It is my privilege this evening to present the Board Certification award to the Manchester Regional Board of Education.
Before talking about the accomplishments of the Manchester Regional Board, I will first explain the criteria for earning Certification. In a 4-year period, a Board must complete 16 hours of training with more than a majority of its members present – for example 7 of the 9 members present, has a Policy Wellness Check done to ensure its policies are up-to-date, NJSBA’s Labor Relations Department reviews one of its bargaining agreements, Board effectiveness is demonstrated through the Board Self-Evaluation and the Governance portion of QSAC, and all members must be current on their mandatory training.
It is often asked what benefit there is to a board becoming certified. Certification signifies to the community and staff that the Board is a team interested in building shared knowledge, values, and a commitment to work together to improve student achievement.
The last time the Manchester Regional Board earned NJSBA’s Board Certification award was 1999 so this Board took it upon themselves to do the hard work to be here today. It was not an easy journey. The Board invited their community in for strategic planning, hired a superintendent after a thorough search process, had a Board retreat to set goals, conducted Ethics training annually, and had additional training in HIB and Parliamentary Procedure.
This Board’s commitment to training is exemplified by their interest in immediately beginning the work for NJSBA’s highest level of Board Certification – the Carole E. Larsen Master Board Certification award. The Board must train together for 10 more hours over a two-year period.
NJSBA is very proud of the journey the Manchester Regional Board has taken to be here this evening to be recognized as a Certified Board. I invite the Board members here this evening, plus any of their administrative team, to come forward to receive your plaque.
Robert Acerra
County Activities Coordinator – Northern Counties
New Jersey School Boards Association