New Milford Board of Education Awarded Master Board Certification

In a special New Jersey School Board Association Member Academy Awards Recognition celebration on May 13, the New Milford Board of Education received the prestigious Carole E. Larsen Master Board Certification award. 

With over 600 school boards statewide, the New Milford Board was one of just five boards to be given this prestigious status.  The four other recipients were Neptune, Ocean Township, North Plainfield and Garwood.

According to the NJSBA, “The Carole E. Larsen Master Board Certification award recognizes high performing boards.  Recipient boards must demonstrate an emphasis on Student Achievement in their board actions.” 

To earn Master Board Certification, a certified board must complete at least 28 hours of training for a total of 28 board credits.  Attendance at training sessions must include at least seven out of nine board members, and the chief school administrator must attend.  Training sessions focus on many aspects of governance such as legal requirements for boards of education, labor relations and policy development and implementation, and board ethics. 

Qualified boards must also have achieved a minimum of 80 percent in the governance section of its most recent NJQSAC evaluation.  New Milford was designated as a “high performing” district upon completion of its 2010 NJQSAC review.

According to New Milford Superintendent Michael Polizzi, “The New Milford Board of Education consistently demonstrates through its policies and its actions its underlying commitment to making the very best judgments on behalf of the students of New Milford schools.”