EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE REVIEW September 26, 2013 PRESENTATION: A. Presentation of 2014 Regional Superintendents of the Year Executive Director Bozza provided an overview of the Superintendent of the Year selection process, thanked the Superintendent of the Year Regional Selection Committee members, and explained the final step in selecting the 2014 Superintendent of the Year. Dr. Bozza then introduced and commended the 2014 New Jersey Superintendent of Year Regional winners: Mr. Patrick Fletcher, River Dell Regional, Northern Region; Dr. Michael R. Gorman, Pemberton Township, Central Region; and Dr. Philip J. Guenther, Atlantic County Vocational, Southern Region. All three regional winners will formally receive the award at our Annual Spring Conference in May 2014. B. NJSBA Policy Services NJASA has partnered with New Jersey School Boards Association to offer a Customized Policy Writing Service as an affordable solution for managing school district policy manuals. The Customized Policy Writing Service has the potential to save districts thousands of dollars on an annual basis. Customized Policy Writing Service customers receive free email updates to keep their school district policy manual current with federal and state laws and regulations. The free updates are also readily accessible in the password-protected area of the NJSBA website. Additionally, the NJSBA file code system makes it easy for members to access and use NJSBA dues-based policy services, including NJSBA s Critical Policy Reference Manual (CPRM). Districts interested in taking advantage of this service should contact NJSBA s Legal, Policy and Labor Relations Services Department by calling (609) 278-5254 or via email to Cindy Stanhope at cstanhope@njsba.org INFORMATION ITEMS: A. President McCartney s 2013-2014 Appointments President McCartney has made the following appointments for the 2013-2014 school year: 1
NJASA Committees Chairperson Curriculum & Instruction Cathy Taylor Legislative Richard O Malley Membership Services Scott Rocco Professional Development/Seminar Virginia Grossman Shared Services/Small School District James Giaquinto Spring Conference Lauren Schoen/Scott McCartney Technology David Gentile Special Education Lizabeth Buoro Great Schools David Mooij Women s Leadership Monica Browne Choice Schools Suzanne Ivans Ad Hoc Constitutional Review Judith Rattner Members-at-Large Executive Committee Northern Region Gerard Crisonino, Deborah M. Harvest Central Region Denise Ricciardi, Barbara Walls Southern Region Pete Bretones, Carolyn Gibson Higher Education Rep. H. Mark Stanwood, Rowan University NJSIAA Rep. James Sarruda Retired Member Rep. Kenneth D. King Executive County Superintendent Rep. Thomas J. Dowd Charter School Liaison TBD B Officer Liaisons to NJASA Committees The NJASA Officers will serve as liaisons to NJASA committees to assure direct communication between the committees and the Officer Corp. The committee assignments for 2013 2014 are: NJASA Committees Choice Schools Curriculum & Instruction Legislative Membership Services Professional Development/Seminar Shared Services/Small School District Spring Conference Special Education Technology Great Schools Women s Leadership Officer Liaison Donna Van Horn Gary McCartney Gary McCartney Antoinette Rath Patrick Fletcher Patrick Fletcher Brian Zychowski Donna Van Horn Antoinette Rath Brian Zychowski Donna Van Horn 2
C. Constitution Review Committee Judith Rattner, Chairwoman of the Constitution Review Committee, presented an overview of the committee s recommendations. Executive Committee members were asked to share this information with their County Affiliate members for their reaction and input. The Executive Committee will discuss the proposal at the October Executive Committee. D. Aventa K 12 Learning Offerings NJASA and K 12 Aventa Learning have joined forces and are proud to present New Jersey Online Learning Services. As a result of this partnership, substantial benefits and discounts are available to districts of NJASA members. Offerings include: Personal Finance Credit Recovery Advanced Placement Hospital and Homebound Education Summer School More information is available on the NJASA website or contact Mary Capasso at mcapasso@njasa.net or by phone at 609 599-2900 extension 132. E. Vision 20/20 Survey The Vision 20/20 committee is soliciting the input of all members as it works to update the Association s vision for New Jersey Public Education. Working in partnership with K12 Insight, all members have been asked to complete a brief survey in order to guide the committee s ongoing work. F. School Security Task Force NJASA is a member of the ongoing K-12 School Security Task Force created by Governor Corzine. A new committee is being formed as a result of recent legislation which has the following stated purpose: The purpose of the task force shall be to study and develop recommendations to improve school security and safety, and to ensure a safe learning environment for students and school employees. The legislation includes representatives to be named from the major education associations with the exception of NJASA. Executive Director Bozza has been contacted by the Governor s Office personnel to be considered as a potential participant. 3
