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March 30, 2008

Sunday Review

The Sunday Review
National School Boards Association Annual Conference

Trip Day 4 - Full Conference Day 2.

Sunday, March 30, 2008
From Orlando, Florida

Andrew C.M. Mizsak
Member of the Bedford Board of Education (Bedford, Ohio)
E-Mail: amizsak@sbcglobal.net

9:37 PM EDT

As I write this, I just found out less than a half hour ago that the body of US Army Staff Sergeant Keith Matthew "Matt" Maupin from Batavia, Clermont County, Ohio, who has been missing in action in Iraq since 2004 has been recovered and identified.

My condolences go out to the Maupin Family, the US Army, and my colleagues in Batavia and Clermont County. This is a sad day for the State of Ohio and the United States.

Let us all say an additional prayer for all of our men and women in uniform this evening.
Now, back to the original reason why I wrote this blog...

Today was a very productive day that just flew by. It is amazing how quickly the 8 ½ hours of sessions went by. I attended three very, very good sessions on two of my favorite topics: school safety and security and legislative lobbying. In two of the sessions, the presenters were friends of mine, so I was just thrilled to see them in action. The best part is that I was able to learn even more from them, and build upon previous presentations and conversations I have had with those individuals.

One of the most rewarding experiences I have had during the past few days has been the opportunity to bond with some of my fellow Ohioans, and continue to build and strengthen existing relationships.

In the first seminar, I thought it was great to hear from people who have dealt with incidents of school violence because they can provide a perspective that is cannot be found elsewhere. It is also good when one of the presenters oversees the federal program that is responsible for the administration of the Safe and Drug Free Schools, and I truly appreciate his willingness to answer questions and his accessibility to all of us. How often do you hear of a Flag-Level Federal official providing his business cards and e-mail address for us in order to contact him in case we needed additional information or had any other questions? I think that is great.

The other two presenters in that session also made the continuum of involvement of everyone from law enforcement to the Board of Education during a crisis situation come to life. That perspective hit home with me, given our District's own lockdown situation two weeks ago, and how well everything worked and everyone knew what to do in order to properly respond to the situation.

In addition to the seminars I attended today, I was able to catch up on some reading regarding security measures that can be implemented into the design and layout of a school building.
Using the physical plant and structure of a building to protect all who are in it is the first layer of security. Use all of the tools you have available to you - it saves you money, it gives you familiarity with what you have, and it one of the "home court" advantages you have.

On a personal note, I just want to say thank you again to my OSBA colleagues. When I was elected to this position 2 ½ years ago, I never thought I would gain so many dear friends, and end up having yet another group of people in my extended family. They are a first class bunch of people, and I am so proud, blessed, and honored to be associated with them.

Tomorrow is the last full day of the conference, and I am looking forward to learning more in the morning!

Posted by Andrew Mizsak, Blog Team, at 8:42 PM | Conference Daily

The Saturday Recap

The Saturday Recap
National School Boards Association Annual Conference
Full Conference Day1 (Trip Day 3)

From Orlando, Florida
Saturday, March 29, 2008 (late, late at night)

Andrew C.M. Mizsak
Member of the Bedford Board of Education (Bedford, Ohio)
E-Mail: amizsak@sbcglobal.net

After a long day of activity all about the Orange County Convention Center Complex, I can say that the first full day of the 68th NSBA Annual Conference was truly outstanding. Whether it was in a seminar breakout session, or an inspirational speech by retired US Supreme Court Associate Justice Sandra Day O’Connor on a topic near and dear to my heart – civics education, to listening to the sounds of a great high school jazz band from the Cornhusker State of Nebraska, this Conference has, so far, been everything I have hoped for and more.

The thing that truly makes this conference one of the best professional events I attend on a regular basis is because of the people involved with it. The NSBA Staff, including, the new friends I made in February at FRN: Executive Director Anne Bryant, Kathleen Branch and Marc Egan from the legislative side of the house, and Christina Gordon and Linda Embrey in communications; coupled with our OSBA Staff who are here in Orlando, and our fellow Board
Members from across the country, give this conference the spark and overarching passion for public education that make this experience so special.

What just thrills me to death is that there are so many Board Members from across the country that are interested in learning more about No Child Left Behind, and what NSBA is doing to try to correct the flaws of this law. While it can be argued that the initial intent of this legislation was good, and that the Federal Government did want to do what it could to help our students compete on a global level, it hamstrung local Boards of Education and School Districts. Our fellow Board Members recognize this, and have said “What can I do to help?” Norm Wooten of Alaska, our National Association President, keeps reminding us that there are over 50 million public school children and 95,000 school board members that we represent and serve, and that we have to be a strong voice for them and for each other. In doing so, we must continue to lobby our Members of Congress to support HR 648, the NCLB Improvements Act, sponsored by Rep. Don Young of Alaska, and continue to find additional co-sponsors.

The thing about NCLB is that there are so many complexities to this law, and that the NSBA staff is so gracious and accommodating in presenting it to Board Members in a way that we can take back home to the people we represent and serve. I truly believe that if we continue to band together like this, we may see some progress on NCLB.

With regards to Justice O’Connor’s speech (and, I know that one of my fellow Blog Team Members wrote about it for Board Buzz), I am just tickled to see that a trailblazing figure in American History has taken this lead in saying that we need to do more to teach our schoolchildren about history, government, and those social science topics that mean so much to me. When I was in graduate school, and I was teaching American Government, I could see the disparity in the level of knowledge with regards to civics education among the students in my class. It was apparent that there was a gap among those from Urban school districts to suburban, highly funded school districts, and everywhere in between in the knowledge the students had.

