Weekend Program
All newly elected school board members are required by the School District Accountability Act to attend a New Board Member Orientation Conference within their first year of service. The New Jersey School Boards Association (NJSBA) offers them several opportunities to fulfill this requirement through the weekend, one-day, and online orientation programs.
Weekend program benefits. While all formats will fulfill the requirement, the weekend program, supported by ELFNJ, gives participants a unique opportunity to work in a small-group setting with experienced group leaders. In addition, the weekend program includes more informational sessions than the other program formats. Simply put, there is no better grounding in the fundamentals of school board membership than NJSBA’s New Board Member Orientation weekend.
The program immerses new board members in training related to student achievement, school finance, policy development, labor negotiation, and ethics. Board members participate in a series of hands-on exercises, role-playing scenarios and case studies in various areas pertaining to their role in public school governance.
New board members also have the opportunity to network with a wide range of dynamic NJSBA presenters, who are leading experts in topics ranging from school law to the daily nuts-and-bolts of running school board meetings. Attendees forge bonds and make lasting connections with fellow board members in their “freshman class,” creating a network of board member peers they can call on in the future.