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NJSBA Salutes the State’s Volunteer School Board Members
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Dr. Seuss sums it up in The Lorax when he says, “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” Get the full story. |
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| NJ Supreme Court Restores Abbott Funds |
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The New Jersey Supreme Court last week ordered the restoration of funds for Abbott districts. Specifically the Court ordered the state Department of Education to calculate the difference between the preliminary adjusted budget figures and the final adjusted budget figures issued by the Department. Get the full story.
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NJSBA Executive Director Edwina M. Lee is addressing the importance of voting in the April 20th Annual School Election during a current segment of “Comcast Newsmakers.” Comcast will air the five-minute interview, hosted by Jill Horner, on most of its New Jersey cable outlets through March 30.
Future segments of “Comcast Newsmakers” featuring Lee will address the efforts of New Jersey school districts to share services and deal with the federal No Child Left Behind Act. School Board Notes will list broadcast dates prior to the airing of the segments.
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| Volunteers Needed for NJSBA Legislative Committee |
| Do you want to help shape NJSBA’s legislative agenda and advocacy action plan? If so, there are several openings on NJSBA’s Legislative Committee for board members who wish to volunteer their time to communicate with their state and federal lawmakers about critical issues to New Jersey’s school districts. Each of the state’s 40 legislative districts has a member and an alternate who serve on the committee. Get the full story. |
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| New Policy Language on Board E-Mail |
Is your board relying more and more on e-mail as a way to communicate among members and with the administrative staff? If so, it’s time to adopt policy language outlining limits on e-mail use. It is especially important to keep everyone aware of possible violations of the Open Public Meetings Act and to describe other dangerous areas that the board can enter unwittingly.
To assist boards in developing policy on e-mail communication, NJSBA has amended file code 9322 (Public and Executive Sessions) with a section on electronic communication among board members. It is available in the Critical Policy Reference Manual online version and accessible with your district username and password. For inquiries, call the NJSBA Policy and Library Resources Department at 1-888-886-5722, extension 5222, or e-mail ekille@njsba.org.
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The National School Boards Association has recently added a new online source called BoardBuzz to its Web site. Updated daily, this new Web log provides timely education news on important issues to school board members and to all public education advocates.
Each day BoardBuzz will provide insight and analysis of what’s happening in public education in the nation’s Capitol and in schools throughout the country. The latest information on No Child Left Behind, federal and state education budgets, and school vouchers are some of the topics that will be discussed on the site.
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| School District Budget Timelines Available Online |
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The New Jersey School Boards Association has revised the New Jersey Department of Education’s 2004 School Elections and Budget calendar into a new “user-friendly” budget timeline format. |
| Now, at a glance, you can easily see important election, budget and public notice dates. The new timeline even includes statutory and code provisions for quick reference to New Jersey statutes. This timeline can be printed and distributed to board members, chief school administrators, business administrators, central office staff and others who need to accurately track school election and budget due dates. |
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March 15 Legislative Action
Driver Safety The Assembly voted 79-0 to pass a bill to establish a Teenage Driver Safety Study Commission. The bill, A-1237 (Malone/Wisniewski), which NJSBA supported, now proceeds to the Senate Law and Public Safety and Veterans’ Affairs Committee.
Budget Meetings Activities in both the Senate and Assembly will recess for the month of April to hold hearings on the fiscal year 2004-05 state budget. The state’s budget is required to be in place by June 30.
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| Education by the Numbers |
| Quick Facts About New Jersey’s Public Schools |
| To assist the news media in reporting about Governor McGreevey’s Annual Budget Message, the New Jersey School Boards Association released pertinent statistics on New Jersey’s schools. Click here to access the entire Education by the Numbers release. Get the full story. |
Click here for a pdf version of this issue of School Board Notes. |
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Each month of the school year, NJSBA will provide a listing of significant education-related dates, along with contact information, to assist local districts in actively promoting these events in their schools and communities. We encourage school boards to share with NJSBA any activities that are specifically planned in honor of these special dates. Please contact Josephine Kane at 609-278-5242 or by e-mail at jkane@njsba.org.
April 2004
2 International Children’s Book Day—Celebrated on Hans Christian Andersen’s birthday, this day is meant to inspire a love of reading and help young children develop an understanding of other cultures through literature.
16-18 National Youth Service Day— This is the largest service event in the world, mobilizing millions of young Americans to identify and address the needs of their communities through service.
18-24 National Volunteer Week—Sponsored by the Points of Light Foundation, this 31-year tradition recognizes and celebrates the tremendous efforts of volunteers.
18-24 Public School Volunteer Week—The third week of April is dedicated to encouraging parents and citizens to volunteer in their public schools.
18-24 National Library Week—Sponsored by the American Library Association, this week promotes the use and support of all types of libraries.
19-25 TV Turnoff Week 2004—The tenth annual turnoff, sponsored by TV-Turnoff Network, encourages children and adults to watch less television in order to promote healthier lives and communities.
22 Earth Day U.S.A.—This annual international observance promotes a healthy environment and a peaceful just world.
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| NJSBA Board of Directors Highlights |
A regular meeting of NJSBA’s Board of Directors took place on March 19 in East Windsor. Action taken at the Board of Directors meeting included the following:
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Approved the minutes of the January 16 Board of Directors meeting.
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Approved the 2004-05 Association budget.
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Approved the first reading of revisions to the Governance and Operations policies.
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Approved a resolution on the employee incentive program.
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Heard a legislative update.
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| MARCH 27 |
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CANCELLED: NCLB No Child Left Behind: Caught in the Act, Piscataway |
| MARCH 31 |
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Cape May & Cumberland Joint Legislative Dinner, Heritage House, Millville, 6:30 p.m. |
| APRIL 1 |
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Delegate’s Meeting (Burlington), Charley’s Other Brother, Eastampton, 6:30 p.m. |
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Negotiations Roundtable (Hunterdon), North Hunterdon High School Campus, Board Training Office, Annandale, 7 p.m. |
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Annual Student Recognition Awards Program (Monmouth), Colts Neck High School, Colts Neck, 7 p.m. |
| APRIL 2 |
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Legislative Dinner (Sussex), The Adam Todd, Andover, 6 p.m. |
| APRIL 3 |
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NJSBA Legislative Committee Meeting, Ramada Inn/National Conference Center, East Windsor, 8:30 a.m. |
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Goal Setting Program (Hunterdon), Voorhees High School, Glen Gardner, 8:30 a.m. |
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Gloucester & Salem Counties Joint Legislative Breakfast, Bullock Elementary School, Glassboro, 8:30 a.m. |
| Click here for more information on county school boards association activities. |
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