California School Business News 5-24-22.pdf

businessnews california school

REGISTRATION DEADLINE APPROACHING FOR TRANSPORTATION LEADERSHP ACADEMY

California Association of School Business Officials The Foremost Authority on School Business

May 24, 2022

SCHOOLbusiness news NEW REPORT QUESTIONS SUSTAINABILITY OF CALIFORNIA’S EDUCATION SYSTEM CBO / FINANCIAL SERVICES A new report from the Berkeley Institute for Young Americans (part of the California 100 initiative) questions the sustainability of California public education, finding that long-term structural challenges in the state’s finance system and flaws in education governance threaten its long-term outlook.

As reported by EdSource, the analysis examines how California manages and funds early care and education (ECE), K-12 and higher education systems to assess strengths and shortcomings. Two structural issues emerge: inadequacy of the formula to determine funding levels; and instability of the finance system, which may falter during recessions, fueling dramatic losses.

According to the report’s researchers, the state has historically underinvested in education and ends up living with the results, including not enough subsidized childcare seats, low levels of K12 academic achievement and rising tuition across higher education. Even when lawmakers try to make up for past underinvestment with multi-year budget surpluses, the one-time money schools receive puts programs and improvements at risk with future downturns.

Researchers also found that, looking ahead, the rise of alternative education models must also be addressed. That’s why they see the report as a conversation starter to consider what education might look like in California a century from now. The researchers encourage readers to consider these questions: Is the existing educational ecosystem sufficient for the future of California over the next 100 years?

How should state lawmakers regulate and govern in the decades to come, if at all, across a growing and complex network of organizational arrangements, institutional structures and rapid technology changes across the P-16 system?

What role should the state play in defending and improving student equity, social mobility and the democratic purposes of education?

Are reforms to the state’s education finance system necessary?

And what role, if any, is there for the private sector to provide services in early childhood education, K-12 and higher education?

1

CASBO PARTNERS

JOB LISTINGS

PUBLICATIONS

TRANSPORTATION LEADERSHIP ACADEMY REGISTRATION NOW OPEN Learn More & Register REGISTRATION CLOSES JUNE 30

Get the essential instruction you need to enhance your transportation career.

Northern California Begins August 26, 2022 Twin Rivers USD Sacramento, CA

ANNUAL CONFERENCE

COVID-19 RESOURCES

SECTION EVENTS

2

SCHOOLbusiness news FOCUSING ON RETENTION IS THE BEST WAY TO ADDRESS TEACHER VACANCIES CBO / HUMAN RESOURCES Staffing challenges in schools nationwide have sparked a conversation about how to bring more people into the teaching profession. But as district leaders consider that important question, they shouldn’t forget an important fact that often goes overlooked amid teacher shortages: The easiest way to fill a teaching vacancy is to prevent it from becoming vacant in the first place.

That’s especially true when it comes to the most effective teachers, says Victoria Van Cleef in a column for District Administration. In fact, it can take between 6 and 11 hires to find someone of similar quality after a top educator leaves.

Teachers choose to leave the classroom for many reasons, including some that are beyond the control of individual schools or districts, Van Cleef says, but district leaders often have more sway over a teacher’s decision to stay or leave than they think. Over the course of 25 years working in schools across the country, TNTP (formerly known as The New Teacher Project) has identified several low- or no-cost strategies that can help schools retain more of their most effective teachers.

Here are the most promising: Hold “stay” conversations with your strongest teachers Simply asking teachers to stay can boost retention. But two-thirds of the top teachers Van Cleef surveyed as part of a report called “The Irreplaceables” said nobody in their school had encouraged them to return. Principals and other leaders should hold stay conversations with all effective and promising teachers as soon as possible, making clear that they are valued members of the community and that the school’s leadership team wants them to stay. If teachers say they’re considering other options, principals should ask what they can do to convince them to stay — a crucial step, since research showed that more than 75% of top teachers who left their positions would have stayed if their main reason for leaving were addressed.

3

CASBO PARTNERS

JOB LISTINGS

PUBLICATIONS

May 24, 2022 Don’t make teachers go it alone Teaching is hard, and the burdens of non-instructional responsibilities on top of the stress and pain of the pandemic have made teaching a lonely and exhausting job. Teamwork is more important than ever, whether that means breaking down the one teacher, one classroom model, creating teacher teams, or strengthening grade-level teams and professional learning community structures. Help your teachers do their work in the greater community. Create an instructional culture and actual differentiated roles that don’t have teachers fighting an uphill battle alone.

