Relevant professional development opportunities are hard for BOCES leaders to find; that’s what makes NYSUT’s BOCES Conference so valuable.
The annual conference took place Feb. 27-28 at NYSUT headquarters and hosted 63 BOCES educators from across the state.
“BOCES serve a unique population of students and therefore our BOCES members face unique issues. It is important that NYSUT provide opportunities for our BOCES members to engage on issues that are specific to their own personal professional experience,” said NYSUT Executive Vice President Jaime Ciffone.
As opposed to a traditional school district, BOCES is considered a "service provider,” explained Donna Walters, president of the Erie 1 Professional Education Association, chair of the BOCES Leadership Council and NYSUT Board member. Their special education and alternative education programs are constantly changing to effectively meet the needs and requests of their component school districts; while their CTE programs regularly evolve to stay current with the job market. Additionally, traditional school districts receive funding from a tax base, while the 37 BOCES across the state are fee-for-service-providers, which presents challenges that school districts don't have to face, she said.
“The networking opportunities are incredible at the NYSUT BOCES Leadership Conference. I hope that all attendees found an educator in their same field and made a connection that will lead to a comradery and collaboration beyond the scope of the conference,” Walters said.
Elizabeth Laundrie, president of the Champlain Valley Educational Services United Professionals said it was refreshing to attend a conference specifically for BOCES educators. “I was really excited to be here with other BOCES professionals and learn from them,” said Laundrie. “We often get lumped in with other people who don’t understand our issues.”
NYSUT solicited feedback from members to help design the sessions, and the conference agenda was packed with workshops on topics members asked for, including APPR, building power, contracts, budgeting and workplace safety.
“BOCES have a lot of constituent groups, which is great, but it’s also a challenge when it comes to contract language and getting people involved,” said Asha Mazza-Shaw, president of the BOCES Educators of Eastern Suffolk. “Finding things that fit everyone can be a struggle.”
United Staff Association of Putnam and Northern Westchester BOCES membership chair Sarah Carnevale agreed. “BOCES are really unique,” said Carnevale. “Our negotiating tactics are so different because we have such variety among members.”
Members said they were looking forward to networking with other professionals to talk shop and share best practices.
“I want to get a better idea of how our budget works,” said Susan Chenoweth, also from the Putnam and Northern Westchester BOCES local. Unlike school districts, where revenue comes from state aid and taxes, BOCES funding comes in part from per-student tuition that is paid by component districts. “I’m tired of hearing from administration, ‘We don’t have any money.’ They spend a lot of money to send students to us, so I want to know, where’s all that money go?” asked Chenoweth.
“NYSUT recognizes that our BOCES leaders work in unique and complex settings,” said NYSUT Second Vice President Ron Gross, whose office coordinates the annual conference. “The BOCES Conference offers targeted education and resources for these members so they can continue to meet the diverse needs of their students and their communities.”
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