| Penfield Board of Education |
BOARD NEWS
Mandate Relief Resolution
On January 24, 2012 the Board adopted a resolution calling for relief from state mandates. Specifically, the resolution calls for reform of the following NYS mandates as specified in Let New York Work: A Common Agenda for the Common Good:
1. Reform of the NYS Pension System
2. Reform of Arbitration
3. Reform of Wicks Law
4. Reform of Triborough Amendment to freeze step increases when contracts expire
5. Containtment of health insurance increases by mandating minimum levels of employee contribution
6. Ban any future unfunded mandates from our public school. 
NYSSBA Resolution |
The Penfield Board of Education has taken the lead in asking the New York State School Boards Association to consider the possible benefits to education that could result from supporting a New York State Constitutional Convention in 2017.
A Constitutional Convention is a gathering of delegates whose purpose is to write or amend a constitution. Our current New York State Constitution requires that a public vote on whether to hold a Constitutional Convention be held at least once every 20 years. This referendum was last offered in November 1997, and must again be presented to the public for a vote in or before 2017.
School board members’ concerns constantly refer to issues such as unfunded mandates, unpredictable funding and late state budgets as negatively impacting public education and the constituents that must financially support it. Besides talking about the difficulties we face and the inability of our state government to remedy these difficulties through the regular legislative process, board members must look at other avenues for change. One such opportunity may very well be to support the calling of a Constitutional Convention when it next comes up for public vote.
This year, well before a public vote must occur, the Penfield Board has urged the New York State School Boards Association to approve a resolution that calls for exploring the benefits to public education that might ensue from a convention. Adopting this resolution is an actionable step the Board can take in looking for avenues to solve the problems that exist in public education.
Board Meetings
The Board of Education holds public meetings on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month at 7:30 p.m in the Penfield High School library. Visitors are welcome and there are opportunities for comments by the public. For detailed information on the Board’s meeting schedule, click on the Board Documents link in the left-hand navigation bar.
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P.O. Box 900 Penfield, NY 14526
(585) 249-5700
Fax: (585) 248-8412
