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CASBO School Business Fall 2009
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california
California Association of School Business Officials Fall 2009
schoolbusiness
Rising throughthe ranksGrass-roots members arethe key to CASBO and thefuture of school business
Pandemic flu reduxAre your schools prepared?
Weightedtoward charters?Some see bias by State Board of Education
2 | California School Business
Fall 2009 | 5
contents departments 9 Checking in A quote, a thought, a moment to reflect Brian Lewis
13 Bottom line CASBO is going places…and not by accident! Sharon Ketcherside
15 In focus CASBO member profile: Beverly Heironimus 49 Out & about Photos from CASBO events statewide
50 Book club The 360 Degree Leader
51 First person CASBO Professional Development…your advantage in critical times Molly McGee-Hewitt
58 Last words
cover story30 Weighted toward charters? Some see bias by State Board of Education Linda A. Estep
interview17 FCMAT leader answers questions in tough fiscal times Joel Montero: Fasten your seatbelts; it’s going to be a bumpy ride Julie Phillips Randles
features25 Rising through the ranks Grass-roots members are the key to CASBO and the future of school business Julie Sturgeon
43 Pandemic flu redux Are your schools prepared? Julie Phillips Randles
Volume 74 Number 3 Fall 2009
25
15
30
6 | California School Business
publisher
editor in chief
features editor
contributors
editorial assistant
design/layout
cartoon
advertising art
casbo officers
president
president-elect
vice president
immediate past president
advertising sales manager
Brian Lewis
Jodi Jackson
Julie Phillips Randles
Linda A. Estep
Molly McGee-Hewitt
Dennis Meyers
Julie Sturgeon
Kevin Swartzendruber
Kristen Jacoby
Sharon Adlis
Shawn Turner
Lori Mattas
Sharon KetchersideSacramento County Office of Education
Renee HendrickOrange County Department of Education
Gary MatsumotoHacienda La Puente Unified School District
Eric D. SmithSanta Barbara School Districts
CiCi TrinoAssociation Outsource Services, Inc. 115 Spring Water WayFolsom, CA 95630 916.990.9999
www.casbo.org
California School Business (ISSN# 1935-0716) is published quarterly by the California Association of School BusinessOfficials, 1001 K Street, 5th Floor, Sacramento, CA 95814. (916) 447-3783. $2 of CASBO membership dues goes towardthe subscription to California School Business magazine. The subscription rate for each CASBO nonmember is $20. Periodicals postage paid at Sacramento and at additional mailing office. Send address changes to the CASBO membership department at 1001 K Street, 5th Floor, Sacramento, CA 95814.
Articles published in California School Business are edited for style, content and space prior to publication. Views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent CASBO policies or positions. Endorsement by CASBO of products and services advertised in California School Business is not implied or expressed.
Copyright 2009 CASBO. All rights reserved. The contents of the publication may not be reproduced by any means, in wholeor in part, without the prior written consent of the publisher.
Published September 2009
CASBO MAGAZINEHONORED WITH ASAE GOLDCIRCLE AWARD
California School Business, thequarterly magazine of CASBO,has earned a coveted Gold Circle Award from the American Societyof Association Executives (ASAE)and The Center for Association Leadership.
The Gold Circle Awards recognizeexcellence in association com-munications in categories including annual reports, magazines, news-letters, blogs, Web sites, podcasts and innovative communications.The 2009 competition attractedmore than 300 entries.
California School Business wasredesigned and reinvented justover two years ago in directresponse to the association’s member-driven strategic planwhich called for revitalization ofthe association’s publications to make them more professional incontent and graphic design, andto build their revenue generation.
The magazine’s feature articlesare written by professional journal-ists who research the stories and draw on the experience andexpertise of members and othersas sources for the articles. Each edition of California SchoolBusiness also includes a member profile, columns by officers and staff, a question-and-answerinterview with a person of influence in school business, and coverageof CASBO issues and events.
8 | California School Business
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Fall 2009 | 9
checkingin
When you take your seat on the plane, do you ever flip through the pages of the airline magazine “in the seat
pocket in front of you?” I usually do, and I often find at least a little something that’s worth thinking about.
So here’s the quote from an airline magazine Q&A that got me thinking a few weeks ago: “People loved
each other. We rooted for each other. We wanted each other to be the best we could be. When you’ve got a
gang like that, you can do anything because you know you’ll never fall on your face. And if you do, there will
be someone there to laugh.”
This take on workplace collegiality, collaboration and, yes, humor, struck a chord with me. I will say at the
outset that the word “love” may be a bit too strong for many of us. At a minimum, though, I have to say that
I prefer to work in a place where people do care about each other, and have a sense of shared responsibility
and pride in our collective efforts.
That said, there is something about the sense of teamwork reflected in the quote that I think we all aim
for in the places where we spend so much time with other human beings, doing what we hope is meaningful
work, in the process of supporting ourselves and our families.
We are in the midst of confusing, difficult times that shake us and make our already challenging work
that much more difficult. The fiscal realities are obviously the driving factor and are at the core of so much of
what faces us every day. But the very human, real-life implications of those fiscal realities can undermine us
and cause us to question things we previously may have taken for granted. They also impact how we conduct
ourselves and how we interact with others.
We ask ourselves: How much worse is this going to get? For our students, for our schools, for our com-
munities, for our families? When will it end? How different will things be when it does end and we take stock
of a potentially different reality?
Of course, none of us knows the answers to those questions. But what do we know? Let me take a
guess or two.
We know that most of us have to work to survive. We know we’d rather work in a place that makes a
difference in people’s lives. We know we want to contribute to something bigger than ourselves. We know we
want to be treated with honesty and respect. And we know we want to be appreciated for what we and our
colleagues bring to the table.
If we try hard enough, we can continue to do these things, even in these tough times. If we work smart
enough, we can continue to find new ways to do things in a new environment. If we care deeply enough
about our work and our colleagues, we can withstand the stress that today’s unstable world presents us with
every day.
Oh, and who was the source of the quote in the airline magazine? It was Maya Rudolph, formerly of
“Saturday Night Live.” Food for thought and reflection from, perhaps, an unexpected source. Here’s to the
seat pocket in front of you!
Brian LewisExecutive Director
If we care deeply enough aboutour work and ourcolleagues, we can withstand the stress that today’s unstable world presents us with every day.
A quote,a thought,a moment to reflect
Fall 2009 | 11
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Fall 2009 | 13
bottomline
By Sharon Ketcherside CASBO President
casbo is going places…and not by accident!
Three years into the development
and implementation of casbo’s
third strategic plan, the association continues to be a “best practices” example of how a member-driven organization like ours thoughtfully develops a vision of the future, and creates and implements specific steps to get there.
Everything we do as members and leaders of the association, and everything our professional staff does on our behalf, is driven by that plan. Unlike many or-ganizations that develop a strategic plan and let it sit on a shelf, casbo’s plan is a living document that guides us every day.
More than 15 years ago, casbo lead-ers charted our course by establishing this commitment to strategic planning that has served us incredibly well. And in times like these, with diminishing resources and increasing pressures, our planning is more important than ever. It forces us to focus on our real priorities and real needs.
Some of the key elements in the plan include making casbo more transparent and making it possible for more mem-bers to get involved in a wider variety of ways. With our new bylaws passing in March by a “yes” vote of 85 percent, the Governance Implementation Team (git) is now working to draft the new policies necessary to implement the bylaws.
Improved communications, another element in our plan, drove the launching of a new Web site in 2007. New changes have recently been made that will con-tinue to make the site more user friendly for members across the state. The site is chock full of information and resources…and more is on the way.
Our strategic plan forces us to focus on our real priorities and real needs.
A key challenge facing the organiza-tion in the current economy is whether the business model we have employed for many years will be the business model of the future. Historically, the vast major-ity of our work and two-thirds of our gross revenue have been generated by professional development activities – the casbo Annual Conference and California School Business Expo; and our statewide workshops. The steep drop-off in par-ticipation in both of these activities is a warning sign that compels us to examine our business model and plan for change.
The good news is that casbo mem-bers have incredibly strong support as we work to fulfill the strategic plan – our professional staff. Under the leadership of our passionate, dedicated executive di-rector, Brian Lewis, our staff has brought high-level professional association work to the table. Without that work, we could not have achieved so much of our aggres-sive strategic plan in such a short time.
