KeyPost - cdn.ymaws.com€¦ · desk jockey. I’ve always been one who was in-terested in the bright lights, but when I got there, it wasn’t really me. We live in a suburban area

1 | KEYPOST | APRIL 2017

The NJASBO Board of Trustees has approved the slate of officers for the 2017-2018 school year.

Susan F. Young, CPA, RSBA, SFO President

Susan F. Young will serve as NJASBO President for the 2017-2018 school year.

Susan has been the Business Administrator and Board Secretary for the Morris County Vocational School District since July 2010, but her career as a BA goes back

more than 19 years to Netcong School District, a small K-8 district. From there, Susan joined Morris School District as an Assistant BA/Assistant Board Secretary in January 2001; she became the BA/

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Where does the time go? When I began my tour as an NJASBO officer, I was getting my daughter ready to go off to college. In a blink the time has gone, and I just attended her college graduation. The past four years have flown by!

During the course of those four years – in what seems like an instant – my fellow officers and I have met and discussed so many issues and actions that we hope will improve our organization, New Jersey Association of School Business Officials.

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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE By Teri J. Weeks, CPA, RSBO, SFO IN THIS ISSUE:

PRESIDENTS MESSAGE

2017-2018 SLATE OF OFFICERS

BEHIND THE BA

GOVERNOR TO LEGISLATURE: 100 DAYS

LEARNING TO SHARE

NJASBO MEMBERS GIVE BACK

EDUCATIONAL CHANGE USING BUSINESS TOOLS

2017-2018 NJASBO SLATE OF OFFICERSBoard Secretary in January 2003.

Susan’s career also has included both private and non-profit sector positions. She began her pro-fessional career as a Federal Tax Accountant and Assistant Vice President Corporate Audit at Ben-eficial Management Corporation, where she was for 14 years. Additionally, she was the Director of Strategic Planning and Chief Financial Officer for the Waterloo Foundation for the Arts for several years.

Susan earned a BS in Accounting from Montclair State University and an MBA in Finance from Fair-leigh Dickinson University. A Registered School Business Administrator, a Certified Public Accoun-tant, and a Certified Fraud Examiner, Susan be-came a Certified Administrator of School Finance and Operations in 2014.


expand and improve our offerings. Our conference sessions are designed to provide diverse educational topics to meet the current, and ever-changing, demands of school business. During the year, the sessions provide you with pertinent information to keep you up-to-date on pressing issues. You are on the front lines dealing with the issues every day, please reach out to John or Michelle if you come across a topic to add!

The feedback we receive from you – our members – is most important. You are a part of our team, and this is your organization. We hope that with your valued input – and the collaboration of my fellow officers – we will continue to move our organization even further down the path of successful school business leadership.

Thank you all for your support and wisdom.

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The business of School Business Administration is complex and full of challenges. Assisting our members and supporting their efforts to become effective financial leaders in their districts drives this organization every day – and will continue to do so, into the future.

Using technology to assist our members is at the forefront of our agenda. Providing connections to materials and the means to communicate with each other through the NJASBO website remains a priority. That communication and information access is a vital aspect of the NJASBO support system in place for you. Together – with NJASBO staff support – we will move forward on this agenda.

Our efforts to provide a more relevant organization to you also means providing opportunities for professional development. We will continue to

BEHIND THE BA – DOUG PECHANEC West Morris Regional High School District

Doug Pechanec is a Kansas farm boy who thought the bright lights of the big city was what he wanted. He discovered, however, that once a farm boy, always a farm boy, and loves the suburban/rural area where he lives; and yes, he does have a John Deere tractor.

Doug started his career in New Jersey schools when he left the world of banking and joined the Ramapo-Indian Hill Regional High School District as the Assistant Business Administrator. This was after he got his MBA from Rutgers University in 1993. In 1997, he joined West Morris Regional High School District and has been there ever since.

He likes to build things, take care of home projects and putter in his vegetable garden. Doug said he always has wanted to be like his Dad, with a strong work ethic. His Dad still is an active farmer at the age of 82.


