The BOE Can, In Fact, Wipe Its Ass Without Permission

State law and the teachers’ contract make it clear: the Board of Education sets policy, not the Administration.

It was refreshing to finally see the PTO step up for students and call out one of the many academic issues in our District, grading inequities. In truth, this isn’t the biggest challenge students face, and having teachers with different expectations is part of life. It teaches adaptability. That’s actually why I didn’t complete the survey. I’m fine with my kid learning from different kinds of teachers with different expectations because it prepares them for the real world.

The important part, though, is what’s implied. That things can and should change.

First, we need to address the myth that the NJSBA, Administration, and a couple of BOE Members keep repeating, that the Board’s role is simply to “support the administration.” If it were up to their vision, the BOE wouldn’t be able to wipe their asses without Administrative approval.

The reality, under both New Jersey law and the teachers’ contract, is very different. The Board of Education is fully empowered and responsible for setting policy on grading, instruction, and academic standards.

Here’s what the law and contract actually say:

1. New Jersey Statute N.J.S.A. 18A:11-1 gives BOEs the authority to “make, amend, and repeal rules for the management, government, and instruction of the schools.”
2. Article 23 of the BHEA Contract explicitly states that the BOE has “sole jurisdiction and authority… to determine the methods, means, and personnel by which operations are to be conducted.”

Teachers have professional discretion, but that discretion exists within the parameters established by Board policy.

So instead of bemoaning three BOE Members not attending a meeting about a report that can be read in five minutes, or sitting through another NJSBA presentation from a lobbying group whose “best practice” talking points have little to no basis in evidence, we should be asking a more important question.

Why are we paying dues to organizations that have no real concrete value to our district, and why are we going through all this theater to fix a problem that already has a direct solution?

If BOE members want to change things to make it better they just need to put it to a vote.

See update to this article that includes clarification and correction.