On that note, I’m thrilled to con-gratulate our staff for a recent award. This publication, California School Business magazine, just received the Gold Circle Award from the American Society of Association Executives and the Center. This is a prestigious honor that confirms our magazine as the best in the nation among all associations with annual budgets over $2 million. The evolution of the magazine was directed by our previous strategic plan and was one of
the priorities charged to Brian when he started in 2005. Financial support from our Associate Member Committee pro-vided the start-up resources to launch the new magazine. This recognition of the publication’s excellence, along with the significant revenue it generates, is another example of the fine work of our staff. Congratulations to Brian and casbo’s communications and marketing director, Jodi Jackson!
Together, casbo members and our professional staff are carrying out our vi-sion for the future. Where we are today, and where we’re going in the future, are no accident.
Sharon Ketcherside, of the Sacramento County Office of Education, serves as casbo president.
14 | California School Business
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Fall 2009 | 15
infocus
Fall 2009 | 15Photography by Hope Harris
Beverly Heironimus Focus on students is her singular passion
During her nearly two-decade career in school business, Beverly
Heironimus has faced the myriad issues that all CBOs must handle,
but there is one particular aspect of her job that keeps her motivated –
the ability to impact student learning by managing financial resources.
Heironimus, assistant superintendent, business services, for the Dublin
Unified School District, says it’s her job to “manage resources wisely
and provide the money for the classrooms.” She adds, “It’s always
about student learning, staying focused on what’s important and
providing resources for that.”
That singular passion – a focus on the students – has guided her work
for the last 18 years. “The students are the reason we are all here and
why I feel this is the right path for me,” Heironimus said. “Our resource
allocation decisions must impact student learning. The love of learning
for all students will serve them well in life.”
Her career began in the insurance industry as a corporate accountant
in training. She then moved to the Sacramento County Office of Educa-
tion as an account clerk, and on to Hayward Unified as an accounting
supervisor and budget manager. In the early 1990s, she left school
business to become a certified public accountant and then worked
for two accounting firms with school district clients.
After becoming a CPA, Heironimus was offered a high-paying control-
lership in the wine industry; an offer she turned down to follow her
passion. “I was aware as I turned down the job that education was
where my heart was, and I could not imagine my life not serving
education,” Heironimus explained. She returned to schools as director
of finance for Newark Unified and then became a consultant at the
Alameda County Office of Education before joining DUSD in 1999.
Her roles with CASBO are many and varied and include serving on the
Northern Section Finance R&D Committee for 10 years and as chair
of the committee for three; and moving up through additional posts
with the Northern Section including serving as director III, II and I, vice
president and president. Heironimus also has worked on the Annual
Conference Committee and on the Facilities Working Group. She is
currently a member of the Legislative Committee.
Heironimus has found that CASBO membership has helped her
become a known commodity in the industry. “It’s where you meet
people, your reputation becomes known and you end up getting jobs
from it,” she tells prospective members. “All of the information and
literature that comes out of CASBO is great. Even my board recognizes
the value and asks ‘What does CASBO say about this?’”
Fall 2009 | 17
By Julie Phillips Randles
interviewPh
otos
by
Jodi
Jac
kson
FCMAT leaderanswers questionsin tough fiscal timesJoel Montero: Fasten your seatbelts; it’s going to be a bumpy ride
Business is – unfortunately – booming for Joel
Montero, chief executive officer of the Fiscal Crisis
& Management Assistance Team (fcmat). With the state in a massive budget crisis and deep cuts felt in districts state-wide, calls to fcmat for assistance and advice are on the rise.
fcmat, created by the Legislature in 1991, is an external and independent entity designed to help local education agencies avoid fiscal insolvency by providing financial advice, manage-ment assistance, training and related school business services. As ceo, Montero oversees three broad areas: fiscal support, management/technical assistance and professional and product development.
Through fcmat, he also is one member of the three-person Education Audit Appeals Panel (eaap) authorized in Education Code Section 14502.1, and administers the California School Information Services (csis) program. He also is responsible for statewide professional development under Assembly Bill 3141, and for providing support to chief business officials and other business office positions at the district and county levels as spelled out in Assembly Bill 1200.
Before joining fcmat in 1998, Montero spent 10 years as the superintendent of the Novato Unified School District. He also has held posts as an assistant superintendent in several school industry disciplines including school business, person-nel, curriculum and instruction. Montero also has worked at the school-site level as a principal, assistant principal and teacher. In total, Montero has a 34-year track record in nearly every school industry strand. He holds life credentials in administrative ser-vices and secondary education.
Montero is a frequent lecturer and workshop presenter for education organizations statewide, including casbo, speaking on topics such as fiscal audits, governmental relations, manage-ment assistance and external evaluation and monitoring of fiscal programs.
18 | California School Business
continued on page 20
Joel MonteroFCMAT leader answers questions in tough fiscal times
He is a member of the California Curriculum Management Audit Center board of directors and provides oversight of the California Educational Data Partnership. Montero serves on the California County Superintendents Educational Services Association (ccsesa) Business and Administration Steering Committee. He also serves on casbo’s Professional Develop-ment Committee.
Montero has a bachelor’s degree in design engineering and a master’s degree in education administration from the Califor-nia State University system.
Here’s what Montero had to say about his life and career when he sat down recently with California School Business magazine.
CSB: What is your ideal brain food?Montero: I spend a lot of time on the road, so my normal brain food, particularly when I have to do a lot of thinking, is fruit. Realistically, when I need to get something done and I need my brain to work, it’s coffee.
CSB: Name one of your hidden talents?Montero: My most significant hidden talent is creating calm out of crisis. I think it’s one of the things that I do best that probably most people don’t know about me. I also think one of my hidden talents is a sense of humor, and because of my job, it doesn’t come out a lot.
CSB: What three things are essential to your life.Montero: Family, absolutely. My wife and two boys, 16 and 18, are the lights of my life and everything that I do revolves around them. Friendships; I have some very important friendships that to me are essential. People who will accept you for who you are, and know who you are. And then work. I am committed to my work and it is an absolutely essential part of who I am, whether it’s this job or jobs I’ve done in the past.
CSB: What do you do to manage stress?Montero: First of all, I exercise every day that I can, even when I’m on the road. Like everyone else, I have hobbies. I restore classic cars. For me that’s mindless work, and I inherited the interest from my father who was passionate about it. I have a shop at my house and I just go out there and I don’t have to think about anything else.
CSB: These are incredibly tough economic times for schools, which is leading to more and more districts facing a financial cliff. What percentage of increase have you seen in districts that are seeking your aid in the past year?
Montero: If you look at us in terms of our annual report year-over-year, 2007-08 as compared to 2008-09, there is overall about a 200-percent increase in everything. However, if you look at the sequence just between current-year first and second interim, between October and January, our contacts have about quadrupled. Most of those are related to fiscal emergency issues. Right now we’re in 100 districts, give or take, and about half of those are related to fiscal issues, either cash management, multiyear projecting or budget-development help. If you compare that to our normal growth on an annual basis, generally we think if we have contacts year-over-year that are about 15 percent to 20 percent in excess of the prior year, that’s a big year. This has been significant for us and getting bigger every day.
CSB: Can you identify an issue or two that puts districts over the edge fiscally? Montero: The issues that put districts over the edge haven’t changed significantly, they are just more severe and acute in a bad economic environment. For example, deficit spending – districts that have a pattern of deficit spending year over year over year are eventually going to run into trouble. That’s the biggest thing. The second thing, and this is new, is the issue of one-time money. School districts now have federal stimulus money and they are going to spend it to support things that are ongoing. And they won’t have that money again next year. So districts that are not good at planning forward in terms of how they are going to mitigate the loss of one-time money, particularly federal dollars, are going to struggle in the out years. The third thing is poor cash management. The state doesn’t take over school districts that have unbalanced budgets; the state takes over school districts that run out of cash – that’s two separate things. Particularly in this environment, in the era of cash deferrals, if you are not good at managing cash, you are going to struggle.
CSB: What kind of solutions are you recommending to troubled districts? Montero: The advice we’re giving to districts right now, who for the most part are struggling financially, looking out in the current and multiple years, what we’re saying to them is you have to sit down right now and identify what your core program is for children. What is it that you have to do to provide a solid education for the children in your community? What are the things that are mission critical for every child that have to be supported?
Then, we’re telling them to look at the core program that you establish and staff to contract. What that means is, in this
20 | California School Business
continued from page 18
continued on page 22
environment, districts can’t afford to overstaff. This is an indus-try of people, and so paying for people is the largest expense line in your budget. If you are carrying people that you can’t afford or are beyond the level you have established in your collective bargaining agreement, you are spending money that you don’t have to spend.