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BEHIND THE BAcontinued from page 2

up in farming. Dad is 82 and still farming. He’s out there every day with the cattle, cutting and baling hay, cultivating the fields. He’s very active. I love my job, but I still get a little concerned that I’m a desk jockey. I’ve always been one who was in-terested in the bright lights, but when I got there, it wasn’t really me. We live in a suburban area that is very rural with cows and corn fields. I fit in pretty well.

Do you have a favorite book? What is it and why?I like to read. I define a “favorite” as one I’ve read twice. I guess it might be one I read called “Mere Christianity” by C.S. Lewis. It was very enlight-ening, and made you think about life and where does “goodness” come from. The idea that you wouldn’t harm someone else – where does that come from? He says there is an inherent idea of being good. I think there are at least three sides to every story – I’m getting my stepdaughter to read it. I want to hear her perspective.

Being a BA can be stressful, how do you relax?My outlet is to build something, fix something, or go out to the vegetable garden. I love to work

Listen in as we talk to Doug!

What was your first job? What was the most important thing you learned?My first job was as a farm hand. I grew up on a farm in Kansas – you didn’t have to be an intern for that job. But I did get paid. Farming is a good life. When you grow up on a farm, you work. So, I think the most important thing I learned was how to get things done.

You have been with West Morris Regional High School District for 20 years. What keeps you there?It is a great place to work. My mentor was Dave Rinderknecht and he used to say, “Every day is different and you will never be bored.” He was right. Yes, there are a lot of routine tasks that you have to do, but then suddenly there will be some-thing new or different – a new superintendent, new board members – they always bring some-thing different to the mix. West Morris Regional is a great place. If a place is toxic, you don’t want to be there, but this place always is positive. And it always comes down to this: At the end of the year, we graduate kids out into the world. It always comes down to the students, and doing what is best for them, in the end.

Before you were a BA, you were a banker – what was your role?I watched the money. You gotta watch the money! I was in customer service and I was an assistant branch manager in a small local bank. I got my master’s degree while I was at the bank. I went to school at night and they paid for it. Everyone needs a bean counter and you can’t go wrong if you are keeping track of the money.

When you were a small child, what did you want to be when you grew up?I wanted to be just like my Dad. He is a farmer, but he could have done anything. But I didn’t end

Donna Pechanec, Doug’s wife with his Dad’s tractor


on old vehicles. I find that my mind can solve the problems of the world when I’m turning a wrench.

If we were talking to your best friend, what would he or she say about you?I actually did a survey for this. I asked four peo-ple: my wife, my sister, a friend (a former BA) and my secretary. I asked them what they thought personally and professionally. Professionally, my wife said I was “steady” which I think is a pretty good thing. Stability is a good thing, especially for a school district. You need stability to provide a good environment for growth. My secretary said I was consistently fair - I am very consistent in saying “no”. She said that on the personal side, I can be charming, when I want to be. My sister said I am a hard worker, a good conversationalist (the editor agrees), and I am kind-hearted, most of the time. My buddy Anthony del Sordi said I am an efficient and effective administrator. He also said I am a survivor, for how else would I still be in this job after 20 years?

What advice do you like to give new BAs?Mr. del Sordi was a BA for more than 30 years. He’s retired now, (poor guy is still talking about the business, we talk on a regular basis) but he told me once that you have to remember that every-thing is personal. If you look far down into some-thing – actions someone has taken, etc. – you’ll find out that the decision was made for a personal reason. Everything is personal.

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What’s the most resonant piece of advice you’ve ever received, and from whom?Dave Rinderknecht told me early on, “Make every one of your decisions as if you are in a court-room.” He was right. I always ask myself ques-tions when I interact with other people and when I make decisions: Am I telling the truth, do I have all of the facts? I love Perry Mason. I think to myself, what would Perry Mason do?

Tell us about your involvement with NJASBO? In what way is NJASBO most helpful to you?I’ve been on the Executive Committee – that was about five years, because you go through all of the steps. I’ve also been on the Membership Committee (no longer exists). I think I may have been on the Budget and Technology Committees, too. It’s a good place to be involved. NJASBO and Morris County ASBO and the colleagues I have there have all been so helpful to me in learning my craft and learning to be good at it. In particular, is Marlene Wendolowski, who was the county BA when I began at WMR. Her calm and professional demeanor guided me in those early days in the BA seat. Part of it is personality, but there are so many things to learn and these people have helped me so much. Morris County ASBO is a group of people almost like family, but you don’t have to go to Thanksgiving dinner with them.