Survey teachers regularly Surveys give school staff an opportunity to share their feedback, ideas and concerns. Leaders should then engage staff around the results and actions they’re taking. These surveys don’t have to be long or complicated. Even a 30-second survey sent every other week that gathers actionable, real-time information is beneficial. Try this approach with these three questions: How are you feeling about your work?

Is there anything you’d like to share about how you’re feeling or how your work is going?

What supports/resources would make work easier for you?

This helps leaders identify both schoolwide concerns and specific teachers who are in danger of leaving, which helps prioritize stay conversations and other follow up.

Celebrate great teaching It’s never been more important to recognize teachers’ accomplishments and their effect on students. Consider having district or site leaders send an email to recognize a teacher’s excellent work, or engage local media to share stories about a teacher’s dedication and hard work, especially during tough times.

ANNUAL CONFERENCE

COVID-19 RESOURCES

SECTION EVENTS

4

SCHOOLbusiness news WHY AREN’T MORE WOMEN LEADING SCHOOL DISTRICTS? CBO / HUMAN RESOURCES / PAYROLL For women superintendents, the path to leadership often included trudging through self-doubt, “imposter syndrome” and occasional bouts of anger at a biased system. Many say it doesn’t have to be that way. Some of them shared their experiences as part of a recent panel at Education Week’s Leadership Symposium.

The question: Why aren’t more women running our school districts?

The query is particularly relevant in light of the fact that, since March 2020, school districts have seen a “potentially historic” turnover of superintendents, according to a report by Education Week. In a review of the country’s 500 largest school districts, ILO Group, a womanfunded education and policy research group, found that 186 experienced a leadership transition since March 2020.

Seven out of 10 of those jobs went to men.

The research group also found that women superintendents make, on average, 12% less money than their male counterparts and are more likely to be hired if they served as a deputy or interim superintendent in the past.

And in a field where women represent the majority of workers overall, additional research found that in the 2019-20 school year, one in four superintendents were women.

As one woman on the panel put it, men are hired and promoted based on their potential to do the job, while women are hired and promoted only when they generate results. Panelists also noted that men will apply for superintendent positions even if they don’t have experience with every responsibility area, while women feel they have to know every part of the job before applying.

How can we change that? Panelists pointed to mentorship, which they say should include preparing for the political complexities of the superintendent’s role, learning about imposter syndrome and how to combat it, and learning to advocate for yourself.

5

CASBO PARTNERS

JOB LISTINGS

PUBLICATIONS

May 24, 2022 Specifically, panelists said that if districts want to see more women in leadership, they’ll need to focus on mentorship, bias training and overall awareness of systemic barriers. And women in district leader roles should be mentoring other women who are steps away from the superintendent job, like principals and assistant principals.

The panelists also emphasized the importance of building networks for women who are interested in district leadership. ILO Group has partnered with school districts and state leaders to expand its networking group called Women in Leadership.

But even with great mentors and networking tools, women are going to face barriers that men don’t. Often women find themselves having to be more amenable and answer to societal pressures, including issues involving family demands, during interviews for the superintendent position.

One solution: more training at the school board level, so board members can more often hire without biases getting in the way.

ANNUAL CONFERENCE

COVID-19 RESOURCES

SECTION EVENTS

6

CASBOinsights CASBO WELCOMES OUR 2022-23 PRESIDENT DIANE DESHLER STATE LEADERSHIP One of the most important things we do each year at Annual Conference is transition our leadership team from the past year to the new one. It’s a bittersweet time as we honor and say goodbye to our outgoing leaders, but it’s also a celebration of CASBO’s continuity as we welcome the new board members who will steer us into the future and build on the work of those who came before them in service of our network of school business professionals, their organizations, and the students and communities they serve.

Every year at our Second General Session, we conduct a formal “passing of the gavel” ceremony, and this year we finally were able to actually pass it! After accomplishing this leadership transition virtually in 2020 and 2021, it was refreshing to personally witness Immediate Past President Richard De Nava turn his leadership seat over to our 2022-23 President Diane Deshler.

This transition marks a duty we take seriously — the smooth and collaborative transfer of leadership that marks each new year here at CASBO. Because most of you were unable to witness this in person the last two years (due to COVID uncertainty affecting our event operations), we instead published the remarks that normally would have been presented in the general sessions.

Well, this delivery method has been so well received that we’ve decided to make this a permanent part of our post-conference communications. So, whether you were unable to attend or just want to refresh your memory of that day, you can read them here!