Then we’re telling everybody that they have to conserve cash wherever they can because if you run out of cash and the state takes you over, you lose your local governance option; you lose local control over the entity, and nobody wants that. Man-aging cash is critical. The fourth thing that we’re telling them is that after you establish the core program, you need to prioritize other parts of the organization that are a high priority for their community. After you fund the core program, if you have any money left, you either put it in the bank and save it for cash flow, or you go from that prioritized list and run the things you think you can run.
We’re also telling districts to maximize flexibility in Tier 3 which is part of categorical program flexibility that came about in the February 2009 budget. We’re telling them to be strategic
about how they apply and use their stabilization money lo-cally. Any money is good money at this point, but you have to understand that it has limitations because it’s one time. Use it judiciously and have a plan to mitigate the loss of those dollars, because they will go away.
Finally, fasten your safety belts; it’s going to be a bumpy ride. What I’ve been saying to people is “look, you have to get from here to there, and that’s what’s important right now.” Fig-uring out where you are and how you are going to come out the other end of the tube basically intact and with your governance authority intact. The problem is we don’t know where “there” is yet.
CSB: How can districts on the verge hold on for the next two or three more tough years ahead? What if this funding crisis lasts five years?Montero: First of all, those school districts that have good leadership, good governance and good planning will be the districts that are most successful. The ones that think ahead and think strategically and are fiscally responsible; those are the districts that will survive. You have to be a better planner and a
Joel MonteroFCMAT leader answers questions in tough fiscal times
22 | California School Business
better leader right now. You have to be more cooperative overall within your district, between administration and labor and the community, and the communication has to be better. All of those things that we think we want to do that facilitate good operations with any entity, that’s even more important now.
Here’s the big issue right now for school districts – fear of the unknown. The September 2008 budget was a balanced state budget. That budget went out of whack in about three weeks and between that three-week period we went from a balanced bud-get to about $8 billion in deficit at the state level. In February, the problem was fixed for a second time by eliminating a $40-plus billion state deficit. Flexibility, cuts to the revenue limit, cuts to categorical programs – the state effectively eliminated that $40 billion deficit. Then in May the deficit, in addition to that $40 bil-lion, was $24 billion more. If you are a school district, you have a great fear of what you don’t know is coming. The first thing you do is you don’t go into crisis. You try to plan effectively and you have to move almost in real time day-to-day because decisions that you made yesterday may not apply to the financial realities that are happening today or in six months or at first interim or
at second interim or next year at budget-development time. You have to be flexible, you have to be thoughtful. Districts that are better at that stuff are going to fare better in this market. Districts that go into crisis and throw up their hands and give up are go-ing to struggle.
CSB: fcmat offers charter school fiscal management training. What’s different about the advice you give to charters? What other issues come in to play?Montero: Charters have a different set of rules, obviously, and so the primary thing is that charters don’t have much economy of scale. We kind of deal with charters like we deal with tiny school districts where one little thing that happens can move them into insolvency just like that. If you are a small district and you have to place a student in a non-public school placement that you didn’t know about when the school year started, you could burn through your whole reserve and more in months. Charters are kind of like that – they tend to be smaller in number. They are receiving cuts as well in their categorical program block grants and in their operational block grants, so they are going to have less money. While the law supports that school districts can’t close the doors, the law I think assumes that if a charter goes upside down, there’s a place for those children to go – the regular public school system. There’s no provision in the law if they run out of cash to help them. Charters have to do exactly everything that school districts are doing in terms of identifying the core program and trying to maintain themselves in an uncertain period, and know that the result of not being able to do that is not to exist anymore.
We’re providing as much management support as we can for them. Sometimes they don’t have as much fiscal expertise because they tend to be smaller and to be sometimes staffed by folks that are either volunteers or don’t have as much experi-ence in school business, so we’re trying to help them with the planning part – multiyear projecting. We think right now that multiyear projecting is probably the most important thing that we do because at every school district and charter school you have to create a set of assumptions that impact your decision-making day after day. The problem is that those assumptions now change almost every day. z z z
Julie Phillips Randles is a freelance writer based in Roseville, Calif.
Do you have an opinion or a comment on this article? California School Business magazinewelcomes “Letters to the Editor.” Please send your letters to [email protected]. All lettersare edited for content, space and style considerations.
continued from page 20
Joel MonteroFCMAT leader answers questions in tough fiscal times
24 | California School Business
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feature
Rising through the ranksGrass-roots members are the key to CASBO
and the future of school businessBy Julie Sturgeon
Leaders always rise to the occasion in times of crisis. They step forward and take charge, calming the troops and suggesting innovative ways to tackle the challenges.
But unlike a Hollywood script, they do not merely rise from a mist ready to do battle. Instead, these leaders have paid their dues, sitting in the cubicle next to
you, struggling with the same time and budget limitations. They do not shoot to the top like a cork in water, but are actu-ally working their way through the rank and file the entire time. They are often unnoticed until the spotlight swings their way.
Here is a glimpse at a handful of casbo’s upwardly mobile-members who
have or are in the process of moving up through the ranks. They share what they are doing today to prepare for the calling of becoming leaders in school business.
Sharon KetchersideWhen Sharon Ketcherside’s children were in middle school, the superinten-dent of Rio Linda Union School District
26 | California School Business
Rising through the ranks
begged her to apply for a school secretary position that had just opened. She told him “no” several times, but eventually took the job. Six years later, she needed a 12-month paycheck to tackle those col-lege bills that started rolling in, and she made the leap to the position of buyer in the purchasing department.
On her first day on the job, the direc-tor slid a piece of paper under Ketcher-side’s hand and said, “This is a casbo application for membership. I’m not telling you it’s mandatory, but it will be re-ally good for your career.” A month later, Ketcherside found herself at the casbo
Annual Conference and since that gather-ing in 1995, she’s never missed the event.
Today, she is the procurement ser-vices manager at the Sacramento County Office of Education and president of casbo.
“At the time I joined, my job was just a paycheck to me,” she confessed. “But once I did some networking at that con-ference, I knew that’s where I wanted to be. I didn’t want to be a buyer for a school district, I wanted to be someone who can make a huge difference.”
Ketcherside describes herself as a driven people-person who, “if I’m not challenged, I’m bored and get into trou-ble,” she laughed. But she credits her rise to the fact she rarely lets a chance to learn and get involved escape. That includes a stint as on a school site council and service as pta president and a Girl Scout
troop leader, a position she still holds in partnership with her daughter.
“Any type of formal program helps you hone your skills as a leader, to be organized,” she said. Ketcherside also earned her bachelor’s degree in business administration from Alameda University in 2007 to put herself in a position to be promoted down the line. Put it all togeth-er, and you get a woman who is prepared for that next step and has no fear of living up to the responsibilities.
“Fortunately, I’ve been a mom, and now it’s just my husband and me. He has his career and it’s time for me to see what I can do, add on, accomplish,” Ketcher-side said.
Naturally, she encourages her em-ployees to look at casbo professional de-velopment opportunities as part of their success. “I tell them, ‘You need to learn every aspect of your job and of the per-son’s sitting next to you, too. If you stay in
your own little environment, you won’t get the exposure you need to broaden your horizons.’” Personal development, Ketcherside style, involves networking to solve problems and share solutions.
“The more you network, the more in-formation you glean, the more you have in your repertoire to do your job, and I’m not just talking about skill sets,” she noted. Nor does she advocate a grab for leadership as the sole point of member-ships. “When I first joined casbo, I never had a thought of being the association’s president. My goal was to learn every-thing I could and meet everybody I could to help me in my job. The focus is moving up in the career, not the organization,” she summed up. Fast facts:
1987-88 and 1988-1989: PTA President
1986-1989: School Site Council member
1991-1996: School secretary
1996: Joined CASBO
1996-1999: District buyer
1999: Director of purchasing at Folsom Cordova
2007: BS in business administration,
Alameda University
2009-10: CASBO president
Brad VereenBrad Vereen brought with him an mba, a stint in the military and a position as a purchasing agent in Silicon Valley when he decided to try a career path as a chem-istry teacher in the Dublin Unified School District in 2003. He liked the setting, but
“My goal was tolearn everything I could and meet everybody I could to help me inmy job.”Sharon KetchersideProcurement services managerSacramento CountyOffice of Education
“Offer to help when it is not expected.
It is appreciated, and it gives you visibility and knowledge that
you’ll need later.”Brad Vereen
Energy education managerDublin Unified School District
Fall 2009 | 27
hanging up his corporate instincts wasn’t as easy as he anticipated.
