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9200 Orientation and Training of Board Members

NORTHFIELD BOARD OF EDUCATION FILE CODE: 9200

Northfield, New Jersey Monitored

X Mandated

Bylaw X Other Reasons

ORIENTATION AND TRAINING OF BOARD MEMBERS

Orientation of New Board Members

The Superintendent of Schools shall prepare materials to introduce new board members to the operating procedures of the Northfield School District and the details of the curriculum.

Sufficient funds shall be allocated to reimburse new board members for attending NJSBA training in superintendent evaluation within the first six months after taking office, and an NJSBA new board member orientation within the first year of taking office.

Administrative code defines “newly elected or appointed board member” as any board member who has never served as a member of either an elected or appointed school board.

Code of Ethics Training

The board shall ensure that all members of the board receive and review a copy of the Code of Ethics for School Board Members. Each board member shall sign an acknowledgement that he/she has received and read it. Training as required by the administrative code shall be scheduled to familiarize board members with the contents and requirements of the Code of Ethics.

Mandated Training

The board shall ensure that each newly elected or appointed board member receive training in their first year of service regarding skills and knowledge necessary to serve as a school board member. This training shall be offered by the NJSBA, in consultation with New Jersey Association of School administrators, the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association, and the Department of Education, and shall include information regarding the New Jersey Quality Single Accountability Continuum, and the five key components of school district effectiveness on which the school district is monitored: instruction and program; personnel; fiscal management, operations and governance.

Within one year after being newly elected or appointed or being re-elected or re-appointed to the board of education, a board member shall complete a training program on harassment, intimidation, and bullying in schools, including the school district’s responsibilities as required by law (N.J.S.A. 18A:37-13 et seq.).  A board member shall be required to complete the program only once (N.J.S.A. 18A:12-33).

Each board member shall, in both the second and third year of service on the board, complete the NJSBA training on school district governance.

The NJSBA advanced training program shall be completed by board members within one year of re-election or reappointment to the board of education.

Inservice Development

State, regional and national workshops, conventions, conferences and seminars developed by associations such as the New Jersey School Boards Association, the National School Boards Association, the New Jersey Association of School Administrators, etc., provide unique opportunities for board members to broaden their understanding of their responsibilities, learn new tools and techniques for coping with them, and keep up to date on educational trends.

Therefore, the board recommends that, in addition to sending the mandated delegate to the New Jersey School Boards Association’s Delegate Assemblies, the board send representatives to such educational conferences, workshops, conventions and seminars as it shall decide upon each year. No members may attend any such function held out‑of‑state, except at their own expense.

The same regulations regarding travel arrangements and reimbursement developed for other district‑paid attendance at such events shall apply.

The Superintendent of Schools shall prepare a checklist for district representatives to such events, to aid them in preparing meaningful reports for the board and the district as a whole. The report shall be presented at a regular meeting of the board within a month of the delegation’s return.

Adopted: April 26, 2004

NJSBA Review/Update: December 2009; December 2010, July 2011

Readopted: October 24, 2011

Key Words

Orientation and Training of Board Members, Board Member Orientation, Board Member Training

Legal References: N.J.S.A. 18A:6‑45

through ‑50 New Jersey School Boards Association established …

N.J.S.A. 18A:11‑1 General mandatory powers and duties

N.J.S.A. 18A:12-24.1 Code of Ethics for School Board Members

N.J.S.A. 18A:12-33 Training program for new board members

N.J.S.A. 18A:17-20.3 Evaluation of superintendents; school board training program

N.J.S.A. 18A:54‑20 Powers of board (county vocational schools)

N.J.A.C. 6A:28-1.2 Definitions

N.J.A.C. 6A:28-1.6 Board member training

N.J.A.C. 6A:32-3.2 Requirements for the Code of Ethics for school board members and charter school board of trustee members

N.J.A.C. 6A:32-4.3 Evaluation of tenured and nontenured chief school administrators

Amended resolution of the School Ethics Commission (3/23/99)

Possible

Cross References: 1500 Relations between area, county, state, regional and national associations and the district

*2131 Superintendent of Schools

*9250 Expenses

*9271 Code of Ethics

*Indicates policy is included in the Critical Policy Reference Manual.

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