Have you ever done anything where afterwards you said, “Wow, I can’t believe I did that!”?Reflectively, I wonder how did I end up in New Jersey??


GOVERNOR TO LEGISLATURE – “YOU HAVE 100 DAYS” By John F. Donahue

What the heck is our Governor thinking? He froze state aid to school districts again, after threatening to put in place his “Fair Funding” formula that wasn’t fair; for that matter it wasn’t legal either. His idea of providing fair funding was to give every district the

same amount of money per child without regard for the local district’s wealth. His idea certainly was welcomed by districts that have high property wealth and receive little to nothing in equalization aid. It would have been a bonanza to those local taxpayers at a devastating loss to less wealthy communities and the children who live there.

So Governor Christie challenges the State Legis-lature to come up with a better way of distributing school aid, or he threatens he will come up with something before he leaves office. He gave them 100 days to do so, which makes the deadline on or about the first day of our June Conference. I’m thinking about asking State Senate President Sweeney to make the announcement at our Wednesday luncheon. I think we should be the first to hear what they will recommend!

Since the Governor’s 100-day challenge made news, I have heard from, talked to, overheard, and read comment after comment from Legislators, State Associations, our members, and my friends wanting to know what this challenge really means. What it means is that our Governor has no clue how our funding formula works. What it means is that our Governor deflects to other issues and avoids admitting that our problem is not the formula. Everyone, including the Governor, knows the State has failed since 2010 to fund a school aid formula that it just can’t afford.

Ok, before you throw stones, the formula and its bedrock – the “adequacy budget” – are not per-fect, but they do represent the State’s best attempt in years to address the needs of our school popu-lations and the ability of our taxpayers to provide

local support. School funding formulas have not and cannot address the principles of fairness and equity in the first year of implementation. It takes five or more years to get to that. That’s the problem! We gave CEIFA and SFRA one year of support, and then ignored both laws after that first year. We could use a current look at our formula; but more than that would be a committed effort to fund the law for more than just one year.

If you understand our funding formula, you know that local property and income factors (wealth) drive a district’s right to the biggest chunk of state support – equalization aid. And that is all driven by the hypothetical construct we refer to as the adequacy budget. We could start by evaluating the merits of all those elements that make up the adequacy budget including salaries, benefits, supplies, utilities, etc. The weighting factors for funding special populations needs a fresh look. Special education funding from the state and fed-eral government are woefully short of meeting the needs of our children. We all know how special education costs are crowding out regular educa-tion programs.

School budgets have increased in every district in the State of New Jersey since the enactment of the School Funding Reform Act of 2008, along with local tax support to cover increased cost. What has not increased is state aid. The political spin every year is that the state increases the total amount of school aid by a few dollars so it can claim that funding is at “unprecedented” levels. A dollar more is a dollar more.

So in 100 days, we can examine all of the above. We can tweak here and modify there, but the bottom line is that we have to grow our economy to support the level of educational quality and excellence we have come to enjoy. Otherwise, we will end up redistributing the same pot of mon-ey that hasn’t changed in eight years in spite of enrollment and local wealth characteristics. Unfor-tunately, that is what I expect will happen, and that means hold harmless funding and the volume of aid to urban districts will be under great scrutiny.


LEARNING TO SHARE By Corey J. Lowell, SFO

The shared Superintendent and shared Business Administrator (BA) arrangements have intrigued me for some time. On one hand, districts could save money. On the other hand, I saw it as a way for individual administrators to increase their salary during a time of salary caps and 2% levy caps. As fortune would have it, I was presented with an opportunity to work a bit closer to home and be a shared BA between two school districts.