G. Professional Growth Plans The State Board of Education approved in June code changes which affect the Professional Growth Plans of school superintendents. NJASA objected to the change which changes responsibility for monitoring the Professional Growth Plan from the superintendent and peer committee to the school board. Excerpts from the code: Each district board of education shall oversee and review for each chief school administrator professional development that links to individual, school, and district professional development goals and to the school district s professional development plan. Each chief school administrator shall develop a professional development plan for review by his or her district board of education. Chief school administrators shall provide to the district board of education annual evidence of progress toward completion of the professional development plan and summative evidence of plan completion every three to five years, depending on the chief school administrator s contract with the district board of education. In cases where there is disagreement between a chief school administrator and his or her district board of education regarding plan contents or progress toward completion, the chief school administrator may appeal to the executive county superintendent, who will have final decision-making authority on all such matters. The Department of Education has not yet promulgated guidance to school superintendents to implement the code changes. Executive Director Bozza has met with DOE personnel to discuss recommendations to the process, including: NJASA should continue to monitor the PGP s of superintendents until such time as their current contract expires; Focus for the CSA s professional growth should be established by him/her using the state standards for school leaders; The mentoring plan developed for new superintendents should constitute the individual s PGP during the mentoring cycle; Consideration should be given to the potential for conflict among professional growth goals, mentoring goals, merit goals, district goals, etc. H. Superintendent Evaluation Committee NJASA and NJSBA have agreed to examine existing protocols and practice for superintendent evaluation with an eye toward enhancing the value of the evaluation for superintendents and school board members. A joint committee has conducted its initial meeting into this examination and will work to develop a commonly supported process and measurements based on research and national best practices. 4
I. Merit Goals NJASA will survey school superintendents this year, soliciting their merit goals in order that members can profit from colleagues experience when developing their own goals. This information will update those goals collected during the initial year of merit goal development are now available to members. J. New Teacher Mentor Code Mark Stanwood Mark Stanwood discussed the proposed regulations of the State Board for meeting the teacher mentoring requirements of the TEACHNJ legislation. K. LEE NJ Achieve Executive Director Bozza discussed a joint initiative of the Leadership for Educational Excellence group to solicit feedback about district implementation of the requirements of NJ Achieve. Practitioners will be surveyed at several points during the year to assess implementation, to inform the Department of Education regarding needed support and guidance, and to provide insight to support programs and services to be provided through NJASA. Executive Committee members voiced support for this endeavor. Many noted significant early implementation issues for those using the Danielson model and Teachscape digital services. L. D.A.R.E. NJ NJASA has received support from both the New Jersey Association of Chiefs of Police and the New Jersey School Boards Association in opposition to the use of an unaccredited curriculum for students in grades 5 and 6. M. NJM s Teen Driver Safety Program New Jersey Manufacturers Insurance Company offers free programs focusing on Teen Driver Safety. To schedule a program please contact Teen Driver Safety Officer Carsten Boethig at CBoethig@njm.com. N. Review Commissioner s Convocation Executive Committee members discussed the September 19 NJASA Commissioner Convocation. Executive Director Bozza emphasized the importance of the convocation with the Commissioner and senior staff. Comments were offered about positive aspects of the program and concerns with specific presenters approach to the audience. The NJASA leadership will explore other formats for future convocations. 5
O. AXA Achievement Scholarship Notice of the AXA Achievement Scholarship opportunity was provided to the committee. Scholarship details and a link to the application can be found on the NJASA homepage http://njasa.net in The Pulse section. The deadline is December 15, 2013 or the first 10,000 applications submitted. P. NJSBA/NJASA/NJASBO Fall Workshop The NJSBA/NJASBO/NJASA 2013 Workshop & Exhibition Student Achievement Share the Vision will take place on October 22-24 at the Atlantic City Convention Center. NJASA Events: Tuesday, October 22, 2013 NJASA Mentor Training Day 1 (pre registration with NJASA Required) 9:30am-3:00pm Room 413 NJASA Executive Committee (Open to NJASA Executive Committee Members) 10:00am-11:45am Room 411 NJASA Legislative Committee (Open to NJASA Legislative Committee Members) 2:00pm 3:30pm Room 411 Wednesday, October 23, 2013 NJASA Mentor Training Day 2 (Pre registration with NJASA required) 9:30am 3:00pm Room 413 NJASA School Leadership Summit (Open to All conference Attendees) 9:00am 11:00am Room 404 Keynote Presentation by Dr. Joseph Scherer & Vision 20/20 Survey Update NJASA Women s Leadership Initiative (Open to All Conference Attendees) 1:00pm 2:30pm Room 404 We invite you to join us for this afternoon s session which is designed to help women in or aspiring to positions in educational leadership. With networking, support and professional development, NJASA wants to create a clear pathway for women to engage, encourage, and inspire one another. Listen as our presenters share their insights and leadership journey. NJASA Choice Schools Committee Meeting (Open to NJASA Choice Schools Committee Members) 2:30pm 4:00pm Room 411 6
