President's Message - Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3)
Briefs June/July, 2015
President’s Message In This Issue
A few thoughts from President Chuck Zettergren
Institute Sponsors
2
CASBO Goes to DC
3
Legislative Update
4
2015 Celebrated SBO
5
Innovative Practices
7
Calendar of Events
9
2015 Rising Star
10
Volunteer Form
13
Our annual CASBO Institute was held in May at Interlaken Inn in Lakeville, CT. One of the goals of Institute this year, was to enable us to connect, collaborate, and build relationships together as colleagues within our CASBO organization. I believe we were successful in doing that. One of our own, Vin Masciana provided us his DJ services for entertainment after the President’s Dinner. Paul Timm gave us an outstanding presentation on school safety and security while DK Kornagay provided us with useful tools and tips for use in PowerPoint, Word, and Excel. What makes individuals and organizations successful, according to one of our speakers, Fred Schafer, is to imagine possibilities for the future fearlessly, limitlessly, and passionately. Then, boldly describe and declare that picture in writing to the best of your abilities. CASBO’s strategic plan is developed in much the same way. In order to accomplish the goals set forth in our strategic plan, we need our members to be involved in CASBO. I ask you to get involved with CASBO in some shape or form this year to move CASBO forward (see the enclosed form). On July 6, 2015 we had a Board conference call on the following topics: ♦
Shared Services Whitepaper – Board voted to accept the whitepaper with distribution to members to take place in the near future. Our thanks to Dick Huot and committee for the work performed on this project.
♦
Brainstorming meeting planned for August 4th regarding our Joint Conference with SNACT – November 6-7, 2015.
♦
Joint Conference with CCER – October 14, 2015. CCER is seeking CASBO’s input on potential topics and speakers.
♦
September 15, 2015 Board Meeting – Google training to enhance our working and collaborative capabilities.
♦
Goals & Volunteers - Volunteers are still being sought for the taskforces and for taskforce leaders.
♦
ASBO/AASA Legislative Conference - Dave Lenihan, Tashie Rosen and Sharon Bruce attended the conference in Washington, DC and had meetings set with Representatives Courtney, DeLauro, and Larson’s offices and Senator Murphy’s office. Topics discussed were ESEA reauthorization, Cadillac Tax, school nutrition issues, and the USDA rebid request.
We have an exciting year ahead of us and I look forward to working with all of you this year in accomplishing our goals. We have a dedicated and caring membership that has CASBO moving forward in the right direction and we want to capitalize on our positive momentum.
A Publication of the Connecticut Association of School Business Officials
Thank You to Our 2015 Institute Sponsors Platinum Sponsor AXA Advisors ConEdison Solutions East River Energy Voya Financial Gold Sponsor Coordinated Transportation Solutions Tyler Technologies Silver Sponsor The Gordian Group The Omni Group
2
CASBO Goes to Washington By David Lenihan Sharon, Tashie and I recently attended the Legislative Advocacy Conference in Washington D.C., July 7-9, 2015, co-sponsored by AASA (Superintendents) and ASBO. This gave us a great opportunity to educate ourselves on several important federal issues and provided us a chance to do a little lobbying in the halls of Congress. A summary of the key issues follows: Reauthorization of Elementary Secondary Education Act (ESEA): This act, which was originally passed in 1965 to provide federal guidance and some funding to ensure fair and equitable education across all states, has changed dramatically over the years. Earlier it provided the basis for NCLB and for the past 8 years has been subject to the use of waivers in place of comprehensive reauthorization. During our visit, there were bills in both the House and Senate being debated in an attempt to reauthorize this law and fix some of the concerns with NCLB. Neither of the bills is perfect but do provide a framework to get something done. Some issues of concern include: Title I portability (veiled attempt to implement vouchers); funding caps; and overall reliance on high stakes testing. We would like to see a comprehensive bill that removes funding caps, improves the Title I funding formula and provides more local control for running school systems, advancing student achievement and providing professional development. The House passed its bill on Thursday July 9 and the Senate is Continued on page 6
3
Legislative Update Greetings from David Lenihan, CASBO Legislative Liaison I wanted to provide you an update to my earlier email with respect to the 2015 legislative session. The legislature met in special session on June 29 to pass SB1502 (budget implementer bill). The final bill did keep the Education funding in place as noted below. However, as is often the case in implementer bills, certain "surprises" were added. These included: ♦
Pesticide legislation- Bans the use of pesticides on municipal playgrounds (areas dedicated and customarily used by children); requires that notice of any pesticide application be sent electronically at least 24 hours ahead of time, rather than by mail as current law requires; allows the use of registered microbial pesticides. Please note this bill did not expand the current ban for the use of pesticides beyond grades k-8. However, it is another example of incremental legislation that keeps adding a little each year.
♦
FMLA- Although the proposed changes for expanding FMLA were not included, language was added requiring the Labor Commissioner to establish a plan (by 10/1/15) to implement a paid FMLA program (i.e. allow employees to contribute a portion of wages to a paid plan).
Governor Malloy vetoed the following bills that had passed both the House and Senate, and the vetoes stood: ♦
SB 1056 (Reporting of Special Education Expenditures). This would have required the tracking and reporting expenditures for each child requiring SPED services.
♦
HB 6977 (Qualifications for Commissioner of Education). The governor wanted more flexibility than the initial bill required.
♦
HB 6796 (School Nurse Staffing). This would have required each BOE to maintain a staffing ratio of at least one school nurse for every 750 students in its schools district.
Please let me know if you have questions. Enjoy the rest of the Summer!