The Shore Regional High School District com-prises Monmouth Beach, Oceanport, Sea Bright, and West Long Branch. I am employed by Shore Regional and shared with West Long Branch, a nearby K-8 district. This was fully disclosed during the interview, and I welcomed the challenge. I must admit, I prepared more for the interview by Shore and was not as well prepared for questions about West Long Branch.

Keeping it All StraightActually, there is a great deal of sharing in the district. My Superintendent is employed by Shore Regional and shared with West Long Branch and Oceanport School District. The following positions also are employed by Shore Regional: the Director of Curriculum is shared with Monmouth Beach, Oceanport, and West Long Branch; the Director of Guidance is shared with West Long Branch; the Director of Transportation is shared with Monmouth Beach, Oceanport, and West Long Branch; the Assistant Business Administrator is shared with Interlaken; the payroll clerk is shared with West Long Branch; and the Director of Security is shared with West Long Branch and Oceanport. The Director of Special Services, however, is employed by West Long Branch and shared with Shore Regional. I have a spreadsheet to keep it straight and make sure everyone is paying the agreed-upon share. My administrative assistant (shared with the Superintendent) does an excellent job keeping all the shared service agreements current.

Because so many administrators and other staff overlap between my two districts, standardizing certain processes, procedures, and forms has

been fairly easy to accomplish. At administrative council meetings from week-to-week, I feel like I’m repeating myself when I talk about budgets or staffing – which I am – except that there’s a slightly different audience each week because the buildings have different principals. I am grateful that the financial software is the same in both dis-tricts, so the terminology and technical aspects of building budgets are translated easily.

Splitting Out the TimeI try to split my time fairly evenly between both districts, but some weeks just don’t work out that way. I have at least four nights out per month with committee meetings and board meetings, but both boards are very supportive of administration and the shared arrangement. The tricky part has been in trying to synch-up committee member sched-ules for negotiations with both districts – never mind remembering what’s in each of the collective bargaining agreements!

Luckily, Shore Regional does not have any major projects planned. We will be renovating the culi-nary arts lab and may be replacing some exterior doors this summer. The West Long Branch School District is in the middle of an $8 million referen-dum project to remove asbestos floor tiles and install new, energy-efficient HVAC systems. It has been interesting trying to get up-to-speed in the middle of the project, but the construction man-ager and architect have been very helpful. The project should be complete by the end of summer 2017. It is going to be a great summer!

Positive ExperienceAs I’m finishing my first school year with the two districts, I have to say the experience has been a very positive one so far. I think two districts is doable – especially with the same superintendent. Each district must understand that they don’t have you 100 percent of the time. Both Shore Regional and West Long Branch really do understand, especially given the myriad of shared services both districts presently enjoy.

Corey J. Lowell, SFO, is the Business Administra-tor/Board Secretary for the Shore Regional High School District. She can be reached at [email protected].


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In addition to being a member of NJASBO, Susan has held several positions of authority with the Morris County Association of School Business Administrators, including President, Past President, Treasurer and Secretary. She is a member of the Morris Essex Insurance Group, where she is a Trustee, and the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.

Susan lives in Ledgewood, NJ, and enjoys trav-eling, reading, biking, watersports and spending time with her children and grandchildren.

Teri J. Weeks, CPA, RSBO, SFO Immediate Past President

Teri J. Weeks, Business Administrator and Board Secretary for the Linwood Board of Education, will serve as Immediate Past President for the 2017-2018 school year.

Teri has been with the Linwood Board of Education – a K-8 district in Atlantic

County – since 1997. During Teri’s tenure in Linwood, the district began a successful shared services arrangement – to combat financial constraints – with the neighboring high school for Superintendent and Facility Manager positions.

She has been a Certified Administrator of School Finance and Operations (SFO) since April 2011. A CPA, Teri earned a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Stockton College in Pomona, NJ.

Prior to joining the Linwood district, Teri was an auditor at Ford, Scott, Seidenburg & Kennedy in Ocean City, NJ. She currently is Treasurer for the Mainland Youth Lacrosse Club and a past Treasurer for the Atlantic County CPA Society.

Teri and husband of more than 20 years, Eric, and their two children, Erica and Nevin, live in Linwood.

Matthew A. Clarke President-ElectMatthew A. Clarke is serving as NJASBO President-Elect for the 2017-2018 school year.

