NCLB Report—Not an Unfunded Mandate?
The General Accounting Office released a new report, Unfunded Mandates – Analysis of Reform Act Coverage, which found that the No Child Left Behind Act is not an unfunded mandate, as critics of the law have claimed. The GAO reviewed nearly 500 statutes and regulations enacted in 2001 and 2002, and concluded that NCLB does not meet the definition of a mandate under the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995. Get the full story.
90th Anniversary–
Recollections from 1935 – 1944
1936—The Governor’s Survey report revealed that the state provided a minimum of $57 per elementary child and $98 per high school child per day, according to Assistant Commissioner of Education Charles D. Anderson addressing the June 5 Delegate Assembly. Get the full story.
Middle School Selected To Be a Model of Democratic Freedom
The Maplewood Middle School in the South Orange-Maplewood School District was recently selected as one of five schools nationwide to join the First Amendment Schools initiative. Get the full story.
Dougherty Testifies on NJQSAC
Testifying before the Assembly Education Committee at the Camden Middle School in Newark last week is James J. Dougherty, Jr., president of the New Jersey School Boards Association. The hearing was held to address the New Jersey Quality Single Accountability Continuum, a new system to monitor school district academic performance, administration, and business operations. Assembly bill A2643 would establish this new system.

Details of the NJQSAC proposal can be found in the May 27, 2004 issue of School Board Notes.
May 27 Legislative Action

Community School Projects NJSBA supported A200 (Voss, Stanley, Vas), which provides for the annual selection of up to six school facilities projects as community school projects. The Assembly Appropriations Committee released a committee substitute bill, which designates up to six school projects for three fiscal years after enactment. In addition, the substitute requires the state librarian to advise the commissioner of education and the Economic Development Authority if a library facility is included in the project. The bill will now go before the full Assembly.
Somerset County School Boards Association Honors Board Members
Several school board members were recently honored by the Somerset County School Boards Association for earning their Certificated Board Member designation through NJSBA’s Board Member Academy. Pictured at the SCSBA spring dinner meeting held in Somerset last week are (left to right) Susan Carter, immediate past president of SCSBA and member of the Montgomery Township board; and Certificated Board Members Patricia E. Bowers, Branchburg; Eddie Webb, Jr., Franklin Township; and Judy Farrell, Bedminster. Also pictured is James J. Dougherty, Jr., president of the New Jersey School Boards Association.
Judy Farrell (holding plaque) of Bedminster is presented with the first-ever SCSBA Board Member of the Year Award. Also pictured (left to right) are Alan Enos, Bedminster board member; Carole Larsen, NJSBA senior field service representative; Dr. Andrew Rinko, Bedminster superintendent; and Marie Barbuto, Bedminster board member.

Click here for a pdf version of this issue of School Board Notes.
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WORKSHOP
OCTOBER 20-22, 2004
Workshop Housing Some boards have received letters from the Atlantic City Housing Bureau telling them they have been put on a wait list for Workshop housing. As in the past, boards have initially asked for more rooms than they will need. As boards confirm who is attending, the extra rooms are released back to the Housing Bureau and those on the wait list are placed in those rooms. This is an ongoing process through the spring, summer and fall. No board member or administrator has ever been without a room when October’s Workshop arrives.

We need your cooperation. Boards who have confirmed rooms that they do not need are asked to help their fellow boards by releasing those rooms back to the Housing Bureau. To release rooms, simply call the Bureau at 609-449-7112, or fax a note to 609-348-0025 releasing the rooms. Information in the faxed note should include district name, contact person, phone number, and number of rooms being released (with the list of names, if possible).
BOOK OF THE MONTH
Basic Boardsmanship No one ever said being a board member is easy. In fact, if you were to ask those in the education arena, they would tell you that being a board member is one of the most challenging jobs in America. With new laws and mandates, the responsibilities of board members have increased significantly over the past 10 years. Being a board member requires hard work and an understanding of the policies and procedures involved.

To help you effectively carry out your responsibilities, NJSBA publishes Basic Boardsmanship. This book provides a general overview of the duties of a school board member. Topics include the School Ethics Act, holding effective board meetings, parliamentary procedure, the Open Public Meetings Act, communicating with the public, the board’s relationship with the superintendent and district staff, curriculum oversight, student rights, the budget development process, and labor relations.

Click here to order Basic Boardsmanship, or contact Maryann Wolverton at mwolverton@njsba.org or 1-888-886-5722, extension 5209
A conference on Schools That Learn: Building Professional Learning Cultures will be held on June 30 through July 2. Get the full story.
JUNE 9
Spring Dinner Meeting (Union), Suburban Golf Club, Union, 6 p.m.
JUNE 10
3 R’s for New Board Members (Essex), NJSBA Northern Field Office, West Caldwell, 7 p.m.
Spring Dinner Meeting (Mercer), The Palmer Inn, Princeton, 6:30 p.m.
JUNE 11-13
Indicates an NJSBA Meeting NJSBA New Board Member Orientation Conference, Doral Forrestal, Princeton, 4:30 p.m.
Click here for more information on county school boards association activities.