4
2015 Celebrated School Business Official! The 2015 Connecticut Celebrated School Business Official award was presented to Teri Yonsky, Business Manager of Bethel Public Schools. Superintendent, Dr. Christine Carver, nominated Teri. Below are excerpts from her nomination:
this transformation, the school lunch program was losing money due to poor quality of food and menu choices given legislative mandates. With the food service staff, Ms. Yonsky worked to expand the menu, institute gluten free and vegetarian options, increase food quality, institute a “tasting” program to get students to try new foods and develop food and nutrition programs for students. She has helped to
“It is my pleasure to nominate Teri Yonsky as the 2015 Celebrated School Business official. Ms. Yonsky has been the Director of Fiscal Services for the Bethel Public Schools since 2009. As the district’s business person, she has truly transformed the community perception of the Board of Education’s finances as being transparent and well managed. She was recently referred to as “Transparent Teri” by one of the most conservative taxpayer groups in Bethel. Ms. Yonsky has been able to develop this relationship through her ability to respond to questions and concerns from all Continued on page 8 stakeholder groups and the extensive work she has done to maximize efficiency of resources. She is very responsive to any taxpayer inquiry and answers all questions in a timely manner. Her prepared budget is very descriptive and provides detailed information regarding district expenditures. She frequently speaks at public events with the Superintendent and Board of Education to explain the budget. During the hearings and municipal meetings of the budgets, she can respond to any question asked. This is often due to the “homework” she does in trying to anticipate questions from the public. In addition, she has generated a list of questions and answers within the budget document (adding to it annually) which not only maintains a historical perspective of the district, but also serves as another layer of public transparency. It is due to the trust that Teri has established that she was able to work with the Board of Finance in establishing a 1% fund. Ms. Yonsky has impleWhat’s Your Emergency Response Plan? mented multiple strategies to keep benefits cost down. Through the negotiations process, Ms. Yonsky has moved all employees (effective July 1, 2015) to a high deWhat Do Over 500 Schools Know? ductible health care plan with a Health Savings Account. Ms. Yonsky has a very productive relationship with the First Selectman and Comptroller for the Town of Become a “Tier One Client” and Find Out! Bethel. They continue to work together to combine resources in the benefits area Emergencies: 877-JPMAGUIRE to maximize cost efficiency. Along with the Human Resources Manager she has also worked on strengthening our employee wellness programs to keep benefits Office: 800-233-8220 costs down. She also helped form a municipal coalition for long-term disability, life www.jpmaguire.com insurance and prescriptions to keep cost down. She has also worked to move all employee groups to defined pensions. Ms. Yonsky has developed specific strategies for the purchasing and replacement cycles for technology, which is a major catalyst for teaching and learning. She has effectively managed district funds, taken advantage of grant opportunities, and use of E-Rate Funds to ensure that our infrastructure can meet the demands. She has utilized leasing programs in parallel with direct purchases to ensure that all of our students and staff have the technology. It is through this work that we will achieve our 1:1 status for students to devices. Ms. Yonsky has worked with our transportation provider to maximize all district busing. She works Lead by Example Save Capital Money with other communities to maximize resources in providing transUpgrade Your Buildings & Reduce Energy portation costs for special education and homeless students. She has taken over direct line of authority of all school maintenance We will show you how to reduce your operational costs, and capital projects. She worked on the development of systems and use those savings to make capital improvements. to ensure accountability of project implementation. Call our CT Team Today Ms. Yonsky has engaged in numerous innovative projects. I Susan Doskow Aaron Alibrio would like to highlight three projects which I believe truly speak (914) 391-8170 (860) 471-0385 to her character and commitment to the students of Bethel. [email protected] [email protected] Ms. Yonsky has transformed our school lunch program. Prior to 5
CASBO Goes to Washington Continued from page 3 currently debating its bill. If both bills pass there will be a conference committee to reconcile both bills and then send it on the President. Right now, a comprehensive bill is given a 50-50 chance of passing. Flexibility in IDEA Act- this proposed legislation provides for more flexibility in compliance with maintenance of effort (MOE) allowing districts to apply for waivers to reduce MOE if they can demonstrate increased efficiency of Special Ed. programs or a reduction in employment related benefits for Special Ed. personnel as long as the provision and quality of services for children with disabilities are unaffected. Child Nutrition: The Healthy School Meals Flexibility Act provides flexibility regarding whole grain and sodium requirements. This bill would reduce whole grain requirement back to 50% from current level of 100% and maintain the target 1 level for sodium (which had initially been scheduled for further reductions in 2017 and 2022.) The Healthy Hunger Free Act expires Fall 2015. In addition to flexibility above there are proposals to increase federal reimbursement by 10 cents per meal; allow anything served as part of the reimbursable meal to be served a la carte; and allow schools to decide on whether to require “must take” portions of fruits and vegetables (i.e. less waste). Federal Budget: The current budget deal that was struck with bipartisan support expires September 30, 2015. Although this deal averted a federal shutdown and restored some of the sequestration cuts, it did not restore education funding to pre-sequester levels especially for Title I and IDEA funding. Any future deal should ensure parity between defense and non-defense discretionary dollars. The federal budget will continue to be a contentious issue. It is hoped another bipartisan compromise can be crafted but given the political climate and looming presidential election, expectations of crafting a bipartisan deal remain low. ACA: There is real concern about provisions in this act posing burdens on school systems. Specifically these include: the current definition of full time employment as a 30-hour workweek; the imposition of an excise tax (Cadillac tax) on high cost plans and the definition of affordability at less than 9.5% of household income. Currently there are two bills in Congress S 30, which defines full-time employment at 40 hours, and HR2050 that repeals the excise tax. We support both bills. E-rate update: We heard from Jessica Rosenworcel, FCC Commissioner, who spoke of recent updates that refocused on increasing bandwidth, “streamlining” the process and increasing Erate cap by $1.5 billion. She also spoke of possible future programs that will provide more online access to homes. Specifical-
6
ly, she would like to update the program to allow it to provide support for online access in low-income homes and encourage others to provide more WIFI in municipal libraries, school buses etc. During the trip, we were also able to meet with congressional staff members for Representatives Larson, Courtney and DeLauro and Senator Murphy (including a brief visit with Senator Murphy himself). We discussed many of the issues noted above with heightened interest on the ACA impacts. We were encouraged by the staffs that their bosses fully understand the negative implications of the excise tax and have all signed on for the repeal of the excise tax, which is spearheaded by Representative Courtney. We found the staffs very approachable and encourage you to contact them if the need arises.