So he asked the superintendent to recommend him for a school business management certification course. Before he could warm his chair, Dublin put out a job description for an energy man-ager, and Vereen fit the bill. Since January 2008, he has taken responsibility for the district’s energy savings along with his classroom duties; this fall he will step into the management role full time.
The job involves working directly with utility providers to lower energy costs, scour bills for errors and educate staff on ways to reduce energy consump-tion. Although the district added several new buildings, Vereen managed to ensure that the district consumed less electricity overall during his first year at the helm.
“In my previous career, this would have been done in a very heavy-handed, black hat approach. ‘You will do this. If
you don’t there are consequences,’ ” he said. “Now, being a cop is the wrong way to command respect.” Instead, he said, it takes a leader to make this happen be-cause at the core, he’s offering them noth-ing in return except a warm fuzzy feeling.
“You can either have someone sit-ting at a computer very passively send-ing e-mails, or you can present yourself, build yourself and position yourself as someone with significant responsibility,” Vereen explained. He chose the latter, snagging invitations to meetings, taking the initiative to meet with teachers and continually making himself visible.
Second, he realized the jump from the certificated world to the business side would not be easy. “There needed to be a logical entry point for me. You can’t go from a chemistry teacher to budget di-rection without a compelling reason,” he said. So he laid out a three-point strategy: First, convince people that by training
and inclination he was the right man for the job. Completing the 13-month School of Business Management certification program at University of Southern Cali-fornia covered that angle. Second, ally himself with a professional organization in this industry. casbo has filled this need perfectly. And third, develop a track record of being in charge of something, whether that’s a budget, people or both.
“Failing to understand the goals and objectives of other parts of the organiza-tion in depth is a killer,” Vereen added. “Offer to help when it is not expected. It is appreciated, and it gives you visibility and knowledge that you’ll need later.”Fast facts:
1990: BA, UC Berkeley
1999: MBA, California State University, East Bay
2003-2007: Science teacher, Dublin Unified
School District
2008: Certificate, School Business Management,
University of Southern California
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28 | California School Business
“Making sure youhave decent relationships withyour peers goesa long way inadvancing your career.”Eric RosburgDirector of information technologyWashington Unified School District
2007: Energy education manager, Dublin
Unified School District
2008: Joined CASBO
Jaime LightseyJaime Lightsey’s moment of truth came while she attended a graduation ceremony in San Bernardino County. She didn’t have a student there; she wasn’t a proud aunt or supportive family friend, she was a contracts specialist for the county’s super-intendent. “I saw how our jobs specifically pertain to the future, how what I do here makes a difference there,” she said.
Lightsey says she was goal-less when she entered the school business arena five years ago as a secretary. As she moved into the office specialist i, then office specialist ii categories at San Bernardino, “I really didn’t know where my strong points were. I was a person who liked to be around people,” she said.
But her supervisor put her in charge of maintaining the contract files each day using a series of 19 Excel spreadsheets. Lightsey had a passing acquaintance with access from her secretary role, and decided to see if she could move the da-tabase tracking system to that venue for better work flow.
The rub: Improving the system went hand-in-hand with improving herself. It would mean taking a class, and Lightsey did know the classroom environment had never been among her strong suits. Once she conquered that first course, she
took a few more, and eventually enrolled at San Bernardino Valley College as a full-time student on the side. Her goal is to transfer to the University of Redlands’ business program in a year.
Earning $1,000 from casbo’s East-ern Section professional growth schol-arship has helped. Lightsey joined the association as yet another stepping stone in her own education quest, and quickly found herself part of the fabric. When the casbo newsletter put out the call for volunteers on various committees, she didn’t hesitate to pick up the phone and dial. Currently, her participation with the Eastern Section Purchasing r&d has opened her eyes to the realities of the state budget.
“I’m not afraid to ask a question,” Lightsey said of her journey.
She carries another memory as well that spurs her on when the schedule gets
hectic and the time short. Lightsey used to volunteer with a homeless education program, trotting out to homeless shel-ters to sit down and tutor kids living in these temporary addresses. “I would see the excitement on the kids’ faces,” she explained, “and it just reinforced that I am here for a reason.”
And the leadership steps are worth it in unexpected ways. “So many people make fun of clerical jobs and how boring they can be. I can honestly say I’m not bored,” she laughed. Fast facts:
2004: Secretary for student events,
Riverside County Office of Education
2005: Office specialist I, KidsNCare
department, San Bernardino County
Superintendent of Schools
2006: Office specialist II, purchasing/
contracts department
2007: Contracts specialist
2008: Joined CASBO
2009: CASBO Eastern Section professional
growth scholarship recipient
Eric RosburgEric Rosburg knew the ins and outs of running a start-up, pre-ipo technology company cold. He was there in the early 2000s when the bubble burst and mas-sive layoffs were inevitable. Rosburg himself let go some of his top staff. “And since we weren’t doing a lot of actual work anymore, as a department, I made it
“I saw how ourjobs specifically
pertain to the future, how what I do here
makes adifference there.”
Jaime LightseyContracts specialist
San Bernardino CountySuperintendent of Schools
Rising through the ranks
Fall 2009 | 29
our sole focus to find some of these guys jobs,” he noted.
One of those employees returned the favor. The tech had landed a position at the Napa County Office of Education, but the commute from Reno to Napa was a strain on the family. So when he quit, he threw the gig to Rosburg. Later, a value reseller recommended that Rosburg look into a similar position posted in the casbo job listings with Washington Uni-fied School District.
“At a start-up, everything was done at the speed of light,” he noted. “We didn’ttake into consideration much the ac-tual cost of doing business – that was for someone else.” The school business side introduced a purchase order process that was painstakingly long in comparison.
But, like Lightsey, he found the ultimate customer – students – very mo-tivating. “One of my biggest complaints working pre-ipo was you bust your tail
working long hours of overtime for a board of directors to make a little more money, for a ceo to have a padded ex-pense account,” he pointed out.
So he made a commitment to shape his leadership experience toward the school business model. A lot of the quali-ties remain the same, he contends, like listening to your staff and making sure you maintain integrity. “But when you move from private industry to schools, the terminologies are different. This is the only industry that has more acronyms than the telecom world I came from,” Rosburg said.
From that perspective, he attended the 2005 casbo Annual Conference and California School Business Expo and agreed to fill the empty r&d chair for technology in the Sacramento Section. He also enrolled in a cbo mentorship pro-gram through the University of Southern California toward his ultimate goal of
serving in a superintendent capacity down the road.
His advice: Don’t try to reinvent the wheel every time thinking it’s the only way to be creative and draw attention to yourself. “Making sure you have decent relationships with your peers goes a long way in advancing your career,” he said. “Get involved. Get known. Don’t be a wallflower.”Fast facts:
1997: Kaiser Permanente, Santa Rosa
Campus, IT helpdesk
2002: Manager of information technology,
Napa County Office of Education
2003: Joined CASBO
2002-03: Sacramento Section Technology
R&D chair
2006: Director of information technology,
Washington Unified School District z z z
Julie Sturgeon is a freelance writer based in Indianapolis, Ind.
30 | California School Business
Weightedtoward charters?
Some see bias by StateBoard of Education
Fall 2009 | 31
cover
Got a bone to pick with the State Board of Education? If your objection relates the board’s apparent affinity for charter schools, take a number, get in line and help yourself to a chill pill. More than one group has a dog in this fight, and fur is about to fly.
Education advocates, professional associations and elected school board officials have recently pointed to what they believe is a stacked state board that favors charter schools; a board ill-equipped to make decisions that benefit the majority of public school students in California.
The 11 members of the State Board of Education (sbe) are appointed by the governor. Of the 11, one is a student represen-tative. Recent appointees by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger each have a pronounced slant toward the charter movement - the appointees are either charter operators, have ties to the charter movement or are strong proponents of charter schools.
“The state board has lost its way,” said Scott Plotkin, execu-tive director of the California School Boards Association (csba) and a veteran of Sacramento politics and policy-making in education.
“Decisions are overreaching toward charter operators. The issue is more than a conversation about half the board having some connection to charter schools. Many decisions have be-come politically tinged. It’s like ‘wait a minute, what is the basis for sticking the governor’s finger in the public schools’ eye?’” he said.
“When you think of statewide bodies in education, the tradi-tion is that they are lay persons with no agenda or ax to grind. They concentrate on good public policy. When you have people with a vested interest, it contradicts tradition in appointments,” Plotkin added. “We think this is a big issue.”