Matt has been in school busi-ness administration for more than 20 years, and has been

the Business Administrator/Board Secretary at the Springfield Board of Education since November 2002.

Prior to joining Springfield, he was the Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Business Operations for the Owensboro Public Schools in Kentucky from 1999 until 2002. He began his career in school administration with the Scotch Plains Fanwood Board of Education in 1993, as the Assistant BA; he became the Business Administrator/Board Secretary in 1997.

Before becoming a School Business Administrator, Matt spent five years in the private sector as a Mortgage Service Representative and an Assis-tant Vice President at Haven Savings Bank.

In addition to being a member of NJASBO’s Board of Trustees, Matt has been a member of numerous committees including Legislative Network, Tech-nology, Specifications & Purchasing, and Budget/Finance. Matt is a previous recipient of NJASBO’s Above & Beyond Award.

He has held several leadership positions with the Union County Association of School Business Officials, including two terms each as Secretary, Vice President and President; he also is a member of ASBO International.

Matt received his BA from Lycoming College. He has held a New Jersey School Business Adminis-trator Certificate since 1998, and is a New Jersey Qualified Purchasing Agent.

Matt and wife Gayle have been married for 27 years and have three children, Samantha, Wyatt and Tabitha.


a School Administrator. Diane presently is in her dissertation phase for her doctorate in Organiza-tional Leadership with a K-12 Education Focus from Grand Canyon University.

Diane lives in Cape May Court House with her husband Rodney and two children, Charles and Jennifer. Diane’s other daughter Elizabeth, hus-band and two grandchildren live near by, so there never is a dull moment in the Fox household.

Philip H. Nisonoff, Ed.D. Second Vice PresidentPhilip H. Nisonoff, Ed.D., Assistant Superintendent of Schools and Business Admin-istrator/Board Secretary for the Emerson Board of Educa-tion, will serve as Second Vice President for the 2017-2018 school year.

Philip first joined Emerson in 1994; he served as Interim Superintendent of Schools from December 2011 until June 2013. He also has been the Treasurer of School Moneys for the Demarest Board of Education since September 2001, and the Treasurer of the South Bergen Workers Compensation Pool since July 2015.

Before joining Emerson, Philip was a mathematics teacher, coordinator of management information systems, and a Business Administrator intern at the Galloway Township Board of Education from 1989 until 1994. He spent two years at South River High School (1987-1989) as a mathematics and computer science teacher.

Philip also was an Adjunct Instructor of School Finance, GSE Educational Administration Masters Program at Fordham University Graduate School of Education.

He holds a doctorate in education from Fordham University and a masters in Educational Admin-istration/School Business Administration from Kean College Graduate School of Education. His

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Diane S. Fox, CPA First Vice PresidentMiddle Township Board of Education Business Adminis-trator/Board Secretary Diane S. Fox is serving as NJASBO First Vice President for the 2017-2018 school year.

Diane has been the BA for Middle Township since June 2012. But that was not her first time in Mid-dle Township. Diane served as the Fiscal Officer for the District earlier in her career, from 2000 to 2004.

Diane spent eight years (2004 – 2012) with the Cape May County Special Services School Dis-trict, where she originally was the Assistant Busi-ness Administrator responsible for performing all of the Business Administrator duties for the West Cape May Board of Education. After three years, Diane became the Business Administrator/Board Secretary for the District.

Diane’s career also includes private industry. She spent 11 years as a managing partner with Adams, Fox & Company, P.C. (formerly Robert H. Adams, CPA). Diane also spent three years at Atlantic Electric (now Conectiv) in accounts payable and plant accounting. Additionally, Diane spent three summers (1992, 1993, and 1994) as the general manager of the Summer Place Restaurant, were she was responsible for personnel management, ordering product, and all aspects of bookkeeping and internal control.

In addition to being a trustee for NJASBO and Past President of the Cape May County ASBO, Diane also is a member of ASBO International, NJSCPA, and AICPA.

