Articles tagged with CUBE

Council of Urban Boards of Education selects 2013-2014 steering committee

The National School Boards Association’s (NSBA) Council of Urban Boards of Education (CUBE) has elected its Chair, Vice Chair, and new members to its Steering Committee.

School board members Minnie Forte-Brown, of North Carolina’s Durham Public Schools, and Van Henri White, of New York’s Rochester City School District, will begin a one-year term as Chair and Vice Chair, respectively. They began their service in these leadership roles in October 2012.

Forte-Brown is currently the Vice Chair of Durham Public Schools (DPS) Board of Education and has served on the board since 2004 and was the Chair from 2006-2012. Under her leadership, the DPS Board of Education participated in Reform Governance in Action training, a two-year program of the Center for Reform of School Systems. Forte-Brown is committed to engaging students, parents and the community. Forte-Brown was appointed by Gov. Bev Perdue to the North Carolina Council of the Status of Women and the Gang Advisory Task Force. She is the co-founder of the East Durham Children’s Initiative and serves on the Board of Directors of the North Carolina School Boards Association and National School Boards Action Center.

White is the Vice President of the Board of Education in Rochester City School District and has served on the school board since 2007. He is also an author, civil rights attorney, and founder of the Center for the Study of Civil and Human Rights Laws. White is an outspoken advocate for improving school safety, graduation rates, decreasing truancy rates, and attacking the problem of lead poisoning. He is the author of Frustration in America, which examines the impact of racism and responsibility of African American men and boys and Marching Forward by Looking Back: Fifty Years Since the March on Washington.

The following school board members were elected this year to serve on CUBE’s 16-member Steering Committee:

Ericka Ellis-Stewart of North Carolina’s Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools;
Verjeana Jacobs of Maryland’s Prince George’s County Public Schools;
Dr. Christina Saavedra of Texas’s Brownsville Independent School District;
David Stone of Maryland’s Baltimore City Public Schools;
Caroll Turpin of Michigan’s Pontiac School District; and
Ruth Veales of Oklahoma’s Oklahoma City Public Schools.

“CUBE’s new Steering Committee members bring years of experience in urban education and are strongly committed to aiding the work of urban school boards to advance student achievement,” said Thomas J. Gentzel, NSBA Executive Director.

CUBE, an organization guided by Steering Committee members, represents a diverse group of urban school board members dedicated to the needs of children in urban centers. CUBE represents nearly 100 urban school districts in 35 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The districts that comprise CUBE educate nearly 7.5 million students in over 12,000 schools, with a collective budget of approximately $99 billion. CUBE helps urban school boards find solutions to challenges at the local level and helps them to strengthen their policymaking effectiveness.

“As Chairman of CUBE’s Nominating Committee, I am pleased to have a democratic process that allows urban school board members to be a part of CUBE’s leadership,” said Lock P. Beachum, Sr., the head of this year’s Nominating Committee and Past Chair of CUBE. “CUBE will continue to be a leader in urban education to advocate for excellence and equity in public education.”

Alexis Rice|April 16th, 2013|Categories: CUBE, NSBA Annual Conference 2013, Urban Schools|Tags: , , |

CUBE honors former leader at Congressional luncheon

Katrina Kelley program

Katrina Kelley's memorial service program and Congressional Record listing

The Council of Urban Boards of Education (CUBE) honored its former director, Katrina Kelley, at its annual luncheon on Capitol Hill on Jan. 29. Kelley worked with CUBE and on urban school board issues for almost 20 years at the National School Boards Association (NSBA) before stepping down in March. She died on Oct. 9.

During the luncheon, several school board members and former colleagues spoke in honor of Kelley, who had worked on Capitol Hill before she joined NSBA. CUBE Steering Committee Chair Minnie Forte-Brown also read this tribute that was sponsored by Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) and published in the Congressional Record on Dec. 21:

United States of America Proceedings and Debates of the 112th Congress, Second Session

House of Representatives

HONORING KATRINA KELLEY FOR HER SERVICE TO THE RESIDENTS OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS AND TO SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS AND CHILDREN OF URBAN DISTRICTS IN THE UNITED STATES AND THE VIRGIN ISLANDS

HON. KEITH ELLISON

OF MINNESOTA IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

December 21, 2012

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Katrina Ann Kelley, a dedicated public servant whose service to the House of Representatives and the National School Boards Association spanned 28 years.

