NJSBA Strategic Plan

1. NJSBA Strategic Plan 2012-2014 New Jersey School Boards Association – Serving Local Boards of Education Since 1914

2. Strategic Planning Committee Board Member Participants Rosemary Bernardi, Evesham Township BOE, Burlington County Debbie Boyle, South Plainfield BOE, Middlesex County Michael Gluckman, Dumont BOE, Bergen County Rachelle Feldman Hurwitz, West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional BOE, Mercer County Deborah Labbadia, Readington BOE, Hunterdon County Marie Lavigne, Magnolia BOE, Camden County Michael Lee, Tabernacle BOE, Burlington County Irene LeFebvre, Boonton Town BOE, Morris County Diane Lein, Greenwich Township BOE, Warren County Jennifer Montone, Burlington City BOE, Burlington County Eva Nagy, Franklin Township BOE, Somerset County Jason Redd, Trenton BOE, Mercer County Daniel Sinclair, Wanaque BOE, Passaic County John Van Noy, Howell Township BOE, Monmouth County Peter Wendrychowicz, Mahwah BOE, Bergen County Kevin E. Ciak, external coordinator Sayreville BOE, Middlesex County; NJSBA president 2006-2008 Harry J. Delgado, external coordinator South Brunswick BOE, Middlesex County; NJSBA president, 2008-2010 Raymond R. Wiss, Northern Valley Regional BOE, Bergen County; NJSBA president John Bulina, Tabernacle BOE, Burlington County; NJSBA vice-president for legislation/resolutions Charles T. Miller, East Amwell BOE, Hunterdon County; NJSBA vice-president for county activities Donald Webster, Jr., Manchester BOE, Ocean County; NJSBA vice president for finance New Jersey School Boards Association – Serving Local Boards of Education Since 1914

3. 2009-2012 Key Wins Revenue Sources • Advocate • School employee contributions to healthcare • Advancement of tenure reform initiatives • Established the EAGLE Advocacy Group • Successfully opposed bills to restrict boards’ authority to subcontract services. • Train • Launched revised Governance III training specifically focusing on Student Achievement. • 10% increase in Delegate Assembly attendance since 2008. • 17% member and 30% district participation increase at county meetings. • Provide Resources • Leveraged social media, weekly blogs, Twitter to communicate with membership. • BlogTalkRadio has reached 10,000 participants in the last year. • Online Superintendent Evaluation/Board Self-Evaluation • Launched NJEdge – IT Cooperative • NJSBA HQ renovated; increased training/broadcasting capability • Comments • Board service credit ($2,000 and $800) reduced fee-based revenue over last two years. • Dues held flat over the period shown. New Jersey School Boards Association – Serving Local Boards of Education Since 1914

4. An evolving NJSBA Vision • Comments: • Provide new emphasis on student achievement further justifying why local school board governance is critical. • Recognizes that public education serves all children regardless of socio-economic background. • Identifies and maintains the “core” of who we are and what we do as an Association The New Jersey School Boards Association, a federation of district boards of education advocates, trains, and provides resources for the advancement of public education in New Jersey. NJSBATHE public educationresource for training, advocacy, and information The New Jersey School Boards Association, a federation of boards of education, provides training, advocacy and support to advance public education and promote the achievement of all students through effective governance. Our Culture The heart of NJSBA is its staff, a group of can-do supportive people who pull together to achieve common goals New Jersey School Boards Association – Serving Local Boards of Education Since 1914

5. Sustainability • Goal Area: Finance • Goal Area: Governance • Association Governance • Staff Recruitment, Retention, Development & Recognition

6. Finance Strategy Road Map Desired State Close the Gap • Increased market share of existing profitable products and services • New for-profit products and services offered to local school boards. • A comprehensive revised revenue model executing a movement from dues-based revenue toward service- based revenue. • Creation of a year long affiliate vendor/business program. • Strengthen the partnership with ELFNJ and develop formalized plans with the foundation as a resource for programming. • Identify our core “must-have” services and assess the competition in these areas in terms of market share and price. • Fix “must-have” services and eliminate non-core services. • Identify new services including services which would benefit charter school members. • Revise dues formula based upon increase in service-derived revenue. Current State • Service credit has led to an increasingly dues-dependent revenue stream. • Current organizational structure and culture is geared to a dues- based model and not a business/service-based model. • Legacy list of services which have not been evaluated against Association mission, competition, and profitability New Jersey School Boards Association – Serving Local Boards of Education Since 1914

7. Effective Governance Road Map Desired State Close the Gap • A right-sized, highly engaged board of directors. • A consistent county governance structure with consistent officer job descriptions. • A structure which provides for in-depth study and assessment of key issues with a high level of engagement and school board member participation. • Governance and program schedules aligned to a November election calendar with options available for boards who retain the option of April elections. • New performance management process and compensation program that attracts and retains quality staff. • Review BOD and standing committee structures and, if necessary, recommend improvements. • Review and revise organization structures and officer job descriptions across county associations. • Explore NJSBA staff career advancement options and report findings. • Research alternatives to current performance management system; review existing compensation policy • Research and recommend formal mentoring program. • Develop and communicate culture statement to optimize employee engagement. • Review and recommend amendments to current staff development policy. Current State • Large Board of Directors with voting/non-voting members. • Independent standing committee structure. • Governance and program schedules aligned to an April election calendar. • Concern with the performance management system, the promotional process and the overall compensation program • County officer job descriptions and organizational structures are not consistent and hinder communications and training. New Jersey School Boards Association – Serving Local Boards of Education Since 1914