Previously, we posted our article in honor of Rich’s service as our 2021-22 president; now we’d like to present you with Diane’s remarks as Rich handed over the gavel in Sacramento on March 30, 2022, and she formally accepted her new role.

We’re certain Diane’s greeting will give you a solid idea of what she hopes to accomplish for you this year during her term of service, as well as a strong feeling of hope and optimism for the future.

Please join us as we welcome our 2022-23 President Diane Deshler!

7

CASBO PARTNERS

JOB LISTINGS

PUBLICATIONS

Listen Now

The Voice of School Business

ANNUAL CONFERENCE

COVID-19 RESOURCES

SECTION EVENTS

8

CASBOinsights PARTICIPATE ON OUR COMMITTEES AND ENHANCE YOUR PROFESSIONAL CRED! STATE LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES CASBO has some wonderful committee service opportunities available this year for anyone seeking to become more involved in member leadership, especially in the arena of advocating on behalf of California schools and students.

If you've ever thought about volunteering with CASBO as a member-leader, but have found yourself hesitating, wondering if the effort is worth your time, we can assure you there will be returns on your investment! When you serve in CASBO leadership, you’ll: Become a trusted CASBO expert who helps drive our advocacy programs and efforts Serve as a source of information to your fellow section members and strengthen your connections with member-leaders from other CASBO sections Develop leadership traits and industry knowledge that will pave the way to serving as a presenter at CASBO events and workshops Be able to wrap up all that experience, add it to your resume and watch your career soar!

But that's not all — once you've got some committee member experience under your belt, you may find yourself appointed as assistant chair or chair, giving you even more opportunities to excel. And when that happens, chairs and assistant chairs get a free ride to our Annual Conference, plus an invitation to Executive Leadership Forum, our exclusive leadership development training program for select CASBO member-leaders!

With benefits like these, we don't think you have anything to lose by serving on a committee.

We encourage you to review the openings below and give them serious consideration. We know your time is precious, but these opportunities are a chance to serve as an advocate for sound and effective policy, helping to shape the future of California school business … and who wouldn’t want that on their CV?!

If you have any questions about the appointments process, please contact CASBO Governance Liaison Michelle Neto. We look forward to working with you to advocate for our members and continue the work of evolving education leadership!

9

CASBO PARTNERS

JOB LISTINGS

PUBLICATIONS

May 24, 2022 CASBO Legislative Committee Due to recent vacancies, the CASBO Executive Committee is soliciting section membership candidates for two positions: Eastern Section Member-at-Large; and San Diego/Imperial Section Member-at-Large.

The terms of service will begin immediately upon candidate appointment in early June and continue through the close of our 2024 Annual Conference in Palm Springs. To learn more about serving on this committee, you may review the CASBO Manual of Procedures (beginning on p. 188), which contains this committee’s eligibility requirements and member responsibilities.

Then, if you are a CASBO individual member* who is interested in serving as your section’s representative on this committee, please complete and submit your application by Thursday, May 26, 2022. When received, the Executive Committee will review your application and notify you in early June as to the result.

CASBO Advocacy Network Committee This is a newly formed committee for CASBO! Therefore, the CASBO Executive Committee is soliciting section membership candidates for all of its section member-at-large positions.

The terms of service will begin immediately upon candidate appointment in June and continue through the close of our 2024 Annual Conference in Palm Springs. To learn more about serving on this committee, including eligibility requirements, please review the position description.

Then, if this role sounds right for you, and you are a CASBO individual member,* please complete and submit your application by Friday, June 10, 2022. When received, the Executive Committee will review your application and notify you in late June as to the result.

*For purposes of eligibility, “a CASBO individual member” is a current Organizational Subscription Employee Member or Honorary Life Member located within the specific regional section to which the opening applies. Not yet a CASBO member? Join us today!

Want to volunteer but don’t see anything that fits your needs? Email us at countmein@casbo.org.

ANNUAL CONFERENCE

COVID-19 RESOURCES

SECTION EVENTS

10

CASBOinsights ASSOCIATE MEMBER COMMITTEE SCORES FUNDS FOR SCHOLARSHIPS 2022 ANNUAL CONFERENCE NEWS For those of you who have been fortunate enough to secure a CASBO Annual Conference Scholarship in the past, have you ever wondered how that was made possible? In case you never knew, we’d like to tell you!

Scholarship funds are made available through the fantastic efforts of our Associate Member Committee (AMC), who hosts our Annual Conference Golf Tournament each year. Over the last several years, the AMC has awarded more than $50,000 in scholarships to lucky attendees!

