School board convention offered good advice, tips

BY DANIELLE MEDINA
Correspondent

BRICK TOWNSHIP - The recent New Jersey School Board Association's convention in Atlantic City was an eye-opener for the Brick school board members who attended.

"The opportunity to meet with other school district people, board members, superintendents and teachers was invaluable," board member Cynthia McCarthy said at the Board of Education's Nov. 15 meeting.

Board President Sharon Kight asked each board member to report on what they culled from the sessions, discussions and speeches they attended during the three-day convention, which was held from Oct. 25 to Oct. 27.

"Everyone was encouraged to take advantage of all the classes that were offered on a wide array of subjects that help you become a better board member and learn more about what your role is as a board member," Kight said.

The subject matter included issues related to after-school programs, contract negotiations, school financing, law and policy, security and technology.

School security became even more of a priority for board member Daniel Rosa.

"We are really lacking security in this district," he said. "I don't think anyone would deny it, not the superintendent down to the substitute teacher," Rosa said. "There are some systems out there that are quite tremendous."

There are security systems on the market that can show what a teacher is doing in the classroom and some that can track an individual's movement in the school through an identification tag, Rosa said.

"If a person came into the school to work on a boiler and he's in the gym, they're going to know it," Rosa said.

But while the security options available are limitless, the district's budget is not, he said.

"It depends on how much money you have and how far you want to go," Rosa said. "We want to go as far as we can go, but money is always going to be the issue, unfortunately."

The news on the district's after-school program was more encouraging, however, Kight said.

There are certain requirements a district has to meet in order to have an acceptable after-school program, she said.

Those qualifications include imparting knowledge in a fun way; linking activities in the program with the school curriculum; setting up stations for art, homework and other activities; and including outdoor play.

Kight contacted the Brick Police Athletic League after the NJSBA convention, to see if they meet the criteria. The PAL administers the district's after-school program.

"I'm very glad to say that they meet every single one of them very, very well," Kight said.

Budget development sessions also offered tips for more ways to get public input, board member John Talty said.

"There was some food for thought about things that we could do that we might not be doing up to now," he said.

Those ideas included going to senior developments to listen, rather than make presentations, as well as setting up a calendar and reporting on the budget's progress and the issues that face the district, Talty said.

For Superintendent Thomas L. Seidenberger, the convention provided the opportunity to interact with experts in the field of education, security and technology.

"This convention is all about networking, with not just my own board, but with vendors, and renewing relationships with other superintendents and people you worked with," Seidenberger said. "We spent a lot of time engaging people in conversation. It was well worth our time and very productive for us."

The New Jersey School Boards Association, a federation of district boards of education, advocates the interests of school districts, trains local school board members, and provides resources for the advancement of public education.