School Funding…
What’s Next?

Family Leave Bill Released By Senate Committee

New Rates, New Programs for State Health Benefits Plan

Turner, Cryan to Chair Key Education Committees

Superintendent/Board Members Have View from Both Sides

CAL Honored for School Board Recognition Month

Mobilizing School Boards

Proposals for Workshop 2008 Due March 10

Delegate Assembly Resolutions Cutoff

Calendar

Click here for a pdf version of this issue of School Board Notes

When school board members Pio Pennisi of South Plainfield and Dr. Eugene Westlake of Oradell see their superintendent handle a difficult situation at a board meeting, they probably have a little more empathy than the average board member for the administrator’s challenges.

That’s because they’re working superintendents themselves. Pennisi is the superintendent of Dunellen Public Schools, and Westlake, who retired as superintendent of Northern Valley Regional School District, is currently the interim superintendent in Paramus.

Both agree that their “dual citizenship” benefits both their home district and the district they work in.

Pennisi, who has served five terms as a board member, pointed out that his professional experience provides him with knowledge that’s valuable to his home district. “When new regulations like NJQSAC come along, I’m already well acquainted with them,” he said.

He also noted that he’s in a good position to spot useful new ideas. “I’m active at board meetings in both districts, and in the county board associations. Sometimes I hear about programs or procedures in other districts that are working well, and I can share that with both districts,” said Pennisi.

The men feel that their experience as teachers and administrators provides their board with valuable expertise. “I didn’t come to the board with an axe to grind or a problem to resolve,” said Westlake, a board member in the 1970s and 1980s who returned to board service about 5 years ago. “I had the time and the background to do this. I think it’s helpful to have an educator on the board. It provides perspective on some things.”

Similarly, being a board member helps both men be more effective superintendents. “I think it helps me anticipate what kinds of questions and concerns my board members are going to have about different issues,” said Pennisi.

Common Mistake What mistakes do Pennisi and Westlake see boards make? They agree that the classic problem is board over-involvement in the daily management of a district. “Sometimes newer board members don’t have a good idea of what they’re supposed to be doing,” Westlake said. “The chief responsibility for a board is to hire a CSA (chief school administrator) and to set policy, not to micromanage.”

Pennisi gets frustrated when he hears people disparage someone as a “rubber stamp” board member. “In many cases as a board member you do confirm what your CSA is going to do,” he said, “but when I hear that term I always think, ‘You’ve hired these people to run your school district and that’s what they’re doing. If you can’t approve of what they’re doing, maybe you have the wrong CSA.’ ”