Newsletter seen as key tool to help regain local
control
Thursday, July 5, 2007
By DANIELLE SHAPIRO
HERALD NEWS
PATERSON – Unveiled with little fanfare in late June, the new
Board of Education newsletter represents big goals for the nine-
member group.
Though the city's school board members are elected officials, they
only serve in an advisory role because the school district, deemed
as underperforming, has been under state supervision since 1991.
But if there is one thing the board consistently agrees on, it is the
need to regain local control, and this newsletter, The Paterson
Graduate, is one step in that direction, officials say.
"This is another board reform to demonstrate that we can govern
ourselves," said Andre Sayegh, the board president. "That will
lead to local control."
The board is charged with developing policy for the school district
and providing oversight on the administration's actions, but
members have no say in any personnel decisions, Sayegh said.
State-appointed Schools Superintendent Michael Glascoe can also
veto any board decision. But there are questions in the
community about the distinct roles of the board and central
administration, Sayegh said.
Errol Kerr, one of four board members on the newsletter
committee with Sayegh, Willa Mae Taylor and Jonathan Hodges,
said The Paterson Graduate will help "fill in the blanks" for the
public about the board's role and activities.
"It's not just sitting there and voting on resolutions," he said.
"There is much more that the board can do."
Under a new school district accountability law passed last year
called the New Jersey Quality Single Accountability Continuum,
district effectiveness is reviewed in five areas: instruction and
programming, personnel, fiscal management, operations and
governance. It targets problems in those areas before they
escalate, leading to full state intervention. The state completed a
QSAC review of Paterson and several other school districts in
May and the state Education Commissioner is currently reviewing
the results, said Jon Zlock, state Education Department
spokesman.
The law's review of governance includes school boards. Board
members hope the newsletter will help them prove their ability to
manage themselves. They also intend to have more training and
retreats, Sayegh said.
The state took control of the Paterson School District for several
reasons: fiscal mismanagement, low test scores and school board
inefficiencies and infighting between members. Sayegh and
others believe improving communication with the community will
create new partners to work with board members so that it will be
a more effective body.
The newsletter will appear twice annually and will be paid for by
the board members themselves, Sayegh said. Willa Mae Taylor,
board vice-president, paid for this first round of 500 copies,
spending about $470 for the paper stock, she said. The newsletter
was printed at no extra cost in the district's printing department
located at John F. Kennedy High School. Copies will be made
available at convenient public locations, including the Chamber of
Commerce, community centers, school board offices and some
schools.
Though a school board newsletter is not a requirement, Mike
Yaple, spokesman for the New Jersey School Boards Association,
said more and more boards are using them. For districts under
state control, it can be especially useful to improve
communication, he said.
"You want the community to have a sense of ownership over the
schools," Yaple said. "Schools thrive with strong community
support. You need strong communications to make that happen."
control
Thursday, July 5, 2007
By DANIELLE SHAPIRO
HERALD NEWS
PATERSON – Unveiled with little fanfare in late June, the new
Board of Education newsletter represents big goals for the nine-
member group.
Though the city's school board members are elected officials, they
only serve in an advisory role because the school district, deemed
as underperforming, has been under state supervision since 1991.
But if there is one thing the board consistently agrees on, it is the
need to regain local control, and this newsletter, The Paterson
Graduate, is one step in that direction, officials say.
"This is another board reform to demonstrate that we can govern
ourselves," said Andre Sayegh, the board president. "That will
lead to local control."
The board is charged with developing policy for the school district
and providing oversight on the administration's actions, but
members have no say in any personnel decisions, Sayegh said.
State-appointed Schools Superintendent Michael Glascoe can also
veto any board decision. But there are questions in the
community about the distinct roles of the board and central
administration, Sayegh said.
Errol Kerr, one of four board members on the newsletter
committee with Sayegh, Willa Mae Taylor and Jonathan Hodges,
said The Paterson Graduate will help "fill in the blanks" for the
public about the board's role and activities.
"It's not just sitting there and voting on resolutions," he said.
"There is much more that the board can do."
Under a new school district accountability law passed last year
called the New Jersey Quality Single Accountability Continuum,
district effectiveness is reviewed in five areas: instruction and
programming, personnel, fiscal management, operations and
governance. It targets problems in those areas before they
escalate, leading to full state intervention. The state completed a
QSAC review of Paterson and several other school districts in
May and the state Education Commissioner is currently reviewing
the results, said Jon Zlock, state Education Department
spokesman.
The law's review of governance includes school boards. Board
members hope the newsletter will help them prove their ability to
manage themselves. They also intend to have more training and
retreats, Sayegh said.
The state took control of the Paterson School District for several
reasons: fiscal mismanagement, low test scores and school board
inefficiencies and infighting between members. Sayegh and
others believe improving communication with the community will
create new partners to work with board members so that it will be
a more effective body.
The newsletter will appear twice annually and will be paid for by
the board members themselves, Sayegh said. Willa Mae Taylor,
board vice-president, paid for this first round of 500 copies,
spending about $470 for the paper stock, she said. The newsletter
was printed at no extra cost in the district's printing department
located at John F. Kennedy High School. Copies will be made
available at convenient public locations, including the Chamber of
Commerce, community centers, school board offices and some
schools.
Though a school board newsletter is not a requirement, Mike
Yaple, spokesman for the New Jersey School Boards Association,
said more and more boards are using them. For districts under
state control, it can be especially useful to improve
communication, he said.
"You want the community to have a sense of ownership over the
schools," Yaple said. "Schools thrive with strong community
support. You need strong communications to make that happen."
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ONE PEOPLE.
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Sayegh For The Sixth
Bringing Neighbors Together