A MESSAGE
FROM OUR PRESIDENT
John T. Redman
December Meeting
OCSBA members and
guests were treated to an exceptional program at the December 3rd
meeting on using technology in our schools. Representatives from
the Minisink Valley School District discussed how they are
incorporating technology in their classrooms, Andrea Tejedor (BOCES)
talked about how technology is affecting our 21st century learners, and
Erich Tusch (Monroe-Woodbury) presented an outstanding summary
statement for school board members.
This excellent program was eye-opening, informative, and
very interesting. Those in attendance felt is was an outstanding
evernt, and they learned much from our presenters in a relatively short
period of time.
We thank sincerely the presenters who took the time to
speak with us about this important educational topic.
Legislative Update
At our
December meeting, we discussed our legislative efforts for 2009.
In preparation for developing our platform at our January 7th meeting,
we are asking our delegates to review NYSSBA's Report of the Task Force on
Maximizing School District Resources (available on their
website). From the list of 55 ways schools can contain costs,
please select 10 feasible mandates that if removed/changed would have a
positive financial impact on your district.
We hope to use the lists of mandate relief as
a basis for our legislative platform. Please come prepared to
discuss this effort at our January meeting.
January Delegates' Meeting
At our January
Delegates' Meeting we will have a sharing session on school board
operations. We will discuss how we communicate (televising meetings,
newsletters, ets.) with our
communities. This will be the first part of our school board
operations sharing session. The second session on board
operations will be held in March and focus on our school district
budgets. We hope you plan to join us on January 7th at 7:00
PM.
In case of inclement weather, please check
this website (updates or upcoming events sections) for cancellation
notices. Also, if BOCES is closed, and our meeting is scheduled
at BOCES, then we are automatically canceled.
COLSBA
COLSBA (Council of Local School Boards
Associations) met during convention, and John Redman, Susan Doyle, and
Bill Boss were in attendance representing OCSBA. John has been
serving on the statewide steering committee of this group for the past
two years. Along with three other county leaders from around NYS,
John has worked to set agendas and programs for our county association
leaders.
During the
steering committee election process
at the October
meeting in NYC, John was unanimously re-elected to serve another two
year term on the steering committee. Congratulations, John!
And many thanks for accepting additional school board responsibilities
and extending your board service beyond the boundaries
of Orange County.
On behalf of the officers and
staff of OCSBA,
we wish you a healthy, safe, and joyous holiday season.
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