Monroe County School Boards Association



Consolidation 1973 - 1980

Building a collaborative effort
During the 1973-74 school year union militancy was a major concern. Until then union trouble was considered unlikely in Monroe County. When East Irondequoit teachers went on strike in November 1973, MCSBA held its first press conference to decry strikes and call for re-opening the schools. This activity provided MCSBA with a heightened sense of purpose. During the same year, the Legislative Committee pursued revisions to state aid, studied property reappraisals, and submitted data to a state task force studying school financial aid. Mary Alice Kendall, who was about to be appointed to the NYS Board of Regents, chaired a committee that prepared a report entitled, "Legislative Study Paper: Long Range Goals."
Dr. Timothy Parsons, 1974	Near the end of that year, the Public Information Committee was formed to identify information to share with the community and to develop strategies for this sharing. At the Association's fifth annual meeting, President Stacy noted that MCSBA was stronger than ever but still fragile. Those in attendance elected Dr. Timothy Parsons of Hilton as 1974-75 President and Douglas Webb of Rush-Henrietta as Vice President.
Newsletter publication begins. In September 1974 MCSBA began its long, on-going history of publishing a monthly newsletter, the first iteration being named "News from MCSBA." It contained information about upcoming meetings and leaders as well as a message from President Parsons.
The Association also approved a logo (seen here) that was featured prominently on the newsletter masthead and all other MCSBA documents. Because of increasing requests for labor-related assistance, the Executive Committee approved a new staff position of part-time labor relations assistant. Legislative activities escalate. The Legislative Committee that year polled legislative candidates on issues important to MCSBA members, and held a media conference to encourage the return of the surveys. Similar surveys have been conducted for state and federal candidates in even-numbered years ever since. State and federal legislative advocacy networks were established that year: * The State Legislative Network by the NYS School Boards Association, and * The Federal Relations Network by the National School Boards Association. MCSBA has been represented at every annual SLN and FRN conference ever since their inception.
Douglas Webb	At their May 1975 annual meeting, MCSBA members elected Douglas Webb of Webster as President and Joyce Budd of Brockport as Vice President for the 1975-76 school year. Associate collects county-wide data on labor. That year Susan Haude became the first MCSBA labor associate, producing the first study of employee benefits offered by member districts. Within her two years with MCSBA she had added studies on administrator and teacher salaries.
First legislative position paper developed. The Legislative Committee produced the Association's first annual legislative position paper, that stated positions on state aid to education, BOCES, tenure, and the Taylor Law. MCSBA has produced position papers every year since.
Joyce Budd	In May 1976, members attending the seventh MCSBA annual meeting elected Joyce Budd of Brockport as President and John Klock of Hilton as Vice President. Early that school year the MCSBA office moved to the BOCES #1 building at 2596 Baird Road in Penfield. Focus on communications That same summer Association staff presented the first MCSBA seminar for new school board members, an annual practice that has continued to the present.
MCSBA that year focused on communications, developing a fact sheet defining students and programs needed to deal with those needs, and using this piece during scheduled meetings with business leaders and the media. The Association adopted a statement of Educational Philosophy and Long Range Goals that served as a guide for MCSBA activities for years. At the end of the school year labor associate Susan Haude resigned to attend graduate school.
Focus on labor issues
At MCSBA's eighth annual meeting, members elected John Klock of Hilton as 1977-78 President and Margaret Price of West Irondequoit as Vice President. That year the Association supported a number of labor relations initiatives, including development of county-wide negotiations goals (which still exist in a modified form) and a labor relations newsletter. Kathryn Walsh, labor associate for a few months, developed both a data book regarding labor issues and the labor newsletter, "Here's the Scoop."		John Klock
Dr. William Sterling	"Here's the Scoop" was published monthly until the end of the 1984-85 school year, sharing the latest information on negotiations, arbitration, legislation affecting labor, relevant judicial decisions, and economic factors. In January 1978 former Sodus Superintendent Dr. William Stirling was appointed as labor research associate. He was to have a major impact on the effectiveness of negotiations within MCSBA districts until his retirement in June 1985. (As an aside, the average cost per pupil in county schools in 1977-78 was calculated to be $2,524.)
That year the Public Information Committee surveyed MCSBA members and learned the following about them:
	64% were male; 46% were 40-50 years old; 85% had earned at least a bachelor's degree; 61% had family incomes in excess of $30,000; 83% were parents; 4.25 years was their average length of board service.
At the ninth MCSBA annual meeting, in May 1978, members elected Margaret Price of West Irondequoit as 1978-79 President and Elmer Gordon of Rush- Henrietta as Vice President. During the 1978-79 year, the Association endorsed legislative candidates based on responses to the Legislative Committee's candidate survey. This endorsement was a one-time event for MCSBA. In February, local NYS Regent Mary Alice Kendall described to members the plans for state competency tests, which were made part of the Regents testing program for the next 25 years. At the Association's tenth annual meeting members elected Elmer Gordon of Rush-Henrietta as 1979-80 President and Doris Luckey of BOCES #1 and Penfield as Vice President. Mr. Gordon died early in the school year and, as recommended by an ad hoc committee, Margaret Price was re-elected to complete his term. During this tenth anniversary year, an ad hoc committee was established to review the organization's Constitution and by-laws. The group, led by first MCSBA President Jim Green, recommended no major changes. That year in response to a Regents initiative on the issue, MCSBA developed a statement about teacher professionalization, seeking to upgrade teaching and eliminate incompetency. The recommendations of the Regents' final report on this matter were never implemented.