8. Advocacy • Goal Area: Leadership

9. Advocacy: Engaging all stakeholders Desired State Close the Gap • NJSBA recognized as THE GO-TO PARTNER for advancing public education and promoting student achievement through effective governance. • Programs customized to key stakeholders based on their needs and interests. • Partnerships that include school board members, parents, teachers, and public education advocates. • Website that welcomes all stakeholders, provides a customized experience and presents an opportunity for interaction. • Promote programs engaging all stakeholders in driving student achievement. • Create programs for use in various venues to inform parents and other educational stakeholders on critical issues and the importance of local governance. • Create marketing/information programs and customize the website to create interactive forums and collections of resources for specific groups, such as – • Most active members • New school board members • Experienced school board members • Parents • Legislators • Establish ways to integrate advocacy efforts through county associations. and enable the counties to involve other educational stakeholders. Current State • Current programs, website and initiatives are generally targeted toward school board members as a single group. • Limited opportunities to target groups of school board members with similar interests and needs. • Limited opportunities for parents and other key stakeholders to create a relationship with NJSBA. New Jersey School Boards Association – Serving Local Boards of Education Since 1914

10. Professional Development • Goal Area: Communication • Board Member Professional Development • External Communications and Marketing • Internal Communications

11. Member Professional Development Desired State Close the Gap • Members can access high-quality mandatory training in a convenient manner. • County meetings enhance mandatory training. • NBMO reaches a level of effectiveness equal to the legacy weekend conferences previously offered and is updated to reflect 21st century learning needs. • Charter school members receive development opportunities appropriate to their needs. • Professional development is flexible to the time constraints of today’s school board member and charter school trustee. • Develop improved methods of delivering training. • Develop master calendar for all programs to be published 12 months in advance; calendar on website • Investigate providing mandatory training through vehicles and forums that are most convenient to members. • Update the training academy programs to reflect 21st century board member learning needs. • Revise NBMO to better engage new members and charter trustees in their roles in governance, finance, negotiations and curriculum, while providing the mandated components of ethics/legal, HIB and CSA evaluation. • Review Delegate Assembly programming to ensure optimal leverage as a training opportunity. Current State • State-imposed travel restrictions present challenges in effectively delivering content and underscore need to implement new training strategies. • Limited access to convenient mandatory training. • Not all county programs are consistent with training requirements and needs. • Governance III is the 21st century model which serves as the “gold” standard for content and delivery. • Majority of programs were created around school board members and do not fully encompass needs of charter school trustees. New Jersey School Boards Association – Serving Local Boards of Education Since 1914

12. External Communications & Marketing Desired State Close the Gap • Members learn the benefits of the Association from active members. • County meetings become a hub of information exchange and learning. • Website is easy to navigate and provides needed information. • Information in a multimedia format will enable communications “anywhere” and “anytime.” • Legislative updates are timely and motivate members to interact with legislators. • Stronger awareness of the certification opportunities for board members and boards. • Establish an outreach program using NJSBA staff, Officers, BOD and board volunteers to interact directly with local boards of education. • Review ways to increase the social aspects of county meetings to build attendance. • Re-tool the website. Include an FAQ page highlighting member services. • Adopt a multimedia approach to further expand informational and training topics that would be accessed on an “as needed” basis. • Present legislative updates in a timely, succinct, easy-to-track manner. Tie them to sample letters and resolutions related to proposed legislation. • Develop a business plan to market training for certified boards and certified and master board members. Current State • No defined “personal” member-to-member outreach other than Workshop or county meetings. • Limited networking at county meetings. • Website needs improvement. • Membership not fully aware of all NJSBA services. • Limited communication outside the membership base. • Need for more “on-demand” multimedia information, such as BlogTalkRadio. New Jersey School Boards Association – Serving Local Boards of Education Since 1914

13. Internal Communications Desired State Close the Gap • Staff indicates that internal communication has improved, enabling them to more effectively and efficiently serve the membership. • Executive Director appoints NJSBA staff to task force. • Members meet to identify communications problems. • Task force collects data; analyzes results as a group. • Task force develops a report that may address strategies, such as updates on Executive Staff meetings and departmental initiatives and responsibilities. • Establish a system of schedule management that provides a comprehensive Association master calendar. Current State • Through the strategic planning process, staff identified the need for improved, streamlined internal communication. New Jersey School Boards Association – Serving Local Boards of Education Since 1914

14. Financials • A look forward at revenue and cost projections

15. 2012-2014 Financial Outlook Summary of Operations Key Financial Drivers • Key Revenue Assumptions • Dues revenue will decrease slightly (to $7,115,738) for FY13 due to discount for certified boards • Non-dues income will increase from 24% of total revenue to 27% by FY14. • New initiatives, including NJEdge, USBAFlex and the NJSBA Partnership Program, will increase non-dues revenue • Increase in market share of existing profitable products/services • Key Expense Assumptions • On Jan. 20, 2012, the Board of Directors approved a $340,262.80 transfer to fundStrategic Plan initiatives. The allocation will support the following: • $25,000 – various elements to update website • $10,000 – creation of an app for mobile devices • $25,000 – performance management review • $10,000 – broadcast studio equipment • $125,000 – Phase II website upgrades, including content mgmt. • The fund may also support other expenditures identified through a comprehensive evaluation of services, products and programs, starting in the summer of 2012. • Strategic Plan Implementation Assumptions • New business model and development of new fee-based services and markets to increase the non-dues percentage of revenue by FY15 • Summer 2012 re-evaluation of existing services and products and a late 2012 proposal for new programs and services. • Review of current dues formula, scheduled for March 2013 New Jersey School Boards Association – Serving Local Boards of Education Since 1914

16. Thank you