District foots the bill to send seven trustees, Superintendent
Alan Nishino to annual event
Morgan Hill – Facing a labor dispute with classified employees, five grievances from the teachers’ union and a myriad of problems in its special education program, Morgan Hill school trustees had an opportunity to mingle with trustees from other districts who face similar issues during the recent California School Boards Association conference.
But the advice didn’t come cheap.
According to Superintendent Alan Nishino’s secretary, Julie Zintsmaster, the board spent about $8,000 for conference registration and hotel accommodations during the Nov. 29-Dec. 2 annual event. The money came out of the board’s $15,000 annual travel and conference budget. The figure includes other expenses incurred by the trustees such as parking fees, meals and mileage.
Trustees Mike Hickey, Shelle Thomas, Don Moody, Julia Hover-Smoot, Peter Mandel, Bart Fisher and Superintendent Alan Nishino attended the conference, which is held in different parts of the state each year and includes general meetings as well as break-away sessions.
“They usually go every year, or every other year;” said MHUSD Deputy Superintendent Bonnie Tognazzini. “But they never use all of the staff development funds that are set aside for them.”
Thomas said the event clarifies the trustees’ role. She said she believes the board benefits from professional development, and the conference reaffirms that “governance matters” and the benefits of open communication, transparency and inclusiveness.
“All decisions made by board members must be transparent,” she said.
School Board President Hickey said he appreciates the sessions on topics trustees deal with on a regular basis, but even more, he said, he appreciates the interaction with trustees from other districts.
“One of the great things about going to the CSBA conference is that you find out that you are not alone,” he said. “All of the issues facing our district are not unique to our district. From health care for employees to under-funded mandates, we all have the same concerns.”
Thomas said conference brings education issues into perspective, confirming her beliefs about the components of a healthy, thriving school district.
“My belief that excellent schools are grown in a supportive and an inclusive climate was reaffirmed at each workshop I attended,” she said. “The CSBA conference allows us to step back, evaluate where we are weak and where we are strong, and what we can learn from other board members and districts. I hope our board will take the opportunity to put into action what we learned so that our governance does matter.”
Newly-elected Fisher also attended the conference, maianly spending his time in new board-member orientation sessions, he said, though he interacted with his fellow board members after hours and during some meals. He said the “bonding” opportunities of the conference were part of what makes it valuable.
“I think those kinds of opportunities are valuable in any organization; as a school board, your primary role is a decision-making, direction-setting role, and it is important to know your fellow trustees, what are their strengths, what are their challenges,” he said. “It also helps you to examine what skills you bring and how you can bring a definite value-added to the group.”
Hickey, who will finish his one-year term as board president at the end of this month, said each time he attends the conference, he appreciates the wisdom he gains from both the sessions and trustees from other districts.
“When I go to the different courses, I am amazed at the amount of experience in each class,” he said. “There are board members who have been serving for 30 years. When you sit at a table with 10 board members from 10 different districts, you can come up with a lot of good advice. I have gone now for five years and always come back saying that it was well worth it.”
The “networking” and informational aspects are what he finds most valuable about the conferences, Nishino said.
“You really get the current topics as well as the futuristic topics that you need to be planning for; for example, high school reform, talking about small learning communities, you have to change instruction before change structure,” he said. “There’s always the funding outlook, where they think the economy is going to go and how that will impact finances for school, and new legislation, not only from the state but also at the federal level. There are so many things that come out of it, including the networking I’m able to do with other superintendents and other board members. As you talk with them, you may get a heads-up on things, get some good ideas.”
Marilyn Dubil covers education and law enforcement for The Times. Reach her at (408) 779-4106 ext. 202 or at md****@mo*************.com.