Great Schools of New Jersey Roundtable Discussions (Open to All Conference Attendees) 2:30pm 4:00pm Room 303 Discussions will highlight successful practices developed in New Jersey's most challenged high needs public school districts...including teacher effectiveness, Q. Legal Update Maria Lepore Chief Counsel, Maria Lepore, was available to committee members to discuss legal matters before and after the meeting, as well as in response to meeting discussion. R. Legislative Update Tom Dunn Jr., Director of Legislative and Urban Affairs reported to the Executive Committee on the potential impact that the gubernatorial and legislative elections could have on the future legislative agenda. Dunn reported that, if Governor Christie wins re-election and control of the Assembly, and/or Senate falls to the Republicans, then it is possible there will be an impact on: The makeup of the Supreme Court Revision of the school funding formula Sick leave retirement payouts Vouchers...and Last in, first out. If Senator Buono is elected Governor and the Assembly and Senate remain in the control of the Democrats, her education priorities include: o Better funding for public schools o A pathway for state-managed districts to return to local control o Universal pre-kindergarten o Universal kindergarten o After-school programs...and o Revisit the timetable for the implementation of the state's new teacher tenure law. Dunn concluded his remarks by mentioning some legislation of interest, including: A4376 Which prohibits boards of education from charging students a fee to participate in extracurricular activities. A4385 Which provides that a school business administrator appointed by a school district after a certain date will not be eligible for tenure and may be dismissed pursuant to the terms of the employment contract. 7
S2954 Which establishes best practices for procurement and payment of legal services by local governments and school districts. S2982 Which allows school districts to enter into school construction public-private partnership agreements with private entities. S. Professional Development Update Frank Borelli, Director of Professional Development reported on the following activities: The 16 th Annual New Superintendent s Academy will kick-off on October 9 with approximately 45 new Academy members. In collaboration with EIRC a proposal has been submitted to the Camden Public Schools for Principal Evaluations, we are waiting for approval from the DOE. The newly revamped Mentor Training program will be held at the NJSBA/NJASBO/NJASA 2013 Workshop & Exhibition on: o Tuesday, October 22, 2013 - NJASA Mentor Training Day 1 (pre registration with NJASA required) 9:30am-3:00pm Room 413 o Wednesday, October 23, 2013 NJASA Mentor Training Day 2 (pre registration with NJASA required) 9:30am-3:00pm Room 413 The Intel s leadership workshop, Preparing for Online Assessments - PARCC Seminars originally scheduled for the summer have been rescheduled. Three Dates, Three Locations: o Monday, October 28 Kingsway Regional High School o Wednesday, October 30 River Dell Regional High School o Friday, November 1, NJASA Headquarters NJASA is considering offering Professional Development services to New Jersey Association of Pupil Services Association in the area of special education. Please mark your calendar for Techspo 2014, January 30-31, 2014 and the NJASA/NJAPSA Annual Spring Conference, May 21-23, 2014. Both conferences will be held at Bally s in Atlantic City. T. Roundtable Attendance Executive Director Bozza has scheduled discussion at County Affiliate meetings in the following counties: Union, Middlesex, Ocean, Cumberland, Sussex, Gloucester, Bergen, Somerset, Hunterdon, Burlington, Warren, Passaic and Hudson. County Affiliate presidents should contact Executive Assistant Ginger Thompson at gingert@njasa.net or at 609 599-2900 extension 112 to schedule a discussion with Dr. Bozza at a County Affiliate meeting. 8
U. Membership Update A membership update was provided at the meeting. As of September 25, 2013 our membership stands at 765 members. The NJASA Membership Services Committee will promote membership at the county level and assist in increasing assistant superintendent and director memberships. V. 926 West State Street Executive Director Bozza provided an update on the property adjacent to Headquarters, noting the sale of the property authorized by the Executive Committee in June had fallen through due to opposition by the Berkeley Historic District Commission to conversion to multiple family dwelling. W Techspo 2014 January 30 31, 2014 Travel Waiver Approved Techspo is scheduled for January 30-31, 2014, at Bally s in Atlantic City, and a waiver of the travel regulations has been approved. NJASA has secured a waiver of the travel regulations to approve district reimbursement for overnight stay for those traveling in excess of 50 miles for January 30, 2014. X. NJASA Spring Conference Bally s Atlantic City May 21-23, 2014 The Annual Spring Conference will be held on Wednesday, May 21 through Friday, May 23, 2014, at Bally s in Atlantic City. A waiver of the travel regulations has been submitted to Commissioner Cerf. The New Jersey Association of Pupil Services Administrators will again co-sponsor the conference. Y. AASA National Conference on Education The National Conference on Education will take place February 13-15, 2014, in Nashville, TN. Housing and registration information can be accessed on the AASA website WWW.AASA.ORG/NCE The early-bird registration deadline is October 31 st. Z. ACES and Solar Energy For over ten years expand the Alliance for Competitive Energy Services (ACES) has realized over $100 million in energy savings for local districts through the competitive procurement of electricity and natural gas. ACES provides these services to over 420 districts. NJASA and NJSBA will expand ACES services to include opportunities for school districts to realize additional energy savings through solar energy projects and energy conservation measures. Information about these new services will be provided to school districts in the near future. 9
Members are asked to direct any concerns, questions, and comments regarding any items contained within their Executive Committee Review to their County Executive Committee Representatives. County Representatives welcome membership input and will convey such input to the Executive Director who will advise the Executive Committee on needed Association activity. 10