Articles in the School Boards category

NSBA asks the U.S. Education Department for clarification to accommodate students with disabilities in athletic programs

The National School Boards Association (NSBA) is calling on the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR) to better explain its guidance for students with disabilities’ participation in school sports. NSBA has issued a letter  urging OCR to reach out to school boards and educators before issuing wide-reaching guidance that can be construed as statements of agency policy. Among other things, NSBA warns OCR that the guidance issued through a Jan. 25, 2013 “Dear Colleague Letter,” could cause uncertainty in the courts and invite misguided litigation.

“School boards are committed to safely accommodating students with disabilities in athletic programs, ” said NSBA Executive Director Thomas J. Gentzel. “We encourage the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights to work with us to find mutually workable, realistic, and practical solutions to implement existing laws.”

NSBA asks OCR to clarify several areas in the “Dear Colleague” letter that suggest the agency is taking a more expansive view of it authority to enforce Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, including its guidance on individual student assessments for sports. NSBA also urges OCR to clarify that it is not adding new requirements nor establishing a new enforcement standard.

“The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights should clarify that its ‘guidance’ is merely a menu of suggested options for school districts and not the statement of new requirements subject to federal enforcement,” said NSBA’s General Counsel Francisco M. Negrón, Jr. “Recent similar guidance has resulted in confusion in the courts about applicable legal standards.”

This expansion of executive authority under the guise of agency guidance is one concern cited by NSBA in its support of the “Local School Boards Governance and Flexibility Act,”(HR 1386). That bill aims to ensure the Department of Education’s actions are consistent with federal law and are educationally, operationally, and financially supportable at the local level. To prevent regulatory overreach into local school board matters, the bill would also require the Department of Education to follow specific steps before promulgating , rules, grant requirements, guidance documents, and other regulatory materials.

Alexis Rice|May 22nd, 2013|Categories: Federal Advocacy, School Boards, School Law|Tags: |

NSBA Director writes about “Debunking the ‘reform’ agenda’” for ASBJ

In the June issue of American School Board Journal, National School Boards Association Executive Director Thomas J. Gentzel writes about the importance of a strong public education system and the forces that make false promises  through “reforms” such as vouchers. Read his “Last Word” column here:

No human enterprise is perfect, and we all are capable of improving. That’s especially true when an institution faces continuing challenges and new demands. Such is the case with public education, which has undergone many

Thomas J. Gentzel

transformations since it was established — from its early agrarian roots, through the Industrial Revolution, two world wars, the cold war, and the Technology Revolution.

We often forget that during most of our nation’s history, public schools were expected to provide basic instruction to all students while preparing some to move on to higher education and the professions. This system of sorting worked well when family-supporting jobs in factories and mills were plentiful. Today, lower skill jobs are hard to find, let alone capable of sustaining a middle class existence.

Now, public schools are expected to do something never asked of them before: educate all students to a very high level. This, of course, is a good and necessary development if our nation is to remain competitive in the global marketplace. Remarkably, America’s public education system has responded to these heightened expectations in ways that once would have seemed nearly impossible. Our commitment to educating every child is unparalleled, as is our effort to help each one reach his or her potential. No other country in the world even pretends to do what Americans demand of our education system. Perhaps not surprisingly, we spend more time focusing on what remains to be done and less on what already has been accomplished. That’s not altogether a bad thing, since it has the effect of pushing educators to continue to improve. Yet, it has had some serious negative consequences, too.

Some critics of public education have relentlessly assailed the institution for failing to educate all children at the levels now expected. Here, we must pause to acknowledge that, despite dramatic gains in student achievement we have witnessed in most places, some schools have not performed nearly as well as they should. These pockets of deficiency are a source of real concern, since they often exist in communities with the greatest challenges, generally. This is a major problem; in fact, it is one that must be addressed in order to ensure all children are prepared to become contributing members of society.

We should have a candid conversation about how to address these issues, and we must work to ensure that every public school in America, regardless of zip code, is an excellent school. We should do these things but, instead, in the current education policy debate, children in these struggling schools have become pawns in a larger effort coordinated by some well-funded interests with an agenda of their own. Many of these “reformers” have pushed hard – and, often, effectively – for solutions that are either untested or have demonstrated only limited success.

