Two Decades of Experience Lead Friends to Pursue Further Education

For the past two decades Katherine Norian of Oradell and Sheli Dansky of River Edge have been a familiar face on their respective elementary Boards of Education. And over the years, the two friends have continued their own education achieving certifications from the New Jersey School Board Association including their most recent honor - a Certified Board Leader.

Ironically though, when both women joined their respective Boards of Education in the 1990s neither one had imagined they would achieve such a certification - instead having joined to make a difference for their local schools.

"We made the pact that we would take the test together or not at all," Dansky said. "Our message is that we're learning all the time and part of our role as a Board of Ed memger is to keep getting educated, learning, exploring and doing things."

"It was easier becuase we shared it together," Norian added. "Neither one of us would have made the trip to Plainsboro or taken the test if the other hadn't as well."

To become a Certified Board Leader, Norian and Dansky had to meet the following qualifications: earning 15 credits beyond Master Board Member, have attended the Leadership Conference, and have served as a board member or officer of their county school boards association for at least a year. 

"It shows that we believe in being educated about what we do as a volunteer and learning to be good volunteers," Norian said.

Achieving the certification is also not very common. Since 1992, when the School Board Member Academy was formed, there have only been 17 board members to receive this designation as of May 2012. Nine of those members including Dansky and Norian were honored this past May.

According to Dansky, the additional certification purely means that she and Norian come to their respective Boards of Ed with a broad range of knowledge to draw from.

And over their two decades of volunteering they've seen many things change as well as areas that need continued improvement.

"What we've lost by the Board members no longer running training themselves is that interaction and networking amonth other members across the state," Dansky said. "When you meet board members from across the state you get a different perspective of what being a board member is all about."

Another thing that has changed is the level of turnover on a Board of Education where at one time it would always be the same faces for longer periods of time. Nowadays, Board members may opt to not seek reelection as often or just look to move up to the Regional Board of Education.

"For me, I still feel that I have something to contribute on the board," Dansky said. "As long as I feel that I'm contributing in a positive way then it's still exciting. And our continued training helps to expand our knowledge base."

"People on the board who have been there for a number of years provide continuity but new members bring a different sort of perspective," Norian added.

One thing both women (and many other board members) are waiting to see is how the move for a Board election to November will pan out.

"This is a very strange time," Norian said. "And we're waiting to see how the community reacts because this leaves them out of one more process. It's tough for people to accept that they have elected officials making decisions for them and they should feel that they count."

But the benefit of moving the elections is that now both Boards of Education won't be trying to sell a budget and could turn their focus to helping lead the district to improved student achievement.

"It is a trade off and even though it's not a 100% good thing it gives us the opportunity to focus on student achievement rather than the dance of selling a budget," Dansky said.

Both Norian and Dansky were honored by their Boards of Education for their achievements.

Have a question or news tip? Contact editor Eamon Harbord at Eamon.Harbord@patch.com, or find us on Facebook and Twitter. For news straight to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.