A Message from NJSBA’s President—Web Extra

Dear Local School Board Members:

On behalf of NJSBA’s Officers, I thank the members of the New Jersey School Boards Association for their support and for the many warm wishes of congratulations on our election. We are honored to have been given the opportunity to serve our state’s 4,800 dedicated school board members.

We take office at a critical and challenging time in the history of our state’s public education system.  New Jersey is in the throes of a great debate about reshaping the landscape of public education, and NJSBA will be a key participant in the dialogue.

School board members are special individuals who, for no compensation, subordinate their personal priorities for the good of public education and the children of our state.  So my next request to you may seem unusual: Get even more involved!  It is imperative that each of us extend our participation beyond our local districts and into efforts at the county, state and federal levels. 

Board members play a unique role: We are able to advocate for public education, un-swayed and unbiased by political agendas or union agendas. It is our job to ring the alarm when reform focuses just on economics and not on educational outcomes.

By actively participating in the “great debate” engulfing our state, local school board members can shape educational programs and initiatives, by making certain that excellence in education is not sublimated to the agendas of others. 

Neither my fellow officers and I, nor the Association staff, have all of the answers.  For this reason, one of my priorities is to solicit the broadest range of input from our membership.  While the Association will continue to provide “top down” information to keep you informed of all developments, initiatives and available resources, we are looking to you to provide critical “bottom up” communication. 

We will draw on your ideas, issues, problems and success stories to formulate our Association’s agenda.  And we will call upon you to vigorously advocate that agenda in as many groups, forums or gatherings as will give us an audience.  Working together, we can be much more than bystanders and will have a pivotal role in developing New Jersey’s educational priorities. 

At all times, we will be guided by asking a very simple question, “How will this proposal affect our state’s most critical asset – our children and their education?”

I look forward to working with you and would be most appreciative of your input and guidance as we move forward together.  Just send me an e-mail at rwiss@njsba.org.

Your NJSBA officers commend your dedication to the schoolchildren of New Jersey. 

Sincerely,
Raymond R. Wiss
President

Raymond R. Wiss, NJSBA President

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