How else to explain the drive to create as many charter schools as possible, despite clear evidence that most do not outperform traditional public schools (and in fact, many fare much worse)? Although advocates of tuition vouchers and tax credits argue these measures could provide options for children “trapped” in poorly performing schools, they acknowledge their proposals would help only a small percentage of such students, and they have virtually nothing to say about what should be done for the many who would remain in those schools.

I believe some proponents of the school choice agenda are sincere in their belief that competition will help all schools to be better. Unfortunately, those people are not driving this debate. To be blunt, certain interests that stand to make a lot of money are the ones most actively promoting the privatization agenda. If they were sincerely interested in ensuring that every child in America had access to a great public school where they live, they would be supporting early childhood education, mentoring programs for new teachers, and other investments that have been demonstrated to be effective. That they so steadfastly refuse to do so speaks volumes about what they really want – and that has a lot more to do with them and their own bottom lines than it does with children receiving a great education.

Joetta Sack-Min|May 17th, 2013|Categories: American School Board Journal, Federal Advocacy, Legislative advocacy, NSBA Opinions and Analysis, NSBA Publications, School Boards, School Reform, School Vouchers|Tags: , , , |

Videos: NSBA leaders address the 2013 Annual Conference

Check out the speeches from National School Boards Association’s (NSBA) leaders from the 2013 NSBA Annual Conference:

2013-2014 President David A. Pickler:

Our new President, Pickler, discussed the “New NSBA” to create “the most relevant and responsive organization possible as we advocate in Washington, D.C., in state capitols across this country, and in service of our state association members.” Pickler noted that the NSBA Board of Directors has focused significant energies over the past few years to reform, restructure, and create a stronger national organization for school boards.

2012-2013 President C. Ed Massey:

Adaptive leadership was the theme of Massey’s presidency this year, and in his final address as President of NSBA, he reflected on the changes this leadership has brought about. Massey discussed his travels during his presidency; he made it to 26 states and two countries – Finland and Estonia. In those places, he said, he met many people “with a passion for public education and the interest of children.” And while Finland may top the U.S. education system in some ways, “they can’t match us in creativity,” he said.

Executive Director Thomas J. Gentzel:

Gentzel discussed the “New NSBA” and plans for NSBA to have a more assertive role in advocating for local school board governance, noting that state and federal officials are increasingly encroaching upon decisions best left to local school leaders. Gentzel unveiled NSBA’s new logo launching this summer.

Alexis Rice|May 15th, 2013|Categories: Federal Advocacy, Legislative advocacy, Multimedia and Webinars, NSBA Annual Conference 2013, NSBA Opinions and Analysis, School Boards|Tags: , , , , |

New Mexico School Boards Association Executive Director receives the Abrazo Award

The National School Boards Association’s (NSBA) National Hispanic Caucus of School Board Members (NHC) awarded New Mexico School Boards Association (NMSBA) Executive Director Joe Guillen with the Abrazo Award, NHC’s highest honor. This award is given annually to honor individuals who have committed their time, energy, and resources to improving educational opportunities for all Latino children. The term “Abrazo” translates in English to “hug or embrace,” a gesture Latinos use to greet or say goodbye to each other. Guillen was selected as the Abrazo recipient for his leadership and dedication to the NHC and for his commitment in advancing Hispanic students academic achievement. The award was presented at the 2013 NSBA Annual Conference in San Diego in April.

Before becoming Executive Director of NMSBA, Guillen was a school board member for more than ten years on the
Española Public Schools Board of Directors and was the 2004-2006 Chair of NHC and an ex-officio member of the NSBA Board of Directors during his time as NHC Chair.

The NHC works to promote and advance equal educational opportunities for Hispanic children. NHC members are actively engaged in a national dialogue on educational problems, issues and concerns in conjunction with NSBA and other national organizations committed to the continued growth and development of minority youth.

Alexis Rice|May 7th, 2013|Categories: School Boards, State School Boards Associations, Student Achievement, Uncategorized|Tags: , , , |

NSBA’s caucuses select new leaders

The National School Boards Association’s caucuses selected their new leaders last month at NSBA’s Annual Conference San Diego. NSBA’s three caucuses—the National Black Caucus of School Board Members (NBC), the National Hispanic Caucus of School Board Members (NHC), and the National Caucus of American Indian and Alaska Native School Board Members (NCAIAN).

The groups were founded to help school board members focus on narrowing the achievement gap and identifying promising practices that will improve achievement for all students, as well as address the particular challenges facing minority students.

