Board Member Resources

Lifelong Learning in School Board Service

In an effort to help others who want to know more about what a Board Member learns and does - either as part of considering service oneself or to better understand what one should expect from someone serving in the role - here are some useful links and summaries of things learned on my route to serving GCSD to the best of my abilities.

What Makes a Great School Board Member? A brief reminder of some of the key characteristics of good school board members.

New York State Open Government Laws (Open Meetings Law and Freedom of Information Law): New York State provides a summary of Open Meetings Law and the Freedom of Information Law in Your Right to Know. The “sunshine laws” and many other points of NYS Ed Law will be a key part of the mandated Governance Training that a School Board Member must take during the first year of Board service.

Who is Responsible for Making a Board Meeting Successful? (from NYSSBA’s On Board Online): Outlines how one can be prepared and help ensure the school board’s meetings are effective and successful.

New York State School Board Association Model Code of Ethics : Intended as a reference and guidance for school boards, which are required by state law to adopt a code of ethics for district officers (i.e., school board members) and employees.

NYSED Legal Aspects of School Budgets: The laws of the State of New York are quite explicit as to where the responsibility of budget preparation and presentation lies.

NYS Property Tax Cap: Summary of the legislation that affects tax levy limits of certain NY school districts.

NYS School Funding Transparency: Beginning with the 2018-19 school year, Education Law §3614 – which was passed by the Legislature and became law as Chapter 59 of the Laws of 2018 – requires school districts to “annually submit to the commissioner [of the State Education Department] and the director of the budget … a detailed statement of the total funding allocation for each school in the district for the upcoming school budget year” in a “form developed by the director of the budget, in consultation with the commissioner [of the State Education Department].”