Also recognized will  be Marie Hakim, the 2006 Board Member of the Year, as well as the Superintendent and School Business Administrator of the Year.

For information about the Teacher of the Year, read the New Jersey Department of Education's news release.

Free Shuttle Transportation

Go to and from the Atlantic City Convention Center without the hassle of driving and the expense of parking.  Take the Workshop shuttle, which runs frequently throughout the day.

The shuttle schedule (shown below) will be posted on signs at each hotel listed on the Workshop housing form and will also be included in all on-site registration packets.