Bone of contentionA bone of contention is the growing number of charter school petitions being approved as a “statewide benefit charter.” Under this designation, the board may authorize the five-year operation of a charter school providing instructional services of statewide benefit that cannot be provided by one charter school in only one district or county. Two schools must be opened in different counties in areas with struggling schools. There is an option after meeting performance objectives at the end of two years to open two additional schools each year.
One such recent approval of a statewide benefit charter was the establishment of Pacific Technology School to be opened
By Linda A. Estep
in the Santa Ana and San Juan unified school districts this fall. The petition was submitted by the Magnolia Educational and Research Foundation which already operates six charter schools in Southern California.
According to sources at the Association of California School Administrators (acsa), neither district had been notified of the opportunity to express concerns about the petition. After being alerted by acsa that the item was on the board’s agenda, Santa Ana Superintendent Jane Russo and San Juan Director of Com-munications Trent Allen attended to express concerns about the petition, but to no avail. The board voted 7-1 to approve the petition establishing charter schools in both districts under the oversight of the sbe.
Although the board acknowledged that the districts should have had advance notice of the agenda item and instructed Department of Education staff to be more diligent in the future, Allen said the board continued with its deliberation and voted to place a charter school in his district where no schools are clas-sified as program improvement schools. The cde documents that accompanied the petition indicated the charter should be established in an area where schools are struggling.
Plotkin and others maintain that petitioners occasionally apply under the statewide benefit charter provision in order to bypass a school district that might deny the petition due to potentially damaging impact to the district. Others contend that sometimes a petitioning charter is a duplication of instructional services already available in the district, despite the petitioner’s claim of offering something new or creative.
A matter of perspectiveAt issue is not an anti-charter sentiment, insist those expressing concern. It is what critics call an imbalance of perspectives tilting toward the charter movement that has them agitated. Observers feel the majority of traditional public school students are not represented by a board that has a disproportionate percentage of members connected to charter schools or are vocal charter supporters.
Despite the charter movement’s growing popularity and the governor’s clear support, less than 5 percent of California’s 6.2 million students attend charter schools, according to data collected by the California Department of Education.
Critics frustrated with board agendas heavy with charter school business are asking if enough attention is shown to the other 95 percent of California students. Some go so far as to
32 | California School Business
that it is a good thing that several members have experience in both k-12 and higher education. I am confident that the sbe is a well-balanced body whose members are looking out for the best interest of all California public school students.
“I can assure you that the sbe members are all deeply concerned about California’s education system as a whole, and have made a commitment to doing everything in their power to give all students the opportunity to succeed, regardless of what school they attend.”
Board member biosAccording to the board member biographies on the State Board of Education Web site, Yvonne Chan is principal of a conversion charter school in Los Angeles. Board member Johnathan Williams is founder of a charter school network in Los Angeles and a former board member of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, the Black Alliance for Educational Options and the California Charter Schools Association.
Two recent appointees (unconfirmed by the state Senate as of July 2009) are Jorge Lopez and Rae Belisle. Lopez is the executive director for Oakland Charter Academy. Belisle is the president and ceo of EdVoice, recognized as a charter school advocacy group. She is also an attorney who has served as chief counsel to the State Board of Education and defended the constitutionality of charter schools. She chaired the Advi-sory Commission on Charter Schools from 2005 to 2008.
Other sbe members are Gregory Jones, a retired insurance executive and chairman of the California Business for Education Excellence Foundation; Ruth Bloom, sbe vice president, a former public school teacher and currently a member of the board of trustees of the Museum of Contemporary Arts in Los Angeles; David Lopez, president of the National Hispanic University in San Jose; and James Aschwanden, a former high school agricul-ture teacher who has been executive director of the California Agricultural Teachers Association since 1993.
Board President Mitchell is president and chief executive officer of NewSchools Venture Fund, a venture philanthropy firm that focuses on transforming public education for under-privileged children through investing in for-profit and nonprofit education entrepreneurs, mostly charter schools. He also sits on the board of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools.
Alan Bersin resigned from the sbe this year when he accept-ed a position with the Department of Homeland Security in the Obama administration. A 2006 Schwarzenegger sbe appointee, he is a former California secretary of education and superinten-dent of San Diego City Schools. Before entering public service, he was a senior partner in a Los Angeles law firm.
Weighted toward charters
suggest most board members do not have a background deep enough in public education to make informed decisions about issues affecting school districts throughout the state.
“When a board has members with no experience as a (public school) superintendent, teacher or school business official, that imbalance is not healthy,” said Sherry Griffith, legislative advo-cate with acsa governmental relations. “When you don’t have anyone who is a business official, how can you understand what the budget issues really are?”
Two current board members do have teacher experience on their resume, although not recent.
Brian Lewis, executive director of casbo, believes a diverse board is a strong board. “Whether it’s the school board or the State Board of Education, diversity of viewpoints is a strength and leads to meaningful discussion and debate,” he said. “Without that diversity, full representation is lacking, effective governance is denied, and fair and equitable decision making is out of reach. This is certainly true of decisions made by the state board that have a huge impact on the finances and operations of traditional public schools. How they’ve handled facilities issues is a prime example.”
Stacked deckLewis believes an imbalance on the sbe means the board can-not adequately serve all public education students in California. “The balance is not representative of reality,” he said. “The governor seems preoccupied with filling the board with pro-charter members, and it makes one wonder what is his ultimate goal.”
Secretary of Education Glen Thomas submitted the follow-ing statement to California School Business magazine regarding the makeup of the board:
“When it comes to appointments, the governor’s first pri-ority is to find the best, most qualified individuals to serve the people of California. He always welcomes and looks for diverse backgrounds and opinions, but his highest priority is to appoint people to the State Board of Education who he feels will help ensure every California student receives a first-rate education.”
Ted Mitchell, state board president, responded similarly in a statement, repudiating claims that board members lack appropriate backgrounds to adequately serve all students in public education.
“The ability of an individual State Board of Education mem-ber to objectively and competently engage in the full range of education issues is based on the totality of their experiences. It is a good thing that a number of our members have experiences in both charter schools and district schools in the same way
Fall 2009 | 33
continued on page 36
casbo President-elect Renee Hendrick, executive director of business services for the Orange County Department of Educa-tion, believes the sbe has become more lenient in approving charter petitions that have been denied by school districts. “Charters can be a great supplement to some districts, but with the board stacked the way it is, a level of fairness might not be there,” she said.
acsa legislative advocate Laura Preston attends board meetings and monitors the charter school agenda items. “Change will come when there is more balance,” she agreed. “We want real educators on that board, people who understand the implications of decisions at the local level.”
Preston added that she and other observers of sbe busi-ness have access to board members “who are very gracious,” but she feels the governor should be advised that his next ap-pointment must come from a traditional public education pool of candidates.
Bitter pill to swallowThe board’s March 2009 approval of the Western Sierra Collegiate Academy to be established within the Rocklin
Their zealousness to bring more and more charters onto the playing field has resulted in their lossof understanding of the legislative intent as to the purpose of charter schools.
36 | California School Business
Weighted toward charterscontinued from page 33
campus and its ability to meet operational expenses. He pointed out that three charter schools are successfully operating within his district, one of them building its own facility in collaboration with the district.
Despite his presentation of concerns, the accs voted to rec-ommend approval by the sbe at its next meeting. The petition went to the sbe for consideration at its March 11-12 meeting.
But the path leading to board approval had a twist.The sbe met on March 11 and in open session had a two-
hour discussion about the petition to establish Western Col-legiate Academy in a district that had twice denied it and was then denied again by the Placer County Office of Education. Four board members voted to approve and three voted against. The vote was not enough to meet the six votes needed to pass. It was decided that the petitioner would come before the board again in May, a date past the deadline specified by Proposition 39 in order to open a charter school in the next school year, fall 2009.
Then, according to an article in the Placer Herald, sometime between the failed approval on March 11 and the second day meeting on March 12, a discussion between board members and wsca Executive Director David Patterson occurred. According to the state-published Preliminary Report of Action Taken, “On day two of the meeting, President Mitchell urged the board to reconsider its vote on the matter.” The board approved a motion to reconsider the previous vote of March 11, which board coun-sel advised is permissible under Robert’s Rules of Order. After some deliberation, the board then voted to approve the petition in a roll call vote of 7-1.
Stunned by what Brown called “backdoor maneuvering,” Rocklin usd filed a writ in court to have the decision nullified. That action and disputes about facilities for the charter school have led to a contentious relationship between the district and the char-ter operator, with a lingering threat of litigation by both parties.
