ANNUAL CONVENTION

Mark your calendar for the 2008 Annual Convention at the Ramkota Hotel: November 13 -- School Law Seminar and New Member Seminar;
November 14-15 -- Annual Convention. You won't want to miss it!

2007 Convention Highlights

The 2007 NDSBA Annual Convention was held Friday and Saturday, October 26-27, at the Ramkota Hotel in Bismarck. The New Member Seminar and School Law Seminar were held Thursday, October 25, also at the Ramkota.

Reelected officers and board members are President Burdell Johnson, Tuttle; Vice President Ken Astrup, Jamestown; NE District Director Jannell Lagein, Rock Lake; and SW District Director Maurice Hardy, Beach.

The convention opened with a General Session presented by Marc Prensky, internationally acclaimed speaker, writer, consultant, futurist, visionary, and inventor in the critical areas of education and learning. Prensky's presentation inspired the audience by opening up their minds to new ideas and approaches to technology and education. As an added treat, Prensky included a panel of Bismarck school students who responded to his presentation and shared their perspective on various topics discussed.

Dr. Jack Bacon fascinated the audience during Saturday's General Session with his discussion of human intellectual development and the educational process over the ages. As systems integrator with the International Space Station Program, he shared his expertise regarding the history of technology and society and what the future may hold for today's students.

Clinic sessions on Friday and Saturday included:

The Data Puzzle (analyzing student data)
Coaches Education and ND High School Activities Association Issues
TECH SHOWCASE: Handheld Computers--Getting Your Students Back Through Engagement
Q & A with Keynote Speaker Marc Prensky
School Study Council
ND Regional Education Associations: A Vision for the Future
New "Virtual" Area Career and Technology Center Opportunities
TECH SHOWCASE: Promethean ActivClassrooms--Lighting the Flame of Learning
Superintendent Evaluation
TECH SHOWCASE: Enhancing Teaching and Learning Through the Use of Technology
TECH SHOWCASE: How Well Do You Know North Dakota?
Student Response System Demonstration
TECH SHOWCASE: Improving Communication with Staff, Parents, and Patrons Through the Use of Technology
TECH SHOWCASE: What's New in Office 2007?
TECH SHOWCASE: Enhancing Classroom Instruction Through the Use of SMART Boards and Student Response Systems
To Catch a Criminal: Employee Background Checks
Different Drummers: Marching to Alternatives
ND Small Organized Schools
TECH SHOWCASE: Live from Minot--It's the Northwest North Dakota Career & Technical Center
TECH SHOWCASE: Podcasting--A New and Exciting Way to Share Information Through Audio Recordings
An Overview of Opportunities for School Districts to Claim Medicaid and SCHIP Funds
Virtual Reality: When Policy Meets Technology
TECH SHOWCASE: K-12 Robotics Programs in North Dakota
Data Storage and Security
Delivering an Adequate Education to Every North Dakota Student--What will it take?
Healthy Fundraising + Healthy Schools = Healthy Kids
Sex Offenders on School Property
10 Things We Don't Like About You: Board/Superintendent Relations
Strategic Exploration of Rural Education in North Dakota: Scouting the Future
The Gary and Connie Tharaldson Elementary Center of Excellence: Take a Flying Leap--Good Things Can Happen!
How to Talk to Kids and Help Them: The Developmental Audit
Question Box for Business Managers
NDSBA Resolutions Review

Exhibitors were present on Friday to share expertise on their products and services.

Friday evening's banquet celebrated NDSBA's 40th anniversary with entertainment by Joel Gilbertson and Bismarck's Strolling Strings.

On Saturday morning, the Delegate Assembly passed the following resolutions:

NEW RESOLUTIONS

1. REMOVING COMPENSATION FROM NEGOTIATIONS. NDSBA shall support legislation amending the collective bargaining law to exclude compensation.

Explanation: The Delegate Assembly unanimously agreed that since current law requires school boards to collectively bargain compensation, the state should not continue to intercede on behalf of teachers in the negotiations process by setting minimum salaries and prescribing the percentage of state funds that must go to teacher compensation. This practice puts school boards at a disadvantage from the onset of negotiations. If the state wants to set compensation levels, compensation should be removed as an issue for local negotiations. Issues such as work day, class load, length of contract, leaves, RIF, sick banks, etc., would still be negotiated at the local level. The intent of the Delegate Assembly is NOT a repeal of the collective bargaining law.

2. NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ASSESSMENTS. NDSBA shall meet with the ND Department of Public Instruction and formally request that they develop and submit to the Department of Education for approval a growth model to measure Adequate Yearly Progress in the state of North Dakota which follows the bright-line principles of No Child Left Behind.

Explanation: It is more beneficial to students, teachers, and administrators to assess improvement of a student from grade to grade as opposed to current state tests that compare one year's third graders to the next year's third graders. Delegates would prefer aligning our state standards to a growth model assessment tool for Annual Yearly Progress purposes.

3. NON-EDUCATION FUNDS TO PROVIDE FOR SAFETY ISSUES INCLUDING SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICERS AND HEALTH AND NURSING SERVICES. NDSBA shall seek legislation that commits additional non-education resources to provision of these necessary services so school districts may continue to provide for educational needs of students and receive support necessary to continue these very important non-educational services necessary to ensure safety and health of all students in the state of North Dakota.

Explanation: Health and safety of students has become a necessary component of a school day, and school districts have had to commit education dollars to provision of these services. However, commitment of these dollars to health and safety issues reduces funds available for the classroom. These services should be budgeted and funded through their respective agencies.

4. NINTH GRADE ALTERNATIVE SCHOOLING. NDSBA shall seek changes in eligibility for attendance in alternative high school programs contained in Agency Rules 67-16.01 from "students must be from the ages of 16 to 21," to "students must be at least at 9th grade level or age 16 and not older than 21."

Explanation: Alternative school placement should be available to 9th graders who have not yet reached their 16th birthday.

5. APPROPRIATED FUNDING FOR REAs. NDSBA shall meet with the Department of Public Instruction and seek inclusion of a coordinator and basic support staff per Regional Education Association in the Governor's budget.

Explanation: Because so much of REA funding for this biennium was placed on the list of "contingency" monies, it is more of a "reimbursement" than payment and is not guaranteed funding. Payments are computed on a per pupil basis for the REAs, and those with smaller student count are struggling to even pay their coordinators. Delegates support a minimum guaranteed appropriation for all REAs.

RESOLUTIONS REQUIRING REVIEW RECOMMENDED FOR READOPTION

1. K-12 FUNDING ADEQUACY. NDSBA will take a lead role in discussions on what a commitment to "adequate funding" requires of the state to meet its obligation to its students.

2. FULL-DAY KINDERGARTEN. NDSBA shall support the state of North Dakota authorizing a pro-rated per pupil payment for kindergarten students in districts that elect to offer full-day kindergarten.

3. SALES AND USE TAX EXEMPTIONS OF SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION SUPPLIES AND MATERIALS. NDSBA will support the state making supplies and materials purchased by school districts through contracts with contractors for construction projects exempt from sales and use tax.

4. TEACHER NONRENEWAL. NDSBA will seek legislative changes that would provide that any teacher newly hired after August 15 would be excluded from the continuous contract and would be covered by provisions of NDCC 15.1-15-03.

5. PUBLISHING MINUTES. NDSBA will support legislation and seek sponsorship for legislation which would amend the requirement that school boards pay to publish minutes as defined in NDCC 15.1-09-31 to include the estimated publishing cost on the ballot.

All Standing Resolutions are posted on this Web site.

Proposed constitutional revisions were passed as presented.