Katrina Ann Kelley was born on September 29, 1960, to William and Joan Kelley, in Galesburg, Illinois where she was raised along with six beloved siblings. She graduated Galesburg Sr. High School in 1978 as member of the National Honor Society before heading to Marycrest College in Davenport, Iowa, for a Bachelor of Arts in social work.

Katrina joined the staff of Congressman Lane Evans in 1984 as a District Caseworker in his Illinois office; then made the move to Washington DC to become a Legislative Assistant. Later, Katrina served as a Legislative Assistant and a Legislative Director for Representative Charles A. Hayes of Chicago. Katrina loved her years “on the Hill” where she made many lifelong friends and brought her compassion for constituent service to every position. Katrina had immense respect for Congressman Evans and the late Representative Hayes and considered each of them personal mentors and lifelong friends.

Katrina took her comprehensive legislative knowledge and understanding of urban issues to the National School Boards Association, NSBA, where she served as the Director of Urban School District Advocacy, and later as the Director of the Council of Urban Boards of Education, CUBE, until her departure in 2012. Katrina helped to shape the CUBE program as a critical component of the National School Boards Association, touching over one hundred urban districts and millions of children in the United States and the Virgin Islands. Katrina’s work helped urban school leaders find solutions to challenges at the local level and to improve their policy-making effectiveness, leading to improved outcomes for children. Katrina deeply believed in increasing the opportunities for all students, particularly low income and minority students.

Katrina passed away with her sisters at her side on October 9, 2012. I stand here today to honor Katrina Ann Kelley for her legacy of service to the citizens and students of the United States.

Joetta Sack-Min|February 1st, 2013|Categories: Announcements, Conferences and Events, CUBE, FRN Conference 2013, Urban Schools|Tags: , , |

Improving School Meals Tops List for District

When a school cafeteria menu calls for peaches, it’s not uncommon for a school district’s food services department to purchase canned fruit soaking in corn syrup.

But that’s not how the officials in Baltimore, Md., like to do things. Working to provide the healthiest meals possible, the city’s school cafeterias—when peaches are needed—turn first to locally grown fruit plucked fresh from a tree.

Few school systems in the nation are doing more to improve school meals than the Baltimore City Public Schools, and urban school leaders learned more about the district’s exiting initiatives Saturday at an Issues Forum of the Council of Urban Boards of Education (CUBE). The session was an early bird meeting for representatives who will attend the Federal Relations Network Conference that starts Sunday.

The school system’s award-winning effort began several years ago with a far-ranging policy discussion launched by the school board about providing more nutritious school meals and combating childhood obesity, city school board member George VanHook Sr. told forum attendees.

Adopting a good policy is a crucial, but its ultimate success depends on the energy put into its implementation, VanHook said. And Baltimore was lucky to find just the man to oversee the district’s food and nutrition program: Anthony Geraci, a former chef and food service consultant who had successfully revitalized a New Hampshire district’s food services program.

In Baltimore, Geraci has worked to improve the quality of school meals that students used to describe as “nasty.” He’s emphasized the purchase of Maryland-grown produce, and is building a central kitchen for the school system where food-service personnel will prepare fresh meals from scratch.

Also on his agenda has been involving students in meal planning, operating a 33-acre farm so students can learn where food comes from, and starting a Great Kids Café to introduce students to careers in the food industry, he told urban school leaders.

Most important, however, is putting healthy food in front of students, particularly those living in an urban environment, Geraci said. Too many are not eating healthy meals at school—or at home.

“It’s not that our children aren’t willing to eat good, fresh food, it’s that they don’t have access to good, fresh food,” he said. “Many of our kids are growing up in ‘food deserts.’”

Del Stover, Senior Editor, Publications

Del Stover|January 30th, 2010|Categories: Educational Finance, Leadership Conference 2010, School Board News, School Boards, Urban Schools, Wellness|Tags: , |
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