The experience has left Superintendent Brown frustrated by a State Board of Education he says turns a deaf ear to district concerns.
“Their zealousness to bring more and more charters onto the playing field has resulted in their loss of understanding of the legislative intent as to the purpose of charter schools. Now anyone, for any reason, need only put a rough outline together addressing minimum criteria (assurances and elements) and the state board routinely stamps its approval,” he said.
“We spend months reviewing petitions before we make a decision (to accept or deny) and the board spends limited time reading the analysis of one Department of Education staff mem-ber. The state board is imposing its will on local jurisdictions. That just doesn’t feel right,” Brown said. z z z
Linda A. Estep is a freelance writer based in Fresno, Calif.
Unified School District boundaries (with sbe oversight) was an especially hard one for Superintendent Kevin Brown to swallow. His district had twice denied that petition, and it was denied a third time by the Placer County Board of Education before the charter petitioner applied for sbe approval.
Brown said his community was overwhelmingly opposed to the establishment of the charter school which plans to be open initially to students in grades 7 and 8, expanding each year until it serves grades 7 through 12 by 2012. Its focus is college preparatory curriculum.
Addressing the Advisory Commission on Charter Schools (accs) a month before the board decision, Brown noted that rusd already offers 17 advanced placement courses, and graduates 97 percent of its students, with 65 percent of graduates having com-pleted the a-g requirements for University of California admission.
The accs is charged with reviewing charter petitions before they are passed on to the sbe. accs members are appointed by the board, with the exception of one member who is designated by the superintendent of public instruction, but is deemed ap-pointed by the board as well.
Brown outlined district and parental concerns about the petitioner’s expectation to be housed on a district high school
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By Julie Phillips Randles
For the past five years, Jeannie Goobanoff has been training school leaders on what to do should a pandemic strike the state and shutter schools. Suddenly in spring 2009 it came to pass.
“When it first started I heard about the case in San Diego and I started watching,” said Goobanoff, the recently retired loss prevention director for Redwood Empire Schools Insurance Group and chair of casbo’s Professional Development Imple-mentation Team. She followed the spread of the virus online and through the news media. “I kept thinking, ‘it’s actually happen-ing.’ My eyes were bugging out.”
As she continued to track the path of, and response to, the swine flu, many of her warnings to the school industry came to fruition. “I had always said in our training that it will happen in days, not weeks or months, and that’s what happened. It was scary,” Goobanoff recalled.
This spring’s h1n1 virus closed nearly 40 California schools and netted about 140 missed school days. By mid-June, the World Health Organization declared a swine flu pandemic – the first global flu pandemic in 41 years.
The relatively mild infections from swine flu that crept through the state in the spring provided districts and county
Fall 2009 | 43
PANDEMIC FLU REDUXAre your schools prepared?
feature
44 | California School Business
Schools should not be makingtheir own plans based on their own ideas. Coordinate with your county superintendent and public healthat the county level.
PANDEMIC FLU REDUX
offices of education with an opportunity to put their pandemic preparedness plans to the test.
But health officials predict a resurgence of the flu in the fall, and in late July projected that up to 40 percent of Americans could get the swine flu this year and next. This just as k-12
schools prepare to start the new academic year and a vaccine for the virus is not expected until long after school starts.
H1N1 round oneThe first cases of the h1n1 virus, or swine flu, were found in one child in San Diego County and another in Imperial County on April 24. Within hours, school closures were being pondered by public health officials. By April 28, the first school was closed.
When the virus arrived in California, health officials had to rely on data from Mexico, which indicated the illness had a high level of severity, according to Dr. Howard Backer, associate secretary for emergency services for the California Health and Human Services Agency. With few details on the epidemiology of this particular flu, the agency initiated “a very aggressive policy of closing an individual school when there was only one case” of the virus, according to Backer.
This school-by-school closure approach deviated from the state’s plan. “Our original policy that was in place from earlier planning was completely different,” Backer said. “It was based on the assumption that it would begin overseas, that we would have information on severity before it got here, and the plan was to close all schools at once when it got to the state.”
Instead, the virus started in our own backyard and the severity was unclear, “so we adopted a modified policy of indi-vidual school closures,” Backer said.
He added that the agency was “aggressive in school closures in the beginning” and then backed off when it became evident that widespread closures may not be necessary. “We were fast in arriving at a policy and implementing it quickly,” he said. “We do understand that there is a huge burden on the community when kids are not in school. The important thing is that in public health, interventions are always a balance between benefit and unintended consequences,” Backer said.
The messageWith the h1n1 virus in the south state and spreading, and the number of school closures growing daily, the message put out by public health departments and filtered down to schools was three-fold: wash your hands, cover your cough and don’t come to school or work if you are sick.
The message was right on target, experts agreed.
“The messages were consistent, and that was a total suc-cess,” said Goobanoff. “Schools should use these procedures all the time. If they just make it standard procedure, it would limit any kind of illness transmission.”
According to Linda Davis-Alldritt, school nurse consultant for California’s Department of Education, it was aggressive planning with the Department of Public Health beginning in 2005, and table-top exercises and Web casts shared with local districts about proper pandemic response, that allowed things to run smoothly.
“We were all speaking the same language. We understood each other,” she said. “We were able to get information out in a timely manner, update our Web site and quickly make links to new information available. We also, through the (state) superin-tendent’s e-mail system, got messages out to all districts and coun-ties, and we used that system during the height of the outbreak.”
Fiscal impactsThe nearly 40 school closures statewide related to the h1n1 virus did have something of an impact on districts’ bottom lines. However, in August, Education Secretary Arne Duncan announced that schools will get help paying for the costs of cop-ing with the flu from $260 million in federal money distributed to communities.
Visalia Unified School District had a single school closed for 3 1/2 days. Fortunately, the closure was ordered after Period 2 attendance reporting had been turned in, said Christine Statton, chief financial officer and a member of casbo’s Financial Ser-vices r&d Committee, minimizing the potential fiscal impacts.
Statton reminded fellow cbos that had the closure occurred prior to Period 2 reporting, the district would have to file for an attendance accounting exemption from the state. If the closure occurs after the Period 2 reporting, the waiver is not required for attendance purposes, but likely should still be considered for instructional minutes reporting, she advised.
Fall 2009 | 45
cbos should also keep in mind that the exemption can be filed for one school or districtwide. A districtwide filing may be the way to go, Statton said, in case the district experiences higher than usual absence rates due to fear at sites that have not been ordered closed. “We had parents at other sites choosing not to send kids for three or four days,” Statton said.
A dip in districtwide attendance numbers can impact some funding mechanisms that are based on annual attendance, such as lottery funding, she reminded.
At Berkeley Unified School District, casbo member Javetta Cleveland, deputy superintendent, business services, noted a few ways the district was affected financially during the two-day closure of an elementary school.
Take, for example, the topic of employee pay. Teachers were paid despite the closure, but hourly employees who were released due to the closure were not paid. Other than a loss of service, Cleveland said there was no significant increase in costs or savings due to the school closure.
Transportation employees were also impacted. While at first busses were re-routed to leave the closed school out of the schedule, it was later decided that drivers should cover the route on the first day of closure to be sure all students had received
notice of the closure and were not waiting at their bus stop in the morning.
Having dealt with a closure, Cleveland has some advice to share with those who might face closures in the future. “Make sure you know what actions you are going to take before the incident happens. Communicate with all business departments and the sites, and then implement the closure professionally and expedite it well.”
A high school closure in San Marcos Unified School District where casbo member Gary Hamels is the assistant superin-tendent, business services, also raised some minor fiscal issues; nearly all were related to personnel.
While the closure was ordered for students on a Monday, arrangements with teachers who were expected to still come to work had to be handled. In agreement with the union, teachers returned to work on Tuesday, after custodians, with assistance from food services personnel, had cleaned the site.
The only real additional costs came in form of increased cleaning supplies, Hamels said.
San Marcos usd also saw an increase in absences in the days following the closure with absence rates nearly double the usual.
46 | California School Business
The recent pandemic is being hailed as an opportunity for awareness – and action.
PANDEMIC FLU REDUX
Polish your planFor years, districts and county offices have been told to put a specific pandemic response plan in place. The arrival of swine flu put those plans to the test in areas where school closures were ordered, and may have prompted those districts that never quite got around to formulating a plan to do so on the double.
The recent outbreak brought pandemic planning back into the headlines, Backer said. “This is helping us advance pandemic preparedness, which is generally useful for any large-scale emergency.”
