Today I ran into someone who asked me "how's it going" on the Board of Ed? They asked, "Is it what you expected?" Hmmm...interesting question. One thing I can say is that it's actually like nothing else I've ever done. I've been on plenty of committees, HSAs, community groups, etc. I've worked in large and small offices. And I've been to quite a lot of meetings. I've always felt like I know how to get things done. But the mechanics of the Board of Ed are different in several ways. (I suspect it's not about the Board of Ed per se but rather about public committees/groups in general). The pace is so slow and stilted. We legally must discuss things in public meetings, but those meetings -- especially in the summer -- are not so frequent. So in between, we can't really do much. We can't carry on discussions via email, because apparently "cyberspace" is considered a meeting and would therefore need to be public. We can have one-on-one emails and conversations, but that's not so efficient. Imagine having four separate conversations on one topic.So I find myself sort of chomping at the bit...watching time tick by...and creating a list of things that I want to bring up at future meetings.
The other issue I'm grappling with is how to handle my position vis-a-vis the superintendent, assistant superintendents or other staff. As an individual, I basically have no more or less standing than any other individual in town. I only have "power" (if you can call it that) as a member of the five-person Board. We make decisions and give direction as a group. That's fine, I understand that. But on a practical, day-by-day basis, I sometimes wonder. When should I contact Dr. Fishbein or Mrs. Botsford (for example) directly? When is an issue something I should bring up one on one, and when should it be added to the next meeting's agenda (and as I mentioned above, that means waiting.) And should I expect them to "jump" every time I have an idea? Probably not. I'm sure I'll get the hang of things, I know I will, but...I'm just trying to answer that person's question from today.
One thing that will help -- the Board will be holding a "retreat," where we will focus on how we operate, how we communicate, etc. A lot of my questions and concerns can be dealt with at that time, and perhaps I'll feel a little less lost. (And before you get all upset that the five of us will be "retreating" to some posh resort or secret undisclosed location, don't worry -- the retreat takes place right here in Ridgewood. It's basically a fancy name for an all-day meeting. A refreshing change from our all-night meetings. Ha.)
On the bright side, the slow summer months are giving me time read up on and think about several issues, meet with various staff people for research, and formulate some ideas and opinions on a few key issues, including: improving 2-way communication with the public, improving the district website, establishing facilities priorities and improving the budget process. Those are sort of my "pet" issues right now, and I hope to get moving on them beginning with our August meeting.
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2 comments:
While the open public meetings act has its merits, i can see how it does hamper progress. something that really concerns me about the NJ State government is the "over regulation" of upper level school districts. While I understand that transparency is needed when state money is being used, spending caps and required programs seem to limit the potential f the Ridgewood school system. What do you think?
Thanks
I do feel that the extreme regulations from the state are gradually (actually, quickly) eroding the concept of "home rule" of our schools. Because of the actions of a few school districts, who were/are wasteful, non-transparent, non-communicative, inefficient, ineffective, (did I mention wasteful?), the state feels it's necessary to impose greater controls and checks on ALL districts, regardless of how we perform or how efficient we are with our money. One of the things I've noticed over the years, and it's even more clear now that I'm "on the inside," is that once you impose all the caps, mandates, restrictions, etc., in our budget, we're actually left with very little "discretionary" funds. That means little or no room to try new things or get creative.
The other issue with all the regulations is that of efficiency. There are dozens of new rules that districts must follow, many of which can be boiled down to one thing: the county superintendent must approve (fill in the blank)... With the number of districts, how is that lone county superintendent going to approve every single field trip, every special ed placement, etc.?
So, yes, I am concerned about the uber-regulations limiting us...however one quibble. Not to sound overly-pollyanna-ish, but nothing can limit our potential. Our potential is always there...and we don't have much choice but to do our best to try and reach it, no matter what obstacles are put in the way.
Wow, forget Pollyanna, that sounds downright Tony Robbins! Haha. But really...we can complain all we want, we can even try to fight the things we think aren't fair, but every day when we wake up, all we can do is attack what we can and try to accomplish something, anything, toward the goalof providing the very best education for our students.
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