Innovative Practice The following is Jack Levine’s winning submission for the 2015 CASBO Innovative Practices Award. The school district has three school buildings, approximately 2,300 students, and a budget of about $46 million. Summary of Innovative Practice: My idea is to foster a district culture of maximizing cost savings and efficiencies. This would be a major change from the norm in school districts. Our District’s goal has always been to provide an exceptional educational program to our students and still be mindful of the financial impact on the taxpayers. The district has had to find cost savings and efficiencies each year to offset the higher costs for salaries, medical insurance, special education, and unfunded mandates to name a few of the many budget drivers. We have had success in finding ways to hold down expenses, but the ideas have come mostly from the district office. I recommended to the Superintendent that one of my goals should be to foster a culture in which all employees throughout the district feel invested in seeking ways to do things more efficiently. Generally speaking, principals, department heads and teachers have a mindset to expend all their budget so the next year’s allocation is not reduced (but possibly increased). People are reluctant to “give up” a portion of their approved budget for someone else to use. If it happens, it is not the norm. I developed a five-step process to implement my innovative practice: 1. The Board of Education makes it a major goal. This happened. 2. The administrative team embraces the concept (“buy-in”). 3. The staff understands and appreciates the positive benefit to them. 4. The community at-large, including the Town Officials, learn about our efforts to spend taxpayers’ money wisely. 5. We hope the voters will give their approval (vote of confidence) by passing the first budget. Why is this an innovative practice? Educators are often times accused of spending too much money. We are expected to reduce costs proportionately to enrollment declines, notwithstanding the multitude of factors which impact a Superintendent’s decision to eliminate a position. We are required to implement government mandates without the benefit of more government funding. We are encouraged to run as school district “like a business” despite the many differences. Many taxpayers are weary of the constant refrain: “it’s a tight budget with no fat.” It is not credible to some taxpayers to say we have mostly “fixed costs” and have only a small amount of discretionary accounts to cut. Since the meltdown in the economy in 2009, school districts have been forced to hold back budget increases (or even have no budget increase). We are faced with a high hurdle, which I have termed the “new realty”. First, taxpayers have become use to the idea that the school district’s budget does not 7
need to increase by much. Second, taxpayers do not see any negative impact on the level of education to our students with the lower budget increases. Third, taxpayers feel our budget were bloated in the first place and we are simply catching up to the reality of lower enrollment. Fourth, taxpayers believe we are stuck with the notion that takes money to solve any problem. My innovative practice makes a major change in the culture of an entire district. It dramatically changes the perception and the reality to the Stakeholders in a positive way. Employees voluntarily week out ways to do things better, find cost savings, and understand the value of what they are doing.
Continued on page 11
Celebrated SBO Continued from page 5 formulate a district wellness committee which advises the school lunch program, develops employee wellness initiatives, providing input to student wellness programs, and advising on district wellness policies and procedures. Research supports the notion that a high quality preschool education will result in reductions in the achievement gap. Ms. Yonsky has created a financial structure to expand our existing preschool programs. Through shifts in the use of district funds and a tuition program for regular education students approximately half of the incoming Kindergarten students have a preschool experience through the district program. The demographics of the school system have shifted and a greater number of students who are eligible for free and reduced lunch (from 8% to 19% in the last seven years). Ms. Yonsky has worked to create a systemic safety net for students in financial need. She has developed a school breakfast program. She has worked with a local food bank (Brotherhood in Action) to implement annual food drives. She has worked with local churches to ensure students coming back to school had the necessary book bags and supplies. She has worked to ensure all students whose families qualify for free and reduced lunch have access to technology, a quality preschool experience and extra-curricular experiences. She has met with school social work staff to create a student activity fund for individual needs of students.” In addition to the beautiful award, SchoolDude sponsors a $1,000 scholarship to a graduating senior from Teri’s district. Congratulations to Teri!
8
Special thanks to SchoolDude for sponsoring the Celebrated School Business Official’s scholarship!