Diane received her BS in Accounting from Stock-ton State College (now Stockton University.) After encouragement from fellow BAs, she went on for her master’s degree in Educational leadership from Thomas Edison State College. She now holds not only her CPA certificate and Business Administrator Certification, but her certification as


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bachelor’s degree in mathematics is from Rutgers University.

For NJASBO, Philip is a past Chairman of the Legislative Committee and is a certified School Business Administrator Mentor. He is a past pres-ident of the Bergen County Association of School Business Officials and a former Executive Director of the Bergen County Banking Consortium. Philip was appointed by Governor John Corzine to serve as a commissioner of the New Jersey Special Education Review Commission for 2006-2007. He has been a member of the Board of Directors of the South Bergen Workman’s Compensation Pool since 1998.


Philip is a past recipient of the Bergen County ASBO’s Meritorious Service Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Profession, and its Distinguished Service Award in Recognition of Outstanding Leadership and Contributions to Education. He also has been the recipient of NJASBO’s Meritorious Service Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Profession, and the Distinguished Service Award in Recognition of Distinguished Service to the Emerson School District.

Philip resides in Emerson with his wife Jennifer and four children: Tyler, Hunter, Spencer and Sophie.

NJASBO MEMBERS GIVING BACK TO THEIR COMMUNITIESWe always suspected that NJASBO members were committed to their communities, generous with their time, and dedicated to many causes and organizations. Now we know this is true!

Just one email request from Executive Director John Donahue generated an avalanche of infor-mation. So, this is the first in a series of articles highlighting how YOU are giving back!

Sports, Recreation, and YouthAlan Walker of Tomorrow’s Office and President of NJASBO’s Associated Business Members (ABM) Executive Committee currently is the Vice Chairman of the Freehold Township Recreation Commission; next year Alan will be Chairman. He said the Board of Commissioners’ responsibilities

include formulating plans for the development, improvement, maintenance and use of Town-ship-owned public park and playground lands.

Within the last 12 months, Alan said the Board oversaw the construction of, and dedicated, an integrated playground that accommodates the needs of children of all levels of physical and intel-lectual abilities called “My Playground” (see photo below).

Recreation and sports also are important to David DiPisa, Lyndhurst Board of Education, and William Albert, Hanover Park Regional High School District. Both of these BAs have spent a lot of time as coaches.


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David has been a volunteer coach in Lyndhurst for more than 36 years – since he was 18 years old. He has coached junior football, Little League baseball, girls softball, and boys and girls basket-ball in a Recreation League. William also coaches girls basketball. He spent this past winter coach-ing his daughter’s fifth- ad sixth-grade teams. William proudly notes that the team went 11-0 and won the championship.

But William works with another team, too. His son is a member of the Mount Olive Robotics Team – the Beta team – and William volunteers his time with them as well. He said they recently qualified for the first Championship, held in in St. Louis, after finishing 10th at the Mid-Atlantic Regional at Lehigh University.

It is not surprising that working with youth, and organizations which support them, is important to NJASBO members.

Vincent Gonnella, for example, is not just the BA for Kenilworth Public Schools, he also has served as the Committee Chairperson for Troop 2 Boy Scouts in West Orange since 2010. The photo above is of him and his son Anthony, who is now an Eagle Scout.

The CEO of LAN Associates, Ron Panicucci, another ABM, has been a charter member and of-ficer with the North Haledon Education Foundation

(NHEF) for more than 20 years. Ron has spear-headed dozens of art auctions, circuses, 5ks, and other assorted fundraisers for the district. Over the years, the NHEF has issued more than $250,000 in grants to the school district (photo below). Ron was asked to be part of the initial startup of the Foundation in 1995, and has never left. His orig-inal involvement was because his daughter was entering the school system and he had demon-strated an interest in activities at the school. He has maintained his support continuously, as a founding member.

Church and Religious OrganizationsNJASBO members also devote considerable time to various religious organizations.

Monmouth Regional High School BA Maria Parry, for example is a Eucharistic Minister, and per-forms volunteer work at St. Rose Church in Bel-mar. She currently is the treasurer for the Rosary & Altar Society there, and is a past president. Maria is the board secretary for the St. Rose Grammar School Board, and a member of the St. Vincent de Paul Society. She also makes Chris-tening bibs.

