Bergen County Board Member to Lead NJSBA

A veteran Bergen County school board member was elected NJSBA president at the annual Delegate Assembly Saturday in Plainsboro. Raymond R. Wiss has been a member of the Northern Valley Regional Board of Education since 2001. Previously, he served on the Old Tappan school board for seven years.

At Saturday’s meeting, Wiss expressed concern “about the environment into which public education has been thrust and the critical need for NJSBA to have a leadership role in the dialogue that is changing the educational landscape.”

He continued, “Our responsibility is to take our experience as board of education members and to translate our priorities to a sometimes hostile group of legislators and taxpayers to make certain that the interests and welfare of public education and our children are protected and advanced.”

Wiss chairs a committee that has overseen the renovation and redesign of NJSBA’s headquarters building in Trenton, so that it could accommodate the web-based training and information services needed by the state’s school board members. The project is scheduled for completion in August. He has also been Bergen County’s representative to NJSBA’s Board of Directors and has served on various state association committees.

Wiss is a member of the Bergen County School Boards Association executive committee. In 2007, he received the Archie F. Hay Award for Distinguished Service from the Bergen County organization. He has also earned the Certificated Board Member designation through NJSBA’s Board Member Academy.

He is managing member of the law firm of Wiss & Bouregy and former mayor of Old Tappan.

Approximately 170 delegates attended Saturday’s meeting.

Slate of Officers The NJSBA delegates also elected the following local school board members to serve as officers for 2010-2012:

• Charles T. Miller, East Amwell, Hunterdon County: Vice President for County Activities
• Donald T. Webster Jr., Manchester Township, Ocean County: Vice President for Finance
• John Bulina, Tabernacle Township, Burlington County: Vice President for Legislation/Resolutions.

NJSBA’s outgoing president, Harry J. Delgado of the South Brunswick Board of Education, will assume the position of Immediate Past President.

Resolutions Approved In other business, the Delegate Assembly approved two resolutions.

Acting on a resolution from the Glassboro Board of Education, the delegates called for changes in law that would allow school districts to charge fees for summer school. Currently, any district that offers remedial or advanced classes is prohibited by the state from charging for the service. With severe cuts in school funding, school districts are finding it increasingly difficult to continue offering such services.

A resolution from the South Plainfield Board of Education asks NJSBA to seek measures that would give schools more authority to take action concerning specific harassment, intimidation or bullying situations while law enforcement officials are investigating the incident. The resolution expresses concern that school administrators and teachers may be unsure of what actions they may take to prevent further harassment when law enforcement has not yet finished an investigation.

Raymond R. Wiss

Above, Frank Gwalthney of the Woodbury Board of Education, right, votes on an issue before the Delegate Assembly. Below, a delegate uses an electronic voting tool to register his vote.

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