2015-16 Calendar of Events Date
Event
Location
September 15, 2015
BOD Meeting
Friday, October 2, 2015
CASBO Workshop
AquaTurf, Plantsville, CT
October 23-25, 2015
ASBO AM&E
Gaylord, Grapevine, TX
Friday, November 6, 2015
Joint Conference w/SNACT
Foxwoods
November 10, 2015
BOD Meetings
Friday, January 22, 2016
CASBO Workshop
February 9, 2016
BOD Meeting
February 18-20, 2016
ASBO ELF
Las Vegas, NV
Friday, March 11, 2016
CASBO Workshop
AquaTurf, Plantsville, CT
April 1, 2016
Strategic Planning Meeting
Thursday, April 28, 2016
Vendor Day
May 3, 2016
BOD Meeting
June 2-4, 2016
Institute
AquaTurf, Plantsville, CT
AquaTurf, Plantsville, CT
Thayer Hotel, West Point, NY
9
2015 Rising Star The recipient of CASBO’s 2015 Rising Star Award was Bernice Rizk, Business Manager of Naugatuck Public Schools. She was nominated by Superintendent Sharon Locke. Below are excerpts from the nomination: Bernice Rizk is in her second year as Naugatuck Public School's Assistant Business Manager. In August, the Controller/Business Manager who we share with the town, had to take an unexpected leave of absence. Bernice stepped up to the challenge! Approaching her role as a leader, learner, and team member, she quickly transformed our school's business operations. In her first weeks, she wrestled contracts, finding cost savings in past errors totaling almost $100,000 and negotiating new contracts that saved the district hundreds of thousands more. Next she developed systems within her department to ensure all spending was according to BOE policy. She created forms and procedures so that our business and operations now flow smoothly. Working with our new administrative team, Bernice developed a timeline for our 2015-16 financial plan that was directly aligned to our strategic priorities. During this process, she worked collaboratively with our HR department to ensure our census was accurate and our budget represented a transparent reflection of our spending. This is resulting in restored public confidence that will help us continually maximize our financial resources. The 2015-16 Proposed Financial Plan is an impressive innovation. When Bernice assumed her position, she inherited a budget that was an excel file published horizontally on legal size paper organized by object codes. There was no information in the budget presentation about school or departmental spending. The Financial Plan that
10
Bernice published tells the story of how much it costs to educate the 4500 students in Naugatuck. Bernice looks to solve real operational challenges with innovative solutions. She is not only driven to innovate, yet innovates with her team to create efficiencies and solutions. This year, she spearheaded the Uniform Chart of Accounts grant to collaborate with the Borough to bring a town-wide system into Naugatuck that will enable us to collaborate more with partners on the town side.
CASBO Briefs is published and copyrighted by CASBO.
Innovative Practice
Opinions and claims expressed within are that of those making statement and do not necessarily represent CASBO. For additional information, please contact Exec-
Continued from page 7 What are the benefits of my innovative practices? ♦ Reallocate found funds to higher priority needs – If we can do things more efficiently and less costly, we can free up funds to help move the district forward. ♦ Reduce the requested level of funding (i.e., lower budget increases) – Finding ways to do things more efficiently helps us prepare budgets that the taxpayers will support. ♦ Reassure the taxpayers that we are using their money wisely – Taxpayers are more likely to support our budget requests if they believe we are financially prudent. Communication is the key to changing the culture: ♦ Employees need to know their ideas are valued and benefit the district and themselves. Taxpayers and town officials need to hear about our successes. ♦ Monthly Financial Reports – A list of all of cost savings and efficiencies are reported each month to the Board and public. ♦ Budget Document and Presentation – A separate section in the budget booklet describes the many cost savings and efficiencies. The Superintendent emphasizes what the district is doing to manage our limited resources in a prudent manner. ♦ Superintendent’s Recognition – Periodically, the Superintendent highlights the cost savings and efficiency recommendation of staff. ♦ District-Wide Committee – An ad hoc committee of teachers, support staff, parents, and students will be finding ways to improve the process. How does this innovative practice affect student achievement? We need sufficient funding to move the district forward. The pressures from the politicians and taxpayers are to hold the line. The pressures from the parents are to give their students the best possible education. We need to find ways to best use our limited resources to provide students with the tools they need. Has the innovative practice been successful? Since its inception in September 2014, we have had forty-five ideas from staff members. The estimated saves in time and money has exceeded $100,000 to-date. The most measurable example of change is in the school district’s culture is the staff has been voluntarily thinking of cost savings and efficiencies and proudly reporting them.
11
utive Director Sharon Bruce, to CASBO, 11 High Gate Lane, West Hartford, CT 06107-1010, phone/fax (860 519-0023), [email protected]
12
CASBO Needs You! Below is the list of CASBO's 2015-16 Goals & Objectives as set by the Board of Directors. We need your help in accomplishing these activities. We are cognoscente of your limited time and try diligently to make the most of committee meeting time, especially through the use of conference calls to minimize your time out of the office. Please consider volunteering a little of your time and get involved in your professional association – please check those activities of interest to you and return the form to Sharon Bruce. GOAL A: CASBO members will recognize the value of and utilize its resource for knowledge exchange, education, and networking for its members.