Additionally, Maria has been the coordinator of the Charities Committee for Monmouth County ASBO since 2001, making annual collections for Lunch Break, Monmouth County SPCA, and the Ameri-can Heart Association.

Diane Fox, Middle Township Public Schools BA, serves on her Parish Finance Council. She has


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been a member of the Parish for nearly 50 years, is involved with the youth organizations, and serves as a substitute CCD teacher. “I feel it is im-portant to give our youth a basis in religion,” said Diane, “so they can have a reference point from which to make decisions later in life.”

Emergency ServicesBAs are used to putting out fires figuratively, but Judson Moore – BA and Board Secretary for Wildwood Crest School District and West Wild-wood School District – puts them out literally!

Jud has been volunteering as a firefighter for more than 45 years. He served as Fire Chief for four years with the Port Elizabeth Fire Co. in Cumber-land County. During 2014-2016, he was elected President of the New Jersey State Fire Chief’s Association for a two-year term.

His activities are not limited to fighting fires though, Jud also served as Mayor of his hometown of Commercial Township during 2014-2016. He volunteers regularly for his church “Cumberland County Community Church” in leading the prayer, bible reading and ushering during morning services, and has volunteered to serve as an Elder of the Church.

Deptford Township Board of Education’s Assis-tant Business Administrator Kelly Brazelton has been an Emergency Medical Technician since 1999 – first as a volunteer and then working with Deptford Township EMS from 2004 through 2013. Kelly would work 40 hours in the district and then

would do 8- to 12-hour shifts at night and week-ends to help out the residents of Deptford. “During Hurricanes Sandy and Irene, I spent multiple days away from my family, sleeping at the station to get vital medications and power to residents in need and transporting them to medical facilities when necessary,” explained Kelly.

Kelly also serves as a trustee for the Gloucester County Hero Scholarship Fund Inc, which rais-es money for emergency personnel (Fire, EMS, Police) who are killed or injured in the line of duty; it also provides college funds to their children. She said the organization awards multiple scholarships to the children of Emergency Personnel who are pursuing education after high school.

Additionally, Kelly and three other women have started an organization called Deptford Township Police Department Families (DTPDF). As the wives of Law Enforcement Officers, Kelly and her colleagues found it difficult to handle the stresses and increasing danger their spouses faced on a daily basis.

“With the number of Police Officers being target-ed,” said Kelly, “we banded together to form a support system for one another and our children. We have sent hundreds of bereavements cards to families and departments across the nation, who have lost Officers and K9s over the last two years.” Kelly said the group provides family events to Deptford Township Police Families, as well as “goodies” to the spouses during Police Week, inclement weather etc. “Many times our spous-es are working on holidays, during snow storms, hurricanes, etc., so we provide meals and coordi-nate donations from local businesses to help them feel loved while they are away. We also donate to other departments and families of officers in neighboring departments that are in need or going through tough times,” explained Kelly. “We are truly a family and I am so proud to have started something so great.”

That’s it for this issue – there will be more next time, because…you are a busy, devoted, commit-ted group!



EXPLORING EDUCATIONAL CHANGE THROUGH EVIDENCE-BASED MANAGEMENT AND TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT By Megan Pepe

The current state of the world is ever evolving; and so too, is the state of public education. There is a direct relationship between the function of public education and changes in our society and culture.

In recent years, such things as state and feder-al legislation, technology, and economics have influenced our evolution to a breakneck speed. Each day presents school administrators with a new challenge, adaptation requirement, or ob-stacle that must be recognized, evaluated, and overcome. All of these factors funnel to one thing: change. The ability to manage change is vital to the success of both the district as a whole, and the students whom the district serves.

Bridges exist between management practices in the corporate world and those that can be used in public education administration. Often, busi-ness practices are thought to only hold relevance within a business setting when profits are in play and competition is the basis for decision-making. But in many ways, public education is a business, although a non-profit one. Many of the tools and tricks associated with the boardroom of a Fortune 500 company also have a home in the central office of the local school.

