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ACROSS THE BOARD - April 2016
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Chancellor Betty Rosa Keynote - Annual Dinner Meeting
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You are cordially invited to the
54th Annual WPSBA Meeting & Dinner Program
Thursday, May 26th, 2016
We're excited to announce that Dr. Betty Rosa, newly elected Chancellor of the NYS Board of Regents will be the keynote speaker at next month's WPSBA Annual Dinner Program.  
We're also pleased to honor outgoing District Superintendent Jim Langlois of Putnam Northern Westchester BOCES for his many contributions during his 50 years in public education.
Crabtree's Kittle House
6:30 pm, Reception; 7:15 pm - 9:30 pm, Dinner & Program
11 Kittle Road, Chappaqua, NY 10514
$55 per person - Fee Event - Register thru your District Clerk Registrations & cancellations due by May 20th. Late cancellations & no-shows will be charged to your district.
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Now What? - President's Message
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April 1st marked a close-to-on-time NY State Budget - which is good news. More good news is that the budget includes full restoration of the GEA (Yay!) and some positive adjustment to the Foundation Aid (half-a-Yay!). The inside story is that SBA's have done a fine job of educating our State Legislators on our issues and they in turn have spoken out on behalf of our Public Schools (lots of "Yays"!).
 "Now What?" We've been advocating for more than just financial support. A key concern has been APPR: its basic validity, reliance on State test scores in determining teacher effectiveness and the coupling of an approved 3012-d evaluation plan with the receipt of any additional state aid. While the NYS Assembly proposed budget language to de-couple aid and testing, budget negotiations by "three men in a room," left this out of the final budget. Now, we need to wrap that up!
Luckily, we are not alone with this work. Several actions regarding testing and evaluation are helping to cast things in a different light. The NYSSBA Delegate Assembly resoundingly passed a resolution to remedy the weaknesses in the evaluation model. The NYS Common Core Task Force made several recommendations, and as a result, State test scores will not affect teacher evaluations through 2019. This is in addition to the existing moratorium on linking state test scores to the evaluation of student progress. Additionally, there have been changes in the Board of Regents including the appointment of three new Regents with experience in the public school sector and perhaps most significantly, the selection of Ms. Betty Rosa as Chancellor.
While the objet de resistance appears to have "tumbled down", school districts have an opportunity to develop their own assessment tools and demonstrate the benefits of local control; one size does not fit all! We can now have more of a say in determining "Now What?" Seize the moment!
~ Stephen O. Jambor, Ph.D, WPSBA President/Brewster BOE
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Mark your calendar - Negotiations Roundtable - June 3rd
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 What's new in the world of contracts and negotiations? Find out at our upcoming Negotiations Roundtable. BOE members, school attorneys & superintendents will share info on current trends, and recently negotiated contracts. Continental breakfast served. Free to member districts.
Fri June 3rd - 8 AM - 10 AM
WPSBA Offices, 450 Mamaroneck Ave., 3rd Floor, Harrison, NYTo register, CLICK HERE
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Education Policy Fellowship Program - Register Now!
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Registration is now open for the 2016-2017 NY Education Policy Fellowship Program (EPFP), a truly unique, yearlong professional development experience in the areas of leadership development, policy analysis, and policy implementation.
EPFP focuses on three pillars-policy, leadership, and networking. The core of the NY EPFP program is monthly policy seminars held on six Fridays at Teachers College, each led by a prominent professor or guest speaker. This year's program will concentrate on federal and state policy issues and the ways that education reform has influenced change at the local school district level.
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"Last Straw" Video - Word is Spreading
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The word is out! Between YouTube, FB & Twitter, our "Last Straw for NY Public Education" video has topped 4,000 views. We thank the school districts and organizations statewide that posted the video on social media. We encourage everyone to help us continue to spread the word.
The "Last Straw" discusses NYS fiscal, policy and reform issues impacting our public school districts. The video and a link to send VoterVoice letters (1,860 e-letters sent to date), are posted on the WPSBA website. You can also find the video on our YouTube Channel and Facebook page.
The "Last Straw" was created by the Westchester Putnam School Boards Association and the Lower Hudson Council of School Superintendents. Our thanks to BOE members Michael Hanna and Shane McGaffey who produced the video.
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