Legislature Plans Hearings on School Construction Projects

The Assembly Education Committee will hold statewide public hearings over the summer to better understand the difficulties school districts are experiencing with school construction projects.
    Assembly Education Committee Chairman Joseph Doria made the announcement last week at the Mario Drago School in Passaic. The Drago School, an Abbott district school, hosted the committee’s meeting, which heard testimony from Gordon MacInnes, assistant commissioner for the Division of Abbott Implementation at the Department of Education. Members of the Passaic School District also presented testimony to the committee on Abbott-related issues. Get the full story.
Taking the oath of office at the NJSBA Delegate Assembly meeting in Jamesburg on May 18 are newly elected officers Patti J. Pawling, immediate past president; Anne M. Thomas, vice president for legislation/resolutions; James J. Dougherty, Jr., vice president for finance; Patrick J. Sirr, vice president for county activities; and Glenn B. Ewan, president. At the podium is Charles V. Reilly, immediate past president.
Summary of Delegate Action
May 18,2002
The NJSBA Annual Delegate Assembly met at the Forsgate Country Club in Jamesburg on May 18 to elect the officers to serve the Association for the 2002-04 term and to consider one task force report, three resoliutions, and sunset review of Section 4000 (Personnel) and Section 5000 (Pupils) of the NJSBA Manual of Positions and Policies on Education. Get the full story.
Symphony Outreach
The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra has a special program called Resources for Education and Community Harmony (REACH) to bring its professional musicians to schools and community organizations. Through the REACH program, the musicians will perform as soloists or in small ensembles for special events or as part of fundraising initiatives. The fee for each musician is $125.
    For additional information, contact Cathy Hernandez, REACH manager at the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, at 973-624-3713, ext. 268, or click here to connect to the Web site.
Connect to New Jersey’s School Law by accessing NJSBA’s newly renovated legal Web pages. These pages provide the best possible legal information and services to board members, administrators and attorneys via the Internet.
    Surfers can expect quick access to online resources in a clear fashion. Among the improvements are: the Conference section, which will keep users informed about upcoming programs and will include materials from past programs; quick links to various legal decisions and helpful summaries about a variety of legal issues; and quick links to NJSBA legal publications.
    NJSBA’s legal Web pages also contain links to various legal references, including decisions from the New Jersey Office of Administrative Law, the commissioner’s office, the state board, and the School Ethics Commission.
    In addition, there are Web pages dedicated to members of NJSBA’s Associate Membership Program for School Attorneys. These customized pages contain information about various areas of school law, including links to specialized outlines and some recent noteworthy cases. The AMPSA Members Web pages also contain an attorney’s bulletin board where information and questions helpful to the practice of school law can be posted.
    Click here to connect to New Jersey’s School Law.
special dates icon
Board Certification Achievements

Five school boards recently achieved the prestigious Board Certification designation. To do so, a board must earn 18 credits within a three-year period in the NJSBA Board Member Academy program, participate in a retreat of at least one full day or longer, and conduct a board self-evaluation. Get the full story and view the photos.
Each month NJSBA will provide a list of significant education-related dates, along with contact information to assist local districts in promoting these events in their schools and communities. We encourage school boards to share with NJSBA any activities that are planned in honor of these special dates. Please contact Josephine Kane at jkane@njsba.org or 609-278-5242

June 2002
9-13 National History Day—For more than twenty-five years, the National History Day program has promoted educational reform related to the teaching and learning of history in America’s schools. The National History Day program is a yearlong education program that culminates in a national contest every June. The 2002 theme is Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History. Click here for more information.

14 Flag Day—The Continental Congress adopted the Stars and Stripes on June 14, 1777. Click here to learn more about this day for patriotic observances.

JUNE 3
Spring Dinner Meeting (Passaic), The Brownstone, Paterson, 6:00 p.m.
JUNE 5
Indicates an NJSBA Meeting NJSBA Spring
School Law Forum,
Doral Forrestal, Princeton, 9:00 a.m.
Spring Dinner Meeting (Middlesex), Farrington Manor, East Brunswick,
6:00 p.m.
3 "Rs" for New Board Members & Board Presidents Meeting (Warren), Phillipsburg Middle School, Phillipsburg, 7:00 p.m.
JUNE 6
Spring Dinner Meeting (Hunterdon), Hunterdon Hills Playhouse, Flemington,
6:00 p.m.
3 "Rs" for New Board Members & Board Presidents Meeting (Morris), Morris County School
of Technology,
Denville, 7:00 p.m.
JUNE 7
Open Public Records Act Meeting (Burlington), Lumberton Middle School, Lumberton, 1:30 p.m.
JUNE 7-9
NJSBA New Board Member Orientgation Conference, Doral Forrestal, Princeton
For more information, visit county school boards association activities.