Nearly 20,000 Voters Sign Petitions Demanding Full Funding and Property Tax Relief
About 20,000 New Jersey residents have signed petitions and postcards calling on Governor James E. McGreevey and the Legislature to provide full funding for state education and make education and property tax relief his top priorities. Get the full story.
NJSBA Salutes the State’s School Board Members

Dear School Board Members:
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.
Department of Education Accepting Applications for Public School Choice Program
The New Jersey Department of Education is seeking applicants from seven New Jersey counties to participate in the state’s Interdistrict Public School Choice Program. Under the program, one district per county must participate. The following counties do not have representation: Cape May, Essex, Mercer, Middlesex, Passaic, Somerset and Sussex. School districts in those counties may apply. Get the full story.
Schools Recognized for Special Education Programming
Ten New Jersey schools have been selected for special recognition in the second annual Innovations in Special Education program. The program is sponsored by NJSBA and the Association of Schools and Agencies for the Handicapped, and is held in conjunction with Special Education Week in New Jersey, May 11-17. The theme of this year’s celebration is Living and Learning in a Changing World. Get the full story.
April 23—Bills Signed Into Law S487 (Vitale/Martin)—Provides for instruction for elementary, middle, and high school students on domestic violence and child abuse. Get the full story.
Meetings on Standards and Assessments
New Jersey United for Higher School Standards will be co-hosting two community meetings to discuss the importance of high standards in education and the state’s changing system of assessment. Board members, administrators, educators and parents are encouraged to attend. Get the dates.
Learn About Laws that Affect Your Schools
Each year the NJSBA Legal Department holds its all-day Current Legal Issues program, which is geared toward the specific interests of school board members and administrators. This year’s program will be held on May 3 at the Mercer County Vocational Technical School, Sypek Center in Pennington. Get the full story.
NJSBA Convenes Meeting on Student Mobility
The New Jersey School Boards Association recently held a meeting in Trenton to discuss the common concerns around student mobility and the need for a statewide database to document the movement of students inter- and intra-district. Representatives from the education and business community, along with government and regulatory agencies attended the meeting. Get the full story.
Training Programs and Resources
 Featured in This Week's Edition
New Board Member Orientation Conferences
special dates icon
Each month NJSBA provides 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.

May 2003
1-7 National Physical Fitness and Sports Week —The first week of May is dedicated to the importance of physical education to health. Click here for more information from the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. Get all the dates.

 
Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA will be holding its annual law conference, titled No Educator Left Behind, on May 9 at its Mountaintop Campus. Get the full story.
Help Us Help You
NJSBA continually provides information on www.njsba.org that reflects and compares negotiations data between boards of education and their teachers’ unions. This valuable information is obtained from boards of education via questionnaires that are sent out by NJSBA. Get the full story.
MAY 8
Indicates an NJSBA Meeting Application Deadline for NJSBA Vice President for County Activities
3R’s Program (Essex), NJSBA Northern Field Office, W. Caldwell, 7 p.m.
3R’s Program (Monmouth), Shore Regional H.S., West Long Branch, 7 p.m.
MAY 9
Indicates an NJSBA Meeting NJSBA Urban Boards Committee Mtg., Trenton Board of Education Office, 6:30 p.m.
MAY 12
Indicates an NJSBA Meeting Central Regional DA Training, NJSBA Central Office, Manalapan, 6:30 p.m.
MAY 13
Indicates an NJSBA Meeting Northern Regional DA Training, NJSBA Northern Office, W. Caldwell, 7 p.m.
Southern Regional DA Training, NJSBA Southern Office, Voorhees, 7 p.m.
MAY 14
Indicates an NJSBA Meeting NJASA/NJSBA Spring Conference, Caesars Hotel, Atlantic City
Spring Dinner (Essex), Essex House, W. Orange, 6 p.m.
Middlesex & Union Joint 3R’s, Edison Board Office, 7 p.m.
For more information, visit county school boards association activities.
NJSBA Executive Committee Meeting
In accordance with the Open Public Meetings Act, notice is hereby provided of a meeting of the NJSBA Executive Committee. The meeting will be held at the NJSBA Trenton headquarters on May 6 at 6:30 p.m. This meeting is open to the public. Get the full story.