Mentorship Program & Academy – Increase Academy sessions to include over summer break, casual/social event Be Mentor Leadership Training & Advancement – Assist in coordinating the SFO Certification Study Group Quarterly Workshops Webinar Offerings Technology – Enhance webinar offerings and website use Best Practices - Communicate by list cost saving, efficiency measures published periodically in bullet format with details available upon request
GOAL B: CASBO will be the authoritative public voice and credible resource for school business issues Data Collection – taskforce to facilitate collection of reliable, responsive & timely information. Legislative – Review legislative request protocol & procedures Social Awareness - Identify other social awareness opportunities GOAL C: CASBO will develop innovative strategies to better serve its members and their school systems Identify and share innovative practices in which members have an interest. Create PLC to investigate and learn about issues (education platform, RFP, vendor endorsement). Develop opportunities for business office support staff to meet, collaborate & network to improve performance. Ongoing Activities: Vendor Day: Recognition Awards: Nominating Committee Name: District: Email Address: Please return this form Sharon Bruce via fax to 860.519.0023 or email to [email protected]
President’s Message In This Issue
A few thoughts from President Chuck Zettergren
Institute Sponsors
2
CASBO Goes to DC
3
Legislative Update
4
2015 Celebrated SBO
5
Innovative Practices
7
Calendar of Events
9
2015 Rising Star
10
Volunteer Form
13
Our annual CASBO Institute was held in May at Interlaken Inn in Lakeville, CT. One of the goals of Institute this year, was to enable us to connect, collaborate, and build relationships together as colleagues within our CASBO organization. I believe we were successful in doing that. One of our own, Vin Masciana provided us his DJ services for entertainment after the President’s Dinner. Paul Timm gave us an outstanding presentation on school safety and security while DK Kornagay provided us with useful tools and tips for use in PowerPoint, Word, and Excel. What makes individuals and organizations successful, according to one of our speakers, Fred Schafer, is to imagine possibilities for the future fearlessly, limitlessly, and passionately. Then, boldly describe and declare that picture in writing to the best of your abilities. CASBO’s strategic plan is developed in much the same way. In order to accomplish the goals set forth in our strategic plan, we need our members to be involved in CASBO. I ask you to get involved with CASBO in some shape or form this year to move CASBO forward (see the enclosed form). On July 6, 2015 we had a Board conference call on the following topics: ♦
Shared Services Whitepaper – Board voted to accept the whitepaper with distribution to members to take place in the near future. Our thanks to Dick Huot and committee for the work performed on this project.
♦
Brainstorming meeting planned for August 4th regarding our Joint Conference with SNACT – November 6-7, 2015.
♦
Joint Conference with CCER – October 14, 2015. CCER is seeking CASBO’s input on potential topics and speakers.
♦
September 15, 2015 Board Meeting – Google training to enhance our working and collaborative capabilities.
♦
Goals & Volunteers - Volunteers are still being sought for the taskforces and for taskforce leaders.
♦
ASBO/AASA Legislative Conference - Dave Lenihan, Tashie Rosen and Sharon Bruce attended the conference in Washington, DC and had meetings set with Representatives Courtney, DeLauro, and Larson’s offices and Senator Murphy’s office. Topics discussed were ESEA reauthorization, Cadillac Tax, school nutrition issues, and the USDA rebid request.
We have an exciting year ahead of us and I look forward to working with all of you this year in accomplishing our goals. We have a dedicated and caring membership that has CASBO moving forward in the right direction and we want to capitalize on our positive momentum.
A Publication of the Connecticut Association of School Business Officials
Thank You to Our 2015 Institute Sponsors Platinum Sponsor AXA Advisors ConEdison Solutions East River Energy Voya Financial Gold Sponsor Coordinated Transportation Solutions Tyler Technologies Silver Sponsor The Gordian Group The Omni Group
2
CASBO Goes to Washington By David Lenihan Sharon, Tashie and I recently attended the Legislative Advocacy Conference in Washington D.C., July 7-9, 2015, co-sponsored by AASA (Superintendents) and ASBO. This gave us a great opportunity to educate ourselves on several important federal issues and provided us a chance to do a little lobbying in the halls of Congress. A summary of the key issues follows: Reauthorization of Elementary Secondary Education Act (ESEA): This act, which was originally passed in 1965 to provide federal guidance and some funding to ensure fair and equitable education across all states, has changed dramatically over the years. Earlier it provided the basis for NCLB and for the past 8 years has been subject to the use of waivers in place of comprehensive reauthorization. During our visit, there were bills in both the House and Senate being debated in an attempt to reauthorize this law and fix some of the concerns with NCLB. Neither of the bills is perfect but do provide a framework to get something done. Some issues of concern include: Title I portability (veiled attempt to implement vouchers); funding caps; and overall reliance on high stakes testing. We would like to see a comprehensive bill that removes funding caps, improves the Title I funding formula and provides more local control for running school systems, advancing student achievement and providing professional development. The House passed its bill on Thursday July 9 and the Senate is Continued on page 6
3
Legislative Update Greetings from David Lenihan, CASBO Legislative Liaison I wanted to provide you an update to my earlier email with respect to the 2015 legislative session. The legislature met in special session on June 29 to pass SB1502 (budget implementer bill). The final bill did keep the Education funding in place as noted below. However, as is often the case in implementer bills, certain "surprises" were added. These included: ♦
Pesticide legislation- Bans the use of pesticides on municipal playgrounds (areas dedicated and customarily used by children); requires that notice of any pesticide application be sent electronically at least 24 hours ahead of time, rather than by mail as current law requires; allows the use of registered microbial pesticides. Please note this bill did not expand the current ban for the use of pesticides beyond grades k-8. However, it is another example of incremental legislation that keeps adding a little each year.
♦
FMLA- Although the proposed changes for expanding FMLA were not included, language was added requiring the Labor Commissioner to establish a plan (by 10/1/15) to implement a paid FMLA program (i.e. allow employees to contribute a portion of wages to a paid plan).
Governor Malloy vetoed the following bills that had passed both the House and Senate, and the vetoes stood: ♦
SB 1056 (Reporting of Special Education Expenditures). This would have required the tracking and reporting expenditures for each child requiring SPED services.
♦
HB 6977 (Qualifications for Commissioner of Education). The governor wanted more flexibility than the initial bill required.
♦
HB 6796 (School Nurse Staffing). This would have required each BOE to maintain a staffing ratio of at least one school nurse for every 750 students in its schools district.
Please let me know if you have questions. Enjoy the rest of the Summer!