I ask you, if it is our job to educate the future leaders of our land, then why is it nearly impossible to educate those future leaders by teaching them the rules of the game: how our government functions, what path did we take to have this system of government, and so on and so forth. While STEM subjects are important – yes, we live in a knowledge-based and technology-based economy – civics, too, affects each and every one of us from the cradle to the grave. From the moment a child is born, the government is already there (with a birth certificate). If a person wants to pursue a career in the STEM arena, they need to know that there are statutes and administrative regulations that govern every given profession – so why not give them a basic comprehension of government?

I would never say “we are teaching too much math,” or “we are focusing way too much in reading,” as I would be run out of town as a school board member, but within civics education, you can incorporate – you must incorporate – reading and math. While I am not a math guy, per se, I know I need those who excel in math to help me do my job. Our School District, for example, has a great Treasurer, who knows her way through the ins and outs of a budget, a CAFR, or any other financial document, and while I have a basic understanding of public finance, and can navigate my way through the language of an appropriations resolution, Janet Pavlic can break things down for me in a way I can understand. I am just really happy, though, to hear someone say that civics is just as important as any other subject.

Of course, I may be biased…growing up as the son of my parents, and having a seat at our dinner table was a lesson in civics education in and of itself.

I also want to share with you, briefly, a bit about the people who comprise the NSBA Blog Team for this conference. We all believe that blogging is a great way to communicate to our constituents back home and to anyone else in the blogosphere who may be paying attention, what we are about, what we are doing, and how we are serving and representing you. I had an opportunity yesterday to swap some ideas and share some thoughts with my colleague Molly O’Holleran of Nebraska. Molly is a veteran Board Member, but very excited to be sharing her experiences here in Orlando with the rest of us, and excited about the use of electronic communication like blogs. Her energy and insight as a Board Member, a mom, an educator, and community activist is infectious, and has encouraged me to rise to my blogging A-game.

Finally, one of the highlights of this conference, at least for me, and I believe I can say for the Ohio Delegation, is our annual State reception. Last night’s reception had an Ohio feel, as we were at Sea World, and I wondered how much of the stuff there used to be in Aurora? The Ohio reception is a great time for all of us to relax for a little bit; share in each other’s company as friends and colleagues; beg, borrow, and steal ideas from each other; and come together as a state delegation. Our State President, Edward Bischoff from Delaware County, has a great motto for his year as President: “Expect students to excel,” and this mantra is spreading to all of us to the effect of “If we excel in all we do, then our students will excel in all they do.”

Cuyahoga County is well represented by Board Members from Bedford, Berea, Maple Heights, Warrensville Heights, the ESC, Parma, Brecksville-Broadview Heights, and Independence, and we Bearcats are thrilled to be joined by our Lake Erie League brethren from Maple Heights and Warrensville Heights.

Day one was great…it truly was. Board Members are in tune with the issues that are affecting public education both in and out of the classroom. A little less than a year ago, the NSBA was gathered in San Francisco for our Annual Conference, and during one of the convention days, the tragic events that happened at Virginia Tech made us realize how we must work to protect our children and our schools. So many Board Members have been attending seminars pertaining to school safety and security, and as a former Member of the Ohio Campus Security Task Force that was created as part of the Buckeye State’s response to this tragedy, I am encouraged to see how serious everyone is taking this issue.

I look forward to an exciting second day of the Conference. Until tomorrow, I remain…

A grateful public servant,
A.Mizsak

Posted by Andrew Mizsak, Blog Team, at 2:57 PM | Conference Daily

Can You Hear Me Now Session Comments

A very good presentation from 9 presenters (all dressed alike in blue polo shirts). Board member tenure included individuals with 32, 24 and 17 years of experience! Their message was centered on communications. They started by explaining how they had experience sharing bad news. "The best way to eat crow is fast" was their take. Approaches for overcoming such situations included having student authored post cards sent to the media (extolling the virtues of the district). The most touching part of the presentation was the story about a Downs Syndrome grocery store bagger (Johnny) who took it upon himself to place hand-written "thought of the day" notes in customer grocery bags. The audience applauded following the video.

Continue reading "Can You Hear Me Now Session Comments"

Posted by Rich Benson, Blog Team, at 5:16 AM | Conference Daily

March 29, 2008

Music to Motivate

The high-powered Concert Jazz Band from Westside High School in Omaha, NE provided quite a treat for conference attendees during the first general session the Annual Conference. The group, from the Westside 66 district, is easily one of the top jazz bands in the country.

Even more special was the band's encore performance as part of the Luncheon Concert Series.

Kudos to the band and their director for their hard work and energizing the conference!

Posted by John Boerger, Blog Team, at 10:43 AM | Conference Daily

Improving the Public Image of Your Board Session

This was a very good session. The presenters were engaging as they explained the perception the community had, and the image they looked to create. The marketing efforts undertaken to improve this image were extensive. They included hosting expert speakers (covering professional learning & bullying prevention), opening of a state-of-the-art learning center, the creation of a leadership academy (for both teachers and administrators), a T-Shirt project (for 5700 students and staff), a new website, TV & radio advertising, as well as others. Their results were impressive! Rising ACT scores, better teacher and staff recruitment, legislator interest in the district, and a new "virtual school" for alternative learning. Overall, a wealth of information!

Continue reading "Improving the Public Image of Your Board Session"

Posted by Rich Benson, Blog Team, at 10:16 AM | Conference Daily

A Morning Chock-Full of Information

Continue reading "A Morning Chock-Full of Information"

Posted by Andrew Mizsak, Blog Team, at 8:38 AM | Conference Daily