Montclair School Board Members Learn Limits of Their Roles

If there was one takeaway for Montclair Board of Education members from Monday night's workshop meeting it was this — don't micro-manage.

That message was delivered by Gwen Thornton, a field representative of New Jersey School Boards, who made a presentation about the role of the school board in the state.

Board members across the state have prescribed roles, Thornton said, which all boil down to one goal — “To make sure the district is well run, but not to run the district.”

Thornton reminded Montclair board members the school board only has power as a body.

“You cannot be out and about solving problems,” she said. “The job of the board is to take these problems to administration.”

Parents are inevitably going to come to board members with issues concerning their children's teachers, classes, etc., she said. Rather than help them solve their problems, board members should refer parents to the correct administrator within the district for help.

What the Board of Education should do, Thornton said, is focus on administrative oversight, helping set district goals and a plan to meet those goals, policy development, and assuring strong communication between the district and the community.

What Makes an Effective School Board? 

The most effective school boards have a shared vision, recognize the expertise of their educational leaders, look at the data and keep the focus on the students, she said.

“It helps to remember that what you do directly impacts children,” she said.

Effective boards, she said, also have a strong relationship with their superintendent.

The superintendent, the only district employee managed by the board, should in turn make sure board members are not micromanaging and educate the public to first turn to the administration for solutions.

Board members are also expected to support decisions made by the board and not undermine the board even if they personally are not in favor of those decisions.

David Cummings said as a new board member he was grateful for the presentation. Cummings asked whether the board can turn to New Jersey School Boards organization with questions.

Yes, Thornton said, adding that the conversations would be confidential.

Another board member, Leslie Larson, asked about the challenges of communicating with parents and the district.

Thornton said the best approach is to disseminate information in multiple ways, including websites, social media and newsletters. She also said holding board meetings at different schools and inviting students to make presentations at each meeting can help with attendance. 

A Sea Change for NJ Schools

Thornton said districts across New Jersey are undergoing a “sea change” with the implementation of the Common Core State Standards initiative for the upcoming school year and the rollout of PARCC, standardized tests which will replace NJ ASK starting in 2014-15.

“This year is going to be a year of extraordinary hard work,” she said.

One of the benefits of the new tests, she said, is that teachers will have results in two weeks, when results previously came over the summer or at the start of the following school year.

The “real-time results” will allow teachers to know which students need to be brought to grade level in specific areas, she said.

Parents in the public took this opportunity to address their ongoing challenge to the new standards and the district's Strategic Plan to implement them. 

"This Strategic Plan is not good enough for my son. It is not good enough for Montclair," said Elana Halberstadt, whose son attends kindergarten in the district. 

"There's going to be a revolution in Montclair because there are a lot of people here who are not okay with this plan," she said.

Thornton said concerns about the new standards are being raised across the state and around the country. 

"I think there are a lot of communities that have those kinds of questions," she said. 

Thronton said the fear is "losing the sense of what is important to many parents and that is educating the whole child." 

She said, however, the current system is not "making sure every child fulfills their true potential."

Thornton said while the pendulum was swinging to one direction in favor of more testing and assessments for students and teachers it was bound to swing back to the center in favor of moderation.

Board member David Deutsch asked if any district in New Jersey has rejected the Common Core State Standards initiative or extended the deadline to implement them? 

Thornton responded, "No."