In fact, the recent pandemic is being hailed as an opportu-nity for awareness – and action; an opportunity that shouldn’t be missed.
Don’t have a plan? “They are missing such an opportunity,” Goobanoff said of those agencies that don’t. “If they don’t take advantage of this opportunity right now, they are going to be doomed. They won’t be able to handle it, and they won’t re-cover,” she warned.
For districts that have a plan in place, let the pandemic serve as a warning to polish it up. “If you see a part of it that doesn’t work, make it work,” Goobanoff said.
“This is an excellent time to review your plan and to decide how to protect your employees, prevent the spread of the virus and to make sure that you have a connection with the local health department,” Backer added.
The pandemic dress rehearsal did dredge up a few issues that districts should add to their pandemic preparedness plans:• Assign a news monitor – with information on the virus and outbreak locations frequently changing, assign a single person in the district to monitor news coverage and public health Web sites.• Establish a policy that addresses illness among school board members. What happens if multiple members have the flu and a quorum cannot be present?• Create a plan in case school closures occur near or during the time of scheduled state testing, as was the case this year. Because state testing rules are restrictive, determining how to handle testing that is waylaid by an emergency is crucial, and changes to the schedule may require an application for a waiver from the state.
• Update your contact list and communication plan with cabinet-level employees. Then, be sure you have that contact information easily accessible. Reaching cabinet members was crucial in Berkeley usd when a school closure was ordered over a weekend. • Determine a policy for employees’ return to work. In some districts where schools were expected to be closed for a week or more, teachers left town. When schools re-open sooner than expected and some employees are out of town, will you handle employee absences as personal leave or vacation time? • Create a policy for employees whose school remains open, yet their children attend a school that has been closed. Address what kind of leave they will receive. • Decide how to best communicate about school closures with parents and employees. Closures often come swiftly and unexpectedly. Find out now how to manage instant alert phone messages which may have to be sent out to assorted stakehold-ers, and in multiple languages. Then, err on the side of over-communicating. • Review the established k-12 emergency plan checklists at the California Department of Education Web site and make sure your district’s safety plan is in alignment. • Start thinking now about establishing homeschooling plans including telephone or Web-based instruction.
Facing the flu seasonWhile the illness from this spring’s h1n1 virus was mild in most cases, health experts can’t say for sure what the virus will look like in the upcoming flu season. It all depends on if the virus mutates in coming months.
“Pay attention to what you are being told by public health departments,” Goobanoff advised. “Schools should not be making their own plans based on their own ideas. Coordinate with your county superintendent and public health at the county level.”
And keep tabs on updates from the Department of Edu-cation which is currently reviewing its response to the spring pandemic.
“We are going to take a hard look at what worked, and what didn’t work,” Davis-Alldritt said. “One of the things we learned is that we need a streamlined mechanism for schools to report confirmed cases and who was dismissing students and who wasn’t. But based on feedback we’ve had from county offices and districts, things went very smoothly.” z z z
Julie Phillips Randles is a freelance writer based in Roseville, Calif.
48 | California School Business
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Fall 2009 | 49
out&about
Please send in your Out & About photos from CASBO events along with the names of the people in the photos and the event where the photo was taken. Digital photos may be sent to [email protected].
Fall 2009 | 49
(l-r) Marilyn Cleveland, attorney, Miller, Brown & Dannis; and CASBO President-Elect Renee Hendrick, executive director, business services, Orange County Departmentof Education, pictured before the June board meeting in Sacramento.
(l-r) Members of the Council on Professional Development, Herb Calderon, interim superintendent, Victor Valley Union High School District; and Margie Brown, assistant superintendent, facilities development, San Ramon Valley Unified School District, pictured at the CPD May planning meeting in San Diego.
Strategic Planning Implementation Team leaders (l-r) Art Schmitt, G. Wayne Oetken, Georgene Neher, Jeannie Goobanoff, Tish Koch (strategic plan facilitator), Michelle Fort Mer-rill, Gary Pickavet and Todd Butcher (standing) meet at the CASBO office in May.
The Professional Development Committee and CASBO staff gather at the May PDC planning meeting in San Diego. (Front row l-r) Erika Sizemore, Christina Aragon, Brenda Boothe, Jodi Jackson and Molly McGee-Hewitt; (back row l-r) Tish Koch, Brian Lewis, Michael Johnston, Tim Zearley, Steve Bolman and Vincent Christakos.
Taking a break from the Associate Member Committee Meeting in Sacramento in June are (l-r) Raelene Walker, fringe benefit consultant, American Fidelity Assurance Co. Educational Services Division; Sean Baum, senior accountexecutive, Vangard Concepts Offices; and Janet Kendrick, Central California area manager, American Fidelity Assurance Co. Educational Services Division.
50 | California School Business
CASBO book club
Book pickshows leadership can come fromall levels
For fall, the CASBO Book Club selection is
“The 360 Degree Leader: Developing Your
Influence from Anywhere in the Organiza-
tion,” by John C. Maxwell.
Maxwell, who has
been teaching
leadership for
30 years, in this
book seeks to
answer the
question “How
do I apply
leadership
principles if
I am not the
boss?” He suggests that you
don’t have to be the “main leader” to
have an impact on an organization.
In fact, Maxwell contends that good
leaders cannot only lead their defined
followers, but can learn how to lead their
superiors and their peers. He uses this
book to present specific principles for
what he calls “leading down, leading up
and leading across.”
Real-life stories and analogies are used
to illustrate Maxwell’s principles, and each
section of the book contains questions
leaders should be asking themselves in
order to improve their performance.
By applying the principles put forth in the
book, Maxwell asserts that readers will
expand their influence and ultimately
become a more valuable team member.
“The 360 Degree Leader” was voted best
business book of the year by Soundview
Executive Book Summary subscribers. Join
your CASBO colleagues in learning how to
lead effectively, regardless of your position.
Fall 2009 | 51
firstperson
sudo
ku
answers on page 57
Daily, I hear from casbo members
about how the current fiscal crisis has impacted almost every aspect of their professional lives. You have to lay off key personnel, assume additional job duties and responsibilities, lose valuable services or tools needed to do your job, and professional development training has been eliminated from your budgets. Doing more with less has become the norm, rather than the exception.
Our members are the backbone of the California public schools. You keep school districts, county offices of educa-tion and other educational agencies op-erating. Facilities are open, maintained, and managed. Students have access to materials, food services, health services and transportation. Teachers can teach because the tools and facilities they need are ready for them. You and I know this, but what about the rest of the educational community and general public?
My work with c a s b o and my history in public education give me a unique perspective. I began my career in education as a classified employee, later worked as a classroom teacher and as a district office administrator. I even served on a school board for a period of time. I believe in public education and I believe in the people who make it pos-sible. At the same time, I have seen evi-dence of the divide between the business and the instructional sides. I have never understood the divide or the lack of re-spect that seems to accompany it. Teach-ing is a noble profession. School business
CASBO ProfessionalDevelopment…youradvantage in critical times
management is a noble profession as well. One does not trump the other, and in order to serve children we must work in tandem with cooperation and respect. World-class schools demand world-class professionals at all levels.
With that in mind, our members face many challenges. Just as teachers need continuing education to empower them to meet student needs, our members need professional development to enable them to provide their services with efficiency and excellence. Continuing education is not a frill. It is a necessity.
casbo recognizes that the current fiscal crisis will not last forever. We will
recover. The professionals who have weathered this storm and continued their education and training will be in the forefront. casbo’s goal is for every mem-ber, at all levels of school business, to be recognized as outstanding professionals with excellent training and preparation for their jobs. casbo members are dedi-cated professionals who will enable both sides of the educational house to weather the current economy and prepare for suc-cess in the future.
casbo Professional Development is your advantage in critical times. We stand with you and for you.
Molly McGee-Hewitt, CAE
CASBO Assistant Executive Director, Professional Development
52 | California School Business
With budget restrictions growing tighter,now is the time to look to PARS for cost-savingretirement plans to achieve fiscal savings while
helping you drive resources back to the classroom.
Contact us today and let us develop one for you!
Drivingresources
to theclassroom
800.540.6369 ext 127www.pars.org
© 2008 Public Agency Retirement Services (PARS). All rights reserved
� Retirement Incentives � CSBA GASB 45 Solutions Program� Alternatives to Social Security
Fall 2009 | 53
The California School Boards Association, in association
with Piper Jaffray & Co., has partnered with the California
Association of School Business Officials, and enhanced the
Certificates of Participation program.
