For the third year in a row, questions remain about how seriously the Roxbury Board of Education views its responsibility to continually improve as a governing body. 

Past retreats have raised concerns because they lacked meaningful ethics discussions, board self-evaluation, and governance training. Those are not optional extras—they are among the primary and valuable reasons for holding an annual board retreat. 

The 2024 retreat also raised transparency concerns. Following the previous year’s widely criticized comments by then-board member MacGregor (read more here), the 2024 retreat was neither live streamed nor audio recorded. While retreats may be less formal than regular meetings, they are still public meetings where the community should be able to observe discussions that shape the Board’s priorities and governance. 

The pattern continued in 2025. The Board held its annual July retreat, which is when Roxbury has traditionally scheduled its retreat. However, the agenda did not include NJSBA ethics training or the Board’s annual self-evaluation—two of the most important governance responsibilities a retreat is intended to accomplish. Those items were ultimately addressed only after the Board held a second retreat in December.

This year’s retreat agenda again appeared to omit NJSBA ethics training, the annual board self-evaluation, and a dedicated ethics review. Now, this week’s retreat has been canceled. 

Of course, schedules change and legitimate reasons arise. But if the retreat is simply canceled rather than promptly rescheduled, it sends the wrong message. A high-functioning board should view annual reflection, training, ethics, and self-improvement as essential—not as something that can be skipped when it’s inconvenient.   

If the retreat was canceled because the Board failed to schedule its annual self-evaluation or NJSBA ethics training, especially after it appears it did the same last year, it raises concerns that board development, ethics, and governance training are not being treated as priorities. 

School board members oversee tens of millions of taxpayer dollars, establish district policy, evaluate the superintendent, and make decisions affecting thousands of students, families, and employees. Those responsibilities require ongoing professional development, ethics education, and honest self-reflection. 

An annual retreat should provide an opportunity to ask difficult questions: 

• Is the Board governing effectively? 
• Is communication respectful, transparent, and ethical? 
• Are governance best practices being followed? 
• Is the Board meeting its obligations under the School Ethics Act? 
• What can be done better for Roxbury’s students and taxpayers? 

Those conversations are just as important as approving contracts or voting on resolutions. 

The community deserves a Board of Education that is committed not only to governing, but to continually improving how it governs. Annual retreats should be viewed as an investment in stronger leadership, ethical decision-making, transparency, accountability, and better outcomes for Roxbury’s students.