4
2015 Celebrated School Business Official! The 2015 Connecticut Celebrated School Business Official award was presented to Teri Yonsky, Business Manager of Bethel Public Schools. Superintendent, Dr. Christine Carver, nominated Teri. Below are excerpts from her nomination:
this transformation, the school lunch program was losing money due to poor quality of food and menu choices given legislative mandates. With the food service staff, Ms. Yonsky worked to expand the menu, institute gluten free and vegetarian options, increase food quality, institute a “tasting” program to get students to try new foods and develop food and nutrition programs for students. She has helped to
“It is my pleasure to nominate Teri Yonsky as the 2015 Celebrated School Business official. Ms. Yonsky has been the Director of Fiscal Services for the Bethel Public Schools since 2009. As the district’s business person, she has truly transformed the community perception of the Board of Education’s finances as being transparent and well managed. She was recently referred to as “Transparent Teri” by one of the most conservative taxpayer groups in Bethel. Ms. Yonsky has been able to develop this relationship through her ability to respond to questions and concerns from all Continued on page 8 stakeholder groups and the extensive work she has done to maximize efficiency of resources. She is very responsive to any taxpayer inquiry and answers all questions in a timely manner. Her prepared budget is very descriptive and provides detailed information regarding district expenditures. She frequently speaks at public events with the Superintendent and Board of Education to explain the budget. During the hearings and municipal meetings of the budgets, she can respond to any question asked. This is often due to the “homework” she does in trying to anticipate questions from the public. In addition, she has generated a list of questions and answers within the budget document (adding to it annually) which not only maintains a historical perspective of the district, but also serves as another layer of public transparency. It is due to the trust that Teri has established that she was able to work with the Board of Finance in establishing a 1% fund. Ms. Yonsky has impleWhat’s Your Emergency Response Plan? mented multiple strategies to keep benefits cost down. Through the negotiations process, Ms. Yonsky has moved all employees (effective July 1, 2015) to a high deWhat Do Over 500 Schools Know? ductible health care plan with a Health Savings Account. Ms. Yonsky has a very productive relationship with the First Selectman and Comptroller for the Town of Become a “Tier One Client” and Find Out! Bethel. They continue to work together to combine resources in the benefits area Emergencies: 877-JPMAGUIRE to maximize cost efficiency. Along with the Human Resources Manager she has also worked on strengthening our employee wellness programs to keep benefits Office: 800-233-8220 costs down. She also helped form a municipal coalition for long-term disability, life www.jpmaguire.com insurance and prescriptions to keep cost down. She has also worked to move all employee groups to defined pensions. Ms. Yonsky has developed specific strategies for the purchasing and replacement cycles for technology, which is a major catalyst for teaching and learning. She has effectively managed district funds, taken advantage of grant opportunities, and use of E-Rate Funds to ensure that our infrastructure can meet the demands. She has utilized leasing programs in parallel with direct purchases to ensure that all of our students and staff have the technology. It is through this work that we will achieve our 1:1 status for students to devices. Ms. Yonsky has worked with our transportation provider to maximize all district busing. She works Lead by Example Save Capital Money with other communities to maximize resources in providing transUpgrade Your Buildings & Reduce Energy portation costs for special education and homeless students. She has taken over direct line of authority of all school maintenance We will show you how to reduce your operational costs, and capital projects. She worked on the development of systems and use those savings to make capital improvements. to ensure accountability of project implementation. Call our CT Team Today Ms. Yonsky has engaged in numerous innovative projects. I Susan Doskow Aaron Alibrio would like to highlight three projects which I believe truly speak (914) 391-8170 (860) 471-0385 to her character and commitment to the students of Bethel. [email protected] [email protected] Ms. Yonsky has transformed our school lunch program. Prior to 5
CASBO Goes to Washington Continued from page 3 currently debating its bill. If both bills pass there will be a conference committee to reconcile both bills and then send it on the President. Right now, a comprehensive bill is given a 50-50 chance of passing. Flexibility in IDEA Act- this proposed legislation provides for more flexibility in compliance with maintenance of effort (MOE) allowing districts to apply for waivers to reduce MOE if they can demonstrate increased efficiency of Special Ed. programs or a reduction in employment related benefits for Special Ed. personnel as long as the provision and quality of services for children with disabilities are unaffected. Child Nutrition: The Healthy School Meals Flexibility Act provides flexibility regarding whole grain and sodium requirements. This bill would reduce whole grain requirement back to 50% from current level of 100% and maintain the target 1 level for sodium (which had initially been scheduled for further reductions in 2017 and 2022.) The Healthy Hunger Free Act expires Fall 2015. In addition to flexibility above there are proposals to increase federal reimbursement by 10 cents per meal; allow anything served as part of the reimbursable meal to be served a la carte; and allow schools to decide on whether to require “must take” portions of fruits and vegetables (i.e. less waste). Federal Budget: The current budget deal that was struck with bipartisan support expires September 30, 2015. Although this deal averted a federal shutdown and restored some of the sequestration cuts, it did not restore education funding to pre-sequester levels especially for Title I and IDEA funding. Any future deal should ensure parity between defense and non-defense discretionary dollars. The federal budget will continue to be a contentious issue. It is hoped another bipartisan compromise can be crafted but given the political climate and looming presidential election, expectations of crafting a bipartisan deal remain low. ACA: There is real concern about provisions in this act posing burdens on school systems. Specifically these include: the current definition of full time employment as a 30-hour workweek; the imposition of an excise tax (Cadillac tax) on high cost plans and the definition of affordability at less than 9.5% of household income. Currently there are two bills in Congress S 30, which defines full-time employment at 40 hours, and HR2050 that repeals the excise tax. We support both bills. E-rate update: We heard from Jessica Rosenworcel, FCC Commissioner, who spoke of recent updates that refocused on increasing bandwidth, “streamlining” the process and increasing Erate cap by $1.5 billion. She also spoke of possible future programs that will provide more online access to homes. Specifical-
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ly, she would like to update the program to allow it to provide support for online access in low-income homes and encourage others to provide more WIFI in municipal libraries, school buses etc. During the trip, we were also able to meet with congressional staff members for Representatives Larson, Courtney and DeLauro and Senator Murphy (including a brief visit with Senator Murphy himself). We discussed many of the issues noted above with heightened interest on the ACA impacts. We were encouraged by the staffs that their bosses fully understand the negative implications of the excise tax and have all signed on for the repeal of the excise tax, which is spearheaded by Representative Courtney. We found the staffs very approachable and encourage you to contact them if the need arises.
