Welcome to School Board Notes

March 21, 2007 • Vol. XXX • No. 30

Tax Cap Bill Still Awaits Action School Budget Planner for Board Members Facts about the School District Accountability Law NSBA Urges High Court to Clarify Student Free Speech Issue Get out the Vote! Legislative Update Board of Directors Meeting Rescheduled Innovations Deadline Extended Workshop Housing Forms Coming April 5 Proposal Forms: Curriculum Fair, Q&A Rountables School Leader Awards NJSBA Seeking Program Entries NJSBA Online Calendar Click here for a pdf version of this issue of School Board Notes	Tax Cap Bill Still Awaits Action—REVISED The governor has until the Legislature reconvenes – in May – to take action on the property tax cap bill.

	SPECIAL FEATURE School Budget Planner for Board Members Facts about the School District Accountability Law

	NSBA Urges High Court to Clarify Student Free Speech Issue The National School Boards Association has urged the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold a local school board’s role to regulate student speech that might undermine a school’s core educational mission or which might interfere with its ability to maintain a safe, secure, and effective learning environment.

	Get out the Vote! The 2007 edition of NJSBA’s Annual School Election poster has been distributed to school districts, municipal clerks and public libraries throughout the state.

	Legislative Update: Uniform Kindergarten Admission The Assembly on March 15 passed legislation, A-884, that would establish Oct. 1 as the statewide eligibility date for admission to kindergarten. Gifted and Talented Month The state Legislature has designated March as Gifted and Talented Students Month in New Jersey. SJR-24/AJR-131, which gained final approval last Thursday, aims to raise public awareness of the needs of gifted children, so that they could be identified early and matched with an instruction program that nurtures their abilities. Student Pedestrian Safety On March 15, the Assembly gave final legislative approval to S-1079/A-2026, which would establish motor vehicle penalties, including fines, for drivers who violate school crossing guard directions. Sudden Cardiac Death S-332/A-2999 would require the state Department of Education to publish a pamphlet informing the parents of student athletes about sudden cardiac death. Abbott Funding The Joint Committee on the Public Schools is scheduled to conduct a hearing March 26 on the impact of state aid recommendations on Abbott school districts.

	Board of Directors Meeting Rescheduled In accordance with the Open Public Meetings Act, notice is hereby provided of a meeting of the Board of Directors of the New Jersey School Boards Association.

	Innovations Deadline Extended The deadline for submitting entries into the sixth annual Innovations in Special Education program has been extended to April 2.

	Workshop Housing Forms Coming April 5 A special 4-page Workshop 2007 insert, including registration and housing forms for the Oct. 24 to Oct. 26 event in Atlantic City, will appear in the April 5 issue of School Board Notes. Proposal Forms: Curriculum Fair, Q&A Rountables Two of the most successful activities of each year’s Workshop are the Curriculum Fair and the Question & Answer Roundtables, which will be held Thursday, Oct. 25.

	School Leader Awards NJSBA Seeking Program Entries Every year, school districts throughout New Jersey enter their most impressive academic programs into NJSBA’s School Leader contest.

	NJSBA Online NJSBA’s Web site—www.njsba.org—features the latest news and information that school board members need.

	Calendar

	Training Programs and Resources Presentation Skills/Focusing the Board on Student Achievement Browse NJSBA’s Bookstore for the latest publications on school governance. Board Member Academy Programs