• President’s Message: The Importance of Mandated Training

  As you complete your mandated training, I’d urge you to keep in mind how it can help you be more effective – and how that, in turn, can lead to stronger, more effective boards.

• Executive Word: ‘The Boardroom’ and the Power of Transparency  

  Each month, I plan to host a live podcast, “The Boardroom,” from noon to 1 p.m. I will be joined by NJSBA employees and/or members of our extended community.

• ELFNJ Spotlight: Winter Virtual County Association Meetings and Programs

  New Jersey’s 21 county school boards associations offer training, information and forums to explore the issues facing public school districts.

• Readers Forum: Teacher Retention: Strategies to Cut Attrition 

  It is useful for school leaders, particularly board of education members, to understand what factors can contribute to improving teacher retention.

• Legally Speaking – Transgender Students and Parental Notification: What Path Forward?

  There are legal, psychological, moral and educational dimensions to every aspect of transgender student accommodation, from bathroom access to preferred pronouns, with passions running high on all sides

• Labor Lookout: Recent Trends in Collective Negotiations 

  Board members, especially those on the negotiating team, should be knowledgeable about settlement data and current trends in contract negotiations. 

• Head of the Class: West-Windsor Plainsboro Regional’s Dual-Language Immersion Program

  The West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District was honored as an exemplary program in the 2023 School Leader Awards for its “Dual Language Immersion Program.”

• A Review of Recent Decisions from the School Ethics Commission 

  The School Ethics Commission has adopted a number of decisions finding violations of the act, and it has recommended penalties for those board members who failed to adhere to their prescribed ethical mandates.

  

• Preparing to Start or Enhance a Preschool Parent Academy

  To help school districts forge more meaningful connections with parents and support learning in the classroom, we reached out to two school districts to get their insights on how to start or enhance a preschool parent academy.

  

• Ten Reasons Why Workshop 2023 Is Made for Your District Team

  If your district is still unsure if Workshop is worth it, here are 10 reasons why Workshop 2023 is a can’t-miss event.