Innovative Practice The following is Jack Levine’s winning submission for the 2015 CASBO Innovative Practices Award. The school district has three school buildings, approximately 2,300 students, and a budget of about $46 million. Summary of Innovative Practice: My idea is to foster a district culture of maximizing cost savings and efficiencies. This would be a major change from the norm in school districts. Our District’s goal has always been to provide an exceptional educational program to our students and still be mindful of the financial impact on the taxpayers. The district has had to find cost savings and efficiencies each year to offset the higher costs for salaries, medical insurance, special education, and unfunded mandates to name a few of the many budget drivers. We have had success in finding ways to hold down expenses, but the ideas have come mostly from the district office. I recommended to the Superintendent that one of my goals should be to foster a culture in which all employees throughout the district feel invested in seeking ways to do things more efficiently. Generally speaking, principals, department heads and teachers have a mindset to expend all their budget so the next year’s allocation is not reduced (but possibly increased). People are reluctant to “give up” a portion of their approved budget for someone else to use. If it happens, it is not the norm. I developed a five-step process to implement my innovative practice: 1. The Board of Education makes it a major goal. This happened. 2. The administrative team embraces the concept (“buy-in”). 3. The staff understands and appreciates the positive benefit to them. 4. The community at-large, including the Town Officials, learn about our efforts to spend taxpayers’ money wisely. 5. We hope the voters will give their approval (vote of confidence) by passing the first budget. Why is this an innovative practice? Educators are often times accused of spending too much money. We are expected to reduce costs proportionately to enrollment declines, notwithstanding the multitude of factors which impact a Superintendent’s decision to eliminate a position. We are required to implement government mandates without the benefit of more government funding. We are encouraged to run as school district “like a business” despite the many differences. Many taxpayers are weary of the constant refrain: “it’s a tight budget with no fat.” It is not credible to some taxpayers to say we have mostly “fixed costs” and have only a small amount of discretionary accounts to cut. Since the meltdown in the economy in 2009, school districts have been forced to hold back budget increases (or even have no budget increase). We are faced with a high hurdle, which I have termed the “new realty”. First, taxpayers have become use to the idea that the school district’s budget does not 7
need to increase by much. Second, taxpayers do not see any negative impact on the level of education to our students with the lower budget increases. Third, taxpayers feel our budget were bloated in the first place and we are simply catching up to the reality of lower enrollment. Fourth, taxpayers believe we are stuck with the notion that takes money to solve any problem. My innovative practice makes a major change in the culture of an entire district. It dramatically changes the perception and the reality to the Stakeholders in a positive way. Employees voluntarily week out ways to do things better, find cost savings, and understand the value of what they are doing.
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Celebrated SBO Continued from page 5 formulate a district wellness committee which advises the school lunch program, develops employee wellness initiatives, providing input to student wellness programs, and advising on district wellness policies and procedures. Research supports the notion that a high quality preschool education will result in reductions in the achievement gap. Ms. Yonsky has created a financial structure to expand our existing preschool programs. Through shifts in the use of district funds and a tuition program for regular education students approximately half of the incoming Kindergarten students have a preschool experience through the district program. The demographics of the school system have shifted and a greater number of students who are eligible for free and reduced lunch (from 8% to 19% in the last seven years). Ms. Yonsky has worked to create a systemic safety net for students in financial need. She has developed a school breakfast program. She has worked with a local food bank (Brotherhood in Action) to implement annual food drives. She has worked with local churches to ensure students coming back to school had the necessary book bags and supplies. She has worked to ensure all students whose families qualify for free and reduced lunch have access to technology, a quality preschool experience and extra-curricular experiences. She has met with school social work staff to create a student activity fund for individual needs of students.” In addition to the beautiful award, SchoolDude sponsors a $1,000 scholarship to a graduating senior from Teri’s district. Congratulations to Teri!
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Special thanks to SchoolDude for sponsoring the Celebrated School Business Official’s scholarship!