û Fixed and variable interest rate options
û Flexible prepayment provisions
û Capitalized interest
û Flexible repayment schedules
û Low cost of issuance
û Education Code 17406 financings
California School Boards Association 3100 Beacon Blvd. | West Sacramento, CA 95691 | 800.266.3382
Fall 2009 | 55
advertiserindex
403b Investment AdvisorsZUK Financial Group(888) 488-8480www.zukfinancial.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Accounting, Auditing & Financial ServicesKeenan & Associates(310) 212-0363www.keenanassoc.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Vavrinek, Trine, Day & Co LLP(909) 466-4410www.vtdcpa.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Vicenti, Lloyd + Stutzman LLP(626) 857-7300www.vlsllp.comPlease see our ad on pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 & 54
ArchitectsWLC Architects(909) 987-0909www.wlc-architects.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Bond CounselJones Hall(415) 391-5780www.joneshall.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Construction ManagementRoebbelen(916) 939-8319www.roebbelen.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
SGI Construction Management(626) 395-7474www.sgicm.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Consulting / AdvocacySchool Innovations & Advocacy(800) 487-9234www.sia-us.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Consulting ServicesGASB 45 Solutions(916) 371-4691www.csba.orgPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
School Services of CA, Inc.(916) 446-7517www.sscal.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Vicenti, Lloyd + Stutzman LLP(626) 857-7300www.vlsllp.comPlease see our ad on pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 & 54
Contractors / Construction ManagementBernards(818) 838-7923www.bernards.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Cooperative PurchasingThe Cooperative Purchasing Network(713) 744-8133www.tcpn.orgPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
U.S. Communitieswww.uscommunities.orgPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Drapes & BlindsAmerican Blinds & Draperies, Inc.(510) 489-4760www.americandrapes.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34-35
Emergency 24 Hour ServicesAmerican Technologies, Inc.(800) 400-9353www.amer-tech.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Eye CareVSP(800) 852-7600www.vsp.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Faucets and FittingsChicago Faucet Co.(847) 803-5000www.chicagofaucets.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Financial and Human Resource SoftwareSmartetools(760) 242-8890www.smartetools.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
56 | California School Business
advertiserindex
Windsor Management Group(888) 654-3293www.infinitevisions.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Financial Consulting ServicesPFM Financial Services(800) 891-7910www.casbo.orgPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Financial ServicesPiper Jaffray & Co.(800) 876-1854www.PJC.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 & 53
RBC Capital Markets(213) 362-4138www.rbccapitalmarkets.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Willdan(800) 424-9144www.willdan.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Stone & Youngberg LLC(800) 447-8663www.syllc.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Fire & Water Damage RestorationAmerican Technologies, Inc.(800) 400-9353www.amer-tech.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
FurnitureVirco Manufacturing Corp.(800) 813-4150www.virco.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Back Cover
Healthcare Services/InsuranceCalifornia’s Valued Trust(559) 437-2960www.cvtrust.orgPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Insurance ServicesASCIP(562) 403-4640www.ascip.orgPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Schools Excess Liability Fund (SELF)(916) 321-5300www.selfjpa.orgPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Self Insured Schools of CA (SISC)(800) 972-1727www.sisc.kern.orgPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
American Fidelity Assurance Co.(866) 523-1857www.afadvantage.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Janitorial Supplies & Maintenance EquipmentHillyard, Inc.(800) 365-1555www.hillyard.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Legal ServicesAtkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo(562) 653-3200www.aalrr.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Jones Hall(415) 391-5780www.joneshall.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Miller Brown & Dannis(562) 366-8500www.mbdlaw.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, LLP(413) 773-5494www.orrick.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Mandate ReimbursmentSchool Innovations & Advocacy(800) 487-9234www.sia-us.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Network Solutions & Servers & PC SolutionsSehi Computer Products, Inc.(800) 346-6315www.sehi.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
On-Demand Operations Management SoftwareSchoolDude.com(877) 868-8021www.schooldude.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Program ManagementCapital Program Management(916) 553-4400www.capitalpm.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Program/Construction ManagementSeville Construction Services(626) 204-0800www.sevillecs.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Public FinanceKNN Public Finance(510) 839-8200www.knninc.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
RBC Capital Markets(213) 362-4138www.rbccapitalmarkets.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Stone & Youngberg LLC(800) 447-8663www.syllc.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Rentals of Modular BuildingsMobile Modular(925) 606-9000www.mobilemodularrents.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Retirement BenefitsPublic Agency Retirement Service(800) 540-6369 #127www.pars.orgPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Risk Management ServicesSchools Excess Liability Fund (SELF)(916) 321-5300www.selfjpa.orgPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Roofing Systems and RepairThe Garland Company Inc.(800) 321-9336www.garlandco.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
School Bus Sales Service & PartsCreative Bus Sales(800) 326-2877www.creativebussales.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
School ConstructionNorthern California Carpenter’s Regional Council(510) 568-4788www.nccrc.orgPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Services/UtilitiesThe Southern California Gas Company(800) 427-6584www.socalgas.com/business/rebates/onBillFinancing.htmlPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
SoftwareEducational Resources(800) 852-8266www.edresources.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Student Information ServicesEagle Software(888) 487-7555www.aeries.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Student Safety SeatsC.E. White Company(239) 218-7078www.cewhite.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
TransportationTyler Technologies(800) 433-5530www.tylertech.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Wheelchair & Occupant Securement SystemsQ’straint(954) 986-6665www.qstraint.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Fall 2009 | 57
advertiserindex
sudoku from page 51
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C.E. White’s renowned Child Restraint Seat is available as an integral part of the new 3-point Student Safety Seat™. This double-duty design gives you safety and versatility.
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STUDENT SAFETY SEAT™
The California School Boards
Association partners with highly
qualified consultants to provide
districts/county offices with a
comprehensive one-stop, low cost
GASB 45 Solutions Program.
We have a GASB 45 compliant
and an Internal Revenue Service
approved Section 115 trust.
Sponsored by:
Piper Jaffray & Co.Public Agency Retirement Services (PARS)U.S. Bank Institutional TrustFAF AdvisorsCSBA and the California County Superintendents Educational Services Association1.800.266.3382 | www.csba.org
AD PAGE INDEXAmerican Blinds & Draperies, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34-35American Fidelity Assurance Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50American Technologies, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38ASCIP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50Bernards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48C.E. White Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57California’s Valued Trust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21Capital Program Management. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40Chicago Faucet Co.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16Creative Bus Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27Eagle Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Educational Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2GASB 45 Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57Hillyard, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55Jones Hall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47Keenan & Associates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29KNN Public Finance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39Miller Brown & Dannis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39Mobile Modular . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48Northern California Carpenter’s Regional Council . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, LLP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36PFM Financial Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59Piper Jaffray & Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 & 53Public Agency Retirement Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52Q’straint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10RBC Capital Markets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40Roebbelen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19School Innovations & Advocacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33School Services of CA, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23SchoolDude.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Schools Excess Liability Fund (SELF) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54Sehi Computer Products, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52Self Insured Schools of CA (SISC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39Seville Construction Services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45SGI Construction Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42Smartetools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22Stone & Youngberg LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14The Cooperative Purchasing Network. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4The Garland Company Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40The Southern California Gas Company. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7Tyler Technologies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24U.S. Communities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40Vavrinek, Trine, Day & Co LLP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24Vicenti, Lloyd + Stutzman LLP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 & 54Virco Manufacturing Corp.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Back CoverVSP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48Willdan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52Windsor Management Group. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11WLC Architects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55ZUK Financial Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
58 | California School Business
lastwords
© C
ASBO
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Until all of us have made it, none of us have made it.~ Rosemary Brown
My grandfather once told me that there were two kinds of people: those who do the work and those who take the credit. He told me to try to be in the first group. There is much less competition.~ Indira Gandhi
Nearly 22 million school days are lost annually due to the common cold alone.
Source: Centers for Disease Control
Approximate percentage of the U.S. population that attends or works in schools.
Source: U.S. Department of Education
22MILLION
In a time of drastic change it is the learners who inherit the future. The learned usually find themselves equipped to live in a world that no longer exists.~ Eric Hoffer
In 2007-08, 68.3 percent of public school students in California graduated, up from 67.7 percent last year. The adjusted four-year derived dropout rate for the same school year is 20.1 percent, down from 21.1 percent last year.
Source: California Department of Education
20%
68.3%
Fall 2009 | 59
Offered through PFM Financial Services LLC CO-SPONSORED BY CASBO AND ACSA
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