But she describes herself as collaborative to a point. As president, she uses her leadership to build coalitions in order to accomplish stated goals. Building consensus on a board with a 7-0 voice is important, explains Hayes. It sends a good message to the system that the board is committed fully to any policy it creates. Beyond their structure and organization, school boards deal with implementing policies, from bilingual education programs, to teacher salary contracts, to testing plans and school choice charters and vouchers.
Testing is a hot issue all over the country.
Only recently has New York state required all students to pass the Regent s exams to graduate high school. New York City school children take a variety of assessment tests through elementary and junior high school. Opponents predicted a surge in the need for remediations and holding students back for the tenth graders who do not pass the test. Despite these statistics, Reilinger supports the tests. It has never been a requirement before, so it was not taken seriously, she explains.