“NSBA’s caucuses serve an important role in furthering our mission for equity and excellence for all students,” said NSBA Executive Director Thomas J. Gentzel.

Following are the names of the individuals elected to new leadership roles within each caucus.

National Black Caucus of School Board Members:

• The NBC selected Tawana Lynn Keels, President of the Princeton City (Ohio) School’s Board of Education, as Chair. In 1996 she was the first African-American woman to be elected to the Princeton school board, and later was the first selected as Vice President and President of the board. Keels is also a member of the Board of Directors of Great Oaks Institute of Technology and Career Development, and she was the 2009 President of the Ohio School Boards Association.

• Ellis A. Alexander of Hahnville, La., was elected to serve as Chair-Elect. He has been a member of Louisiana’s St. Charles Parish Public Schools board for the past seven years.

• Emma D. Turner of Spring Valley, Calif., was elected to serve as Secretary-Treasurer. She is a member of La Mesa-Spring Valley School District board in California.

• David Evans of Arizona’s Chandler Unified School District was elected as NBC’s Pacific Region director.

National Hispanic Caucus of School Board Members:

• Guillermo Z. López of Lansing, Mich., will continue to serve as Chair of the NHC. López is the President of the Lansing School District’s Board of Education. He was first elected to the board in 2001. He also works as an Equal Opportunity Specialist for the City of Lansing in the Human Relations and Community Services Department.

• Lillian Tafoya of Bakersfield, Calif. will serve as Chair-elect. Tafoya has served on the Bakersfield City School District Board of Education for 17 years. She is a former school administrator who was named Principal of the Year by the Association of California School Administrators in 1993.

• Lydia Hernandez of Phoenix, Ariz., will serve as secretary.

• Ruth Cruz-Roldan of Harrisburg, Pa., was elected to Northeast Region Director and Denise García of Phoenix, Ariz., was elected to Western Region Director.

National Caucus of American Indian and Alaska Native School Board Members:

• Roy Nelson, Treasurer of the Red Lake School District Independent School District #83 in Red Lake, Minn., was elected as NCAIAN Chair. Nelson also is a member of the Red Lake Bank of Ojibwe Indians.

• Sara Mae Williams, the board clerk for the Baboquivari Unified School District #40 in Sells, Ariz., was elected to serve as Chair-elect.

• Bob Cassa, President of the San Carlos Unified School District in San Carlos, Ariz., was elected as Secretary-Treasurer.

• The NCAIAN also elected Matthew J. Martinez of New Mexico’s Ohkay Ownegh School Board as its Western Region Director, Russell Havens of Louisiana’s Beauregard Parish Schools as its Southern Region Director, and Katrina Talkalai of Arizona’s San Carlos Unified School District as its Pacific Region Director.

 

Joetta Sack-Min|May 6th, 2013|Categories: NSBA Annual Conference 2013, School Boards|Tags: , , , |

More lawmakers sign on to NSBA bill

The National School Boards Association’s (NSBA) legislative proposal which would establish a framework for improved recognition of local school board authority when the U.S. Department of Education acts on issues that impact local school districts unless specifically authorized in federal legislation, the Local School Board Governance and Flexibility Act (H.R. 1386), has now garnered 16 co-sponsors.

Introduced by Rep. Aaron Schock (R-lll.) on March 21, the bill had as original co-sponsors Reps. Schock, Rodney Davis of Illinois, Ron Kind of Wisconsin, Patrick Meehan of Pennsylvania, and David Valadao of California. Since then, 11 more members of the U.S. House of Representatives have signed on: Reps. Lou Barletta (PA), Jo Bonner (AL), Kevin Cramer (ND), Jim Gerlach (PA), Bob Gibbs (OH), Adam Kinzinger (IL), Cynthia Lummis (WY), Kenny Marchant (TX), Mick Mulvaney (SC), Stevan Pearce (NM.), Ted Poe (TX), and Marlin Stutzman (IN).

School board members are encouraged to contact their House members to become co-sponsors. Increased focus is now being directed to urge senators to introduce a companion bill in the U.S. Senate, and school board members also are encouraged to contact their senators and urge them to sponsor similar legislation.