In any leadership role, there are various options for management style. Public school administra-tion functions under a different set of influences and pressures. Yes, as in business, there are stakeholders who must be considered in deci-sion-making. But, unlike a for-profit business, public schools are funded exclusively by those stakeholders, and their pressure is constant and stringent. More than ever, the constantly evolving status of education and its delivery demands a more progressive approach.

When presented with a change, districts should consider employing business procedures such as Total Quality Management (TQM) and Evidence-

Based Management (EBM) to help in making decisions and enacting change effectively and efficiently. TQM evaluates current methodologies and protocols to establish efficiency and accuracy in outcome. EBM evaluates decisions in a scientific manner to optimize decision outcomes. EBM requires the evaluation of outside sources and researching best practices, as well as current practices, to identify factual support for making the decision.

Total Quality Management (TQM)The idea behind TQM is that better processes not only increase the quality of the product or service, but increases productivity in the long term. Effective use of TQM requires a structured approach for identifying a problem and evaluating the causes and the outcomes of the problem in order to effectively solve it. This concept often is applied in assembly lines with a defective end-product. The manager can go through each step in the assembly line and clearly identify what went wrong. Even if the end-product is not defective, the manager still can analyze the process to find ways to save time or money, and make a more efficient, clean process.

One of the shortcomings of TQM in business, which actually makes it better-suited for public education, is that the results are not immediate. TQM promotes learning over time for continuous improvement. This may not serve a business’ bottom line, but would serve a school district’s attempts to improve the quality of education and the functionality of the district as a whole. (Tort-Martorell et al. 2011)

Evidence-based ManagementEvidence-based Management dictates that all decisions are made based upon the results of associated research. The intention behind this style of management is to take into account the best available evidence for the decision being made, and to apply it before taking action. This practice should alleviate rash decision-making


EDUCATIONAL CHANGEcontinued from page 12

and help filter-out certain biases to which administrators are prone. It can be viewed as a more scientific approach to management.

According to Denise Rousseau of Carnegie Mellon University, “Evidence-based management derives principles from research evidence and translates them into practices that solve organizational problems.” It’s about taking a look at the deeper logic and utilizing the facts available to do your job more effectually. An administrator must be willing to face the hard facts of what works and what does not.

As school administrators, we constantly are making choices that have far reaching effects. We are the brokers of change and evolution. We are responsible for the success of our district, our staff, and our students. By taking the time

to incorporate structure and procedure in our decision-making, we can ensure we are making the best choices. Utilizing TQM and EBM can assist with this responsibility.

You may find this article has given a name to a practice you already employ, but if not, perhaps it has provided new tools to assist you in navigating the next difficult change in the district.

Megan S. Pepe, is the Assistant Business Administrator/Board Secretary for the Roxbury Public Schools and can be reached at 973-584-6099, ext. 5005.

ReferencesTort-Martorell, X., Grima, P., & Marco, L. (2011). Manage-ment by facts: The common ground between total quality management and evidence-based management. Total Quality Management & Business Excellence, 22(6), 599-618.

Rousseau, D. M. (2006). Is there such a thing as “evidence-based management”?. Academy of management review, 31(2), 256-269.

ANNUAL CONFERENCE — JUNE 6-9, 2017IT’S NOT TOO LATE TO REGISTER, BUT YOU’RE CUTTING IT CLOSE!

Here are a few highlights from the jam-packed schedule for the June 6-9 conference:

Several workshops on Sustainability that may help bring stability to your district, save tax dollars, and protect the environment:

• Sustainable Administration: Guiding Your Board, Steering Your Staff and Saving Dollars for Your District

• Environmentally Preferable Procurement (aka Green Purchasing) - sustainability is more than just recycling!

• E-Rate Survival - What You Need to Know for Success

• Energy Efficiency Program Opportunities for Public Schools- NJ Clean Energy Program

Also plan to attend sessions to gain practical advice from experts about Professional Liability, Audits, Negotiations, Tenure, and Board Voting Issues.

New this year from the Associate Business Members is a workshop for BAs & ABMs - Board Members are from Mars & BAs from Venus - Understanding Roles During the Procurement Process.

Go to the NJASBO website for details and register today!

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