2015-16 Calendar of Events Date
Event
Location
September 15, 2015
BOD Meeting
Friday, October 2, 2015
CASBO Workshop
AquaTurf, Plantsville, CT
October 23-25, 2015
ASBO AM&E
Gaylord, Grapevine, TX
Friday, November 6, 2015
Joint Conference w/SNACT
Foxwoods
November 10, 2015
BOD Meetings
Friday, January 22, 2016
CASBO Workshop
February 9, 2016
BOD Meeting
February 18-20, 2016
ASBO ELF
Las Vegas, NV
Friday, March 11, 2016
CASBO Workshop
AquaTurf, Plantsville, CT
April 1, 2016
Strategic Planning Meeting
Thursday, April 28, 2016
Vendor Day
May 3, 2016
BOD Meeting
June 2-4, 2016
Institute
AquaTurf, Plantsville, CT
AquaTurf, Plantsville, CT
Thayer Hotel, West Point, NY
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2015 Rising Star The recipient of CASBO’s 2015 Rising Star Award was Bernice Rizk, Business Manager of Naugatuck Public Schools. She was nominated by Superintendent Sharon Locke. Below are excerpts from the nomination: Bernice Rizk is in her second year as Naugatuck Public School's Assistant Business Manager. In August, the Controller/Business Manager who we share with the town, had to take an unexpected leave of absence. Bernice stepped up to the challenge! Approaching her role as a leader, learner, and team member, she quickly transformed our school's business operations. In her first weeks, she wrestled contracts, finding cost savings in past errors totaling almost $100,000 and negotiating new contracts that saved the district hundreds of thousands more. Next she developed systems within her department to ensure all spending was according to BOE policy. She created forms and procedures so that our business and operations now flow smoothly. Working with our new administrative team, Bernice developed a timeline for our 2015-16 financial plan that was directly aligned to our strategic priorities. During this process, she worked collaboratively with our HR department to ensure our census was accurate and our budget represented a transparent reflection of our spending. This is resulting in restored public confidence that will help us continually maximize our financial resources. The 2015-16 Proposed Financial Plan is an impressive innovation. When Bernice assumed her position, she inherited a budget that was an excel file published horizontally on legal size paper organized by object codes. There was no information in the budget presentation about school or departmental spending. The Financial Plan that
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Bernice published tells the story of how much it costs to educate the 4500 students in Naugatuck. Bernice looks to solve real operational challenges with innovative solutions. She is not only driven to innovate, yet innovates with her team to create efficiencies and solutions. This year, she spearheaded the Uniform Chart of Accounts grant to collaborate with the Borough to bring a town-wide system into Naugatuck that will enable us to collaborate more with partners on the town side.
CASBO Briefs is published and copyrighted by CASBO.
Innovative Practice
Opinions and claims expressed within are that of those making statement and do not necessarily represent CASBO. For additional information, please contact Exec-
Continued from page 7 What are the benefits of my innovative practices? ♦ Reallocate found funds to higher priority needs – If we can do things more efficiently and less costly, we can free up funds to help move the district forward. ♦ Reduce the requested level of funding (i.e., lower budget increases) – Finding ways to do things more efficiently helps us prepare budgets that the taxpayers will support. ♦ Reassure the taxpayers that we are using their money wisely – Taxpayers are more likely to support our budget requests if they believe we are financially prudent. Communication is the key to changing the culture: ♦ Employees need to know their ideas are valued and benefit the district and themselves. Taxpayers and town officials need to hear about our successes. ♦ Monthly Financial Reports – A list of all of cost savings and efficiencies are reported each month to the Board and public. ♦ Budget Document and Presentation – A separate section in the budget booklet describes the many cost savings and efficiencies. The Superintendent emphasizes what the district is doing to manage our limited resources in a prudent manner. ♦ Superintendent’s Recognition – Periodically, the Superintendent highlights the cost savings and efficiency recommendation of staff. ♦ District-Wide Committee – An ad hoc committee of teachers, support staff, parents, and students will be finding ways to improve the process. How does this innovative practice affect student achievement? We need sufficient funding to move the district forward. The pressures from the politicians and taxpayers are to hold the line. The pressures from the parents are to give their students the best possible education. We need to find ways to best use our limited resources to provide students with the tools they need. Has the innovative practice been successful? Since its inception in September 2014, we have had forty-five ideas from staff members. The estimated saves in time and money has exceeded $100,000 to-date. The most measurable example of change is in the school district’s culture is the staff has been voluntarily thinking of cost savings and efficiencies and proudly reporting them.
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utive Director Sharon Bruce, to CASBO, 11 High Gate Lane, West Hartford, CT 06107-1010, phone/fax (860 519-0023), [email protected]
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CASBO Needs You! Below is the list of CASBO's 2015-16 Goals & Objectives as set by the Board of Directors. We need your help in accomplishing these activities. We are cognoscente of your limited time and try diligently to make the most of committee meeting time, especially through the use of conference calls to minimize your time out of the office. Please consider volunteering a little of your time and get involved in your professional association – please check those activities of interest to you and return the form to Sharon Bruce. GOAL A: CASBO members will recognize the value of and utilize its resource for knowledge exchange, education, and networking for its members.
Mentorship Program & Academy – Increase Academy sessions to include over summer break, casual/social event Be Mentor Leadership Training & Advancement – Assist in coordinating the SFO Certification Study Group Quarterly Workshops Webinar Offerings Technology – Enhance webinar offerings and website use Best Practices - Communicate by list cost saving, efficiency measures published periodically in bullet format with details available upon request
GOAL B: CASBO will be the authoritative public voice and credible resource for school business issues Data Collection – taskforce to facilitate collection of reliable, responsive & timely information. Legislative – Review legislative request protocol & procedures Social Awareness - Identify other social awareness opportunities GOAL C: CASBO will develop innovative strategies to better serve its members and their school systems Identify and share innovative practices in which members have an interest. Create PLC to investigate and learn about issues (education platform, RFP, vendor endorsement). Develop opportunities for business office support staff to meet, collaborate & network to improve performance. Ongoing Activities: Vendor Day: Recognition Awards: Nominating Committee Name: District: Email Address: Please return this form Sharon Bruce via fax to 860.519.0023 or email to [email protected]