 

Joetta Sack-Min|May 3rd, 2013|Categories: Board governance, Federal Advocacy, Federal Programs, Governance, Leadership, Legislative advocacy, Policy Formation, School Boards, School Reform|Tags: , |

Supporting healthy learning environments

April 30, 2013 marks the 11th annual National Healthy Schools Day, a growing national movement that works to improve schools’ indoor air quality as it adversely impacts women and children. School environments play an important role in the health and academic success of children. Each school day, 55 million children and 7 million adults — 20 percent of the total U.S. population and 98 percent of all children—spend their days inside school buildings. The National School Boards Association (NSBA) was a sponsor of this year’s National Healthy Schools Day.

National Health School Day

April 30, 2013 is National Health School Day

“Schools play a critical role in addressing the physical, mental, social, and environmental factors related to health and well-being that can affect student learning,” said Thomas J. Gentzel, NSBA Executive Director. “NSBA and local school boards across the country are committed to developing effective policies and practices to create healthy learning environments to help position students for success in school and throughout their lifetimes. We commend the 11th annual National Healthy Schools Day as an important way to raise awareness about the need for healthy learning environments in America’s schools.”

This year, in recognition of the importance of a healthy school environment, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded nearly $750,000 in “capacity building” grants to five states — Connecticut, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, and Wisconsin. These grants will be used to help states implement comprehensive K-12 school environmental health programs using the new Voluntary Guidelines for States: Development and Implementation of a School Environmental Health Program.

To learn more what your school district can do to create healthy learning environments in your schools, go to National Health Schools Day and EPA’s schools websites.

Alexis Rice|April 30th, 2013|Categories: School Boards, School Buildings, Student Achievement, Wellness|Tags: , |

Brand-building begins in the board room

Does your school district have an image problem? If so, it probably doesn’t need a new slogan, a new logo, or a new “look,” according to a trainer and a communications specialist from the New York State School Boards Association (NYSSBA). What’s commonly needed is improvement in what happens at board meetings, they said at Monday’s National School Boards Association’s Annual Conference session on “Building a Brand Image at Board Meetings.”

A brand is not a logo or tagline, said Eric D. Randall, NYSSBA’s editor-in-chief. “A brand is a mental and emotional association,” he said. “It’s what people expect from a product or organization.”

A good brand for a school board involves perceptions that the board really cares about students, listens to citizens, and has a rational decision-making process, he said.

What happens at board meetings can either reinforce or contradict such perceptions, said Darci D’Ercole, NYSSBA’s deputy director of leadership development. She said boards should work on improving processes, structures, and habits.

Good processes include using parliamentary procedure, holding well-organized public comment sessions, and having operating procedures that govern how to respond to poor behavior by board members.

Boards can improve performance through organizational structures such as having a board self-evaluation instrument. It’s also important to review the results in a relaxed forum such as an annual retreat.

Finally, boards will gain trust when they maintain a culture of good habits that allow for disagreement without being disagreeable. It’s important to minimize intentional interruptions of one another, use respectful body language, and make decisions based on data, not alliances, D’Ercole said. All of this fosters a better brand image and community support, she said.

The board’s brand and the district’s brand are linked, Randall said. The board’s professionalism and priorities should match the district’s messaging.

Can an individual board member enhance the district’s brand? Yes, he said. His advice:

• Be a braggart. Ask your superintendent for talking points.

• Motivate district PR staff by noticing their work.

• Wear a pin or district emblem.

• Participate in outreach and favor engagement in all forms.

• Turn at least one alienated critic into an engaged participant.

Andrew Paulson|April 15th, 2013|Categories: NSBA Annual Conference 2013, School Boards|Tags: , |

New NSBA President David Pickler takes office in midst of change

David A. Pickler

David A. Pickler knows about change.

His career has evolved from business to law to financial planning and accounting.  As a member of the Shelby County, Tenn. school board, Pickler is in the midst of a massive merger with Memphis City Schools that will drastically change the demographics and operations of the school district.

So as Pickler becomes NSBA’s 2013-14 President at the Third General Session this afternoon, he has plans to help NSBA become a “change agent,” and a stronger, more responsive organization. Working with NSBA Executive Director Thomas J. Gentzel, he wants NSBA to become a reform leader and an even greater proponent for public education.

“Our responsibility is to lead the conversation, forge the alliances with core stakeholders, and bring forward a powerful message,” Pickler says.

As a member of the organization’s board of directors, he has been lending his expertise as a financial planner and attorney to NSBA in recent years. C. Ed Massey, NSBA’s 2012-13 President, said he and Pickler have worked together very closely over the past year and he expects a seamless transition.

