New York State School Boards Association, founded in 1896, represents more than 700 boards of education throughout the United States. The services offered by the association include legislative representation, direct litigation, updating and creating district policies and regulations, fiscal management, long-range financial planning, benchmarking reports, and consultation services. It offers several online tools to assist boards in conducting administrative searches and posting their policy manuals online, and it also organizes team-building workshops and conferences. The association also provides a variety of handbooks and guidebooks for school board members on subjects, such as school law, collective bargaining, employee discipline, charter schools, and the superintendent contract. It also operates the Center for Urban Schools Programs that offers electronic newsletters, research articles, Web-based information, and customized assistance to members. New York State School Boards Association is located in Latham, N.Y.
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The Rensselaer County Regional Chamber of Commerce is the principal business, civic and economic development agency for the Rensselaer Gateway communities. Founded in 1900, the Chamber represents more than 1,200 diverse businesses and community organizations employing nearly 47,000 professionals. The Chamber serves all its members -- from sole proprietors to corporations with thousands of people -- with programs and services designed to inform, educate and assist them in reaching their full business potential. The Chamber is active in municipal, state and national business and government organizations and effectively represents its membership on public policy issues. In addition, the Chamber is one of three founding members of the Tech Valley Chamber Coalition. The Rensselaer Gateway communities include Rensselaer County, the cities of Cohoes and Watervliet, and the villages of Green Island and Waterford.