“David has the requisite communication skills and certainly the knowledge to make sure we keep NSBA on track as we continue to promote our advocacy about public education in multiple ways,” Massey says. Further, “at a time where finances are a consistent and constant challenge, his particular skill set will assist NSBA.”

After graduating from Arkansas State University and working for International Paper in Dallas for one year, Pickler joined the Xerox Corp. and began attending law school at night. He intended to specialize in corporate law, but two and a half years in was offered a promotion by Xerox that would have forced him to give up a legal career. Instead, he decided to look for a job in finance—and after a series of cold calls to brokerage firms, he took a job with PaineWebber.

By the time he graduated law school in December 1985, Pickler had already built a successful financial planning business. The next year, he passed the bar exam and began practicing law on the side.

The two careers finally merged in 2005, when Pickler opened his own wealth management firm, Pickler Wealth Advisors. Two years later, he opened The Pickler Law Firm, and in January, 2012, founded Pickler Accounting Advisors.

“Our motto is, we bring it all together,” Pickler says. “It’s a very holistic model of services for our clients, one of very few organizations in country.”

Pickler has been named to Barron’s Magazine’s list of the country’s top financial planners, and the trade magazine Registered Rep awarded Pickler its highest honor, the “Altruism Award,” in 2011 for his work with children, calling him “the children’s advocate.”

With his wife Beth, he became involved with the Shelby County district through the PTAs at his two children’s schools. He ran for the county’s first elected school board in 1998, and served as board chairman from 1999 to 2011.

“Our board has really strongly advocated for traditional values,” Pickler says. For instance, when he realized many classrooms did not have an American flag, he convinced FedEx Corp. and its founder Fred Smith to donate a flag for each of the district’s 50 schools and 1000 classrooms. The board also passed a policy to ensure each day begins with a moment of silence and the Pledge of Allegiance.

In 2001, Shelby County became the first large district to mandate every school have an active and empowered PTA.

“Districts like ours were significantly underfunded,” Pickler said. “We wanted to send a message to principals that parent engagement is an essential ingredient to student achievement.”

In 2011, the Shelby County board found itself in the midst of an unprecedented merger when the Memphis City board voted 5-4 to give up the city’s charter for a special school district. The move meant the suburban 47,000-student Shelby County district would be responsible for educating 103,000 new students, a population that was 85 percent African-American and with many living in poverty.

Logistically, the challenges have been enormous, and many more challenges remain, Pickler says. A merged school board now has 23 members to manage two systems. Both the Memphis and Shelby County superintendents have resigned in recent months and hundreds of teachers and staff have chosen to retire or leave. The merger will be completed at the start of the 2013-14 school year.

Most recently, the Tennessee legislature is expected to approve a measure that would allow all the incorporated towns in Shelby County to create their own school districts, and as many as six are expected to apply.

Throughout the difficult process, Pickler said he has tried to focus on student achievement and issues that will unite the many “wonderful, passionate people who really care about public education in our communities.” A lesson learned, he says, is that “monumental decisions should not be made by small majorities.”

Outside his school board work and professional career, Pickler loves sports. An avid racquetball player and huge St. Louis Cardinals baseball fan, he has been a Dallas Cowboys season ticket holder for over a quarter century. He also describes himself as a voracious reader, with a particular interest in American history.

He also chairs the board of directors for the Memphis Oral School for the Deaf, a school that teaches deaf children from birth to age 5 to “listen, learn and talk.”

“This miraculous place gives deaf and profound hearing loss children the gift of sound and speech, and empowers them to enter school as a non-special needs student and look forward to a life of limitless possibilities,” Pickler noted. His wife, Beth, is a longtime volunteer at the school.

 

Joetta Sack-Min|April 15th, 2013|Categories: Board governance, Conferences and Events, Crisis Management, Governance, Leadership, Legislative advocacy, NSBA Annual Conference 2013, School Boards|Tags: , |

Video: NSBA incoming President highlights Monday’s Annual Conference schedule and the year to come

View National School Boards Association’s 2013 Annual Conference message from 2013-2014 President David A. Pickler for April 15, 2013 highlighting today’s conference schedule and the upcoming year.

Alexis Rice|April 15th, 2013|Categories: Federal Advocacy, Multimedia and Webinars, NSBA Annual Conference 2013, School Boards|Tags: , |
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