Tuesday, March 29, 2022, turned out to be another successful day … but with a new twist. This year, due to annual spring maintenance being conducted on most golf courses in the greater Sacramento area, the AMC decided to hold our tournament at Topgolf Roseville, a year-round venue that hosts climate-controlled hitting bays; giant outfield targets; and high-tech, selfscoring balls.

By all accounts, the venue proved very popular! We had a total of 140 participants, consisting of 13 teams, 39 individuals and seven spectators who enjoyed the three hours of unlimited game play; all-inclusive, chef-prepared food and sponsored beverages; and a hole-in-one contest, mulligans and prize awards.

We also had wonderfully supportive participation from 20 sponsor companies, including our Platinum Sponsors — RJ Commercial Flooring, ACF Commercial Flooring and Tarkett — and we can’t thank them enough for their contributions to this event. Without them, it wouldn’t have been nearly the success it was.

We had beautiful weather for the tournament, too, which brought out our 2021-22 CASBO officers — President Rich De Nava, President-Elect Diane Deshler, Vice President Tina Douglas, Immediate Past President Jamie Dial and Education Advocacy Foundation Chair Molly Schlange. And we know they had fun because we have this photo of them with big smiles on their faces!

In fact, FUN is something we commit to each year. We know not every golfer is a pro, and this type of venue allows even more participation. With so much networking, contests and, of course, competition, we want you all to know that this tournament is for EVERYONE, from firsttimers to avid drivers to spectators.

11

CASBO PARTNERS

JOB LISTINGS

PUBLICATIONS

May 24, 2022 And with that in mind, Tournament Coordinator Gregg Ethier, director of sales for Southwest School & Office Supply, a CASBO Premier Partner, tells us the AMC is already planning next year’s tournament at Topgolf El Segundo, located about 30 minutes from our 2023 venue at the Long Beach Convention Center.

Gregg is hoping for a turnout of 300 participants next year, so let’s do him proud! Make your plans to join the AMC at our tournament next year — they eagerly await your involvement and look forward to hosting you again.

We offer our wholehearted thanks to Gregg, the AMC, and all of the volunteers and sponsors for giving their time to this tournament so that some fortunate conference-goers will be able to attend CASBO 2023 on us. Registration opens in early winter 2022, so watch your inbox and this newsletter for details, and we’ll see you in Long Beach!

NATION’S LIEUTENANT GOVERNORS OPEN APPLICATION PERIOD FOR FIRST ANNUAL STEM EDUCATION SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM All K-12 public, private, and tribal schools are encouraged to apply for up to $1,000 to support STEM-related activities for students by the May 31, 2022, deadline.

Learn More + Apply “By supporting STEM-related activities in schools across the country, we can encourage a long-term interest and passion in STEM Education in America’s youth, while building the workforce of the future.”

Julia Brossart, NLGA Executive Director

ANNUAL CONFERENCE

COVID-19 RESOURCES

SECTION EVENTS

12

LEADERSHIPtrends AN EFFORTLESS WAY TO IMPROVE YOUR MEMORY FOCUS TECHNIQUES When trying to memorize new material, it’s easy to assume that the more work you put in, the better you will perform. Yet taking the occasional down time — to do literally nothing — may be exactly what you need.

Just dim the lights, sit back and enjoy 10-15 minutes of quiet contemplation, and you’ll find that your memory of the facts you’ve just learned is far better than if you had attempted to use those moments more productively.

During this time, however, we should be careful not to exert ourselves too hard via daydreaming. In one study, for instance, participants were asked to imagine a past or future event during their break, which appeared to reduce their later recall of the newly learned material. So it may be safest to avoid any concerted mental effort during your down time.

Heightened nocturnal activity may also be a reason why we often learn things better just before bed. A 2010 study by Lila Davachi at New York University found that it was not limited to sleep, and similar neural activity occurs during periods of wakeful rest, too.

It would seem that neurological damage may render the brain especially vulnerable to that interference after learning a new memory, which is why the period of rest proved to be particularly potent for stroke survivors and people with Alzheimer’s disease.

Thomas Baguley at Nottingham Trent University in the UK points out that some Alzheimer’s patients are already advised to engage in mindfulness techniques to alleviate stress and improve overall well-being.

Beyond the clinical benefits for these patients, experts agree that scheduling regular periods of rest, without distraction, could help us all hold onto new material a little more firmly. After all, for many students, the 10-30% improvements recorded in these studies could mark the difference between a grade or two.

In the age of information overload, it’s worth remembering that our smartphones aren’t the only things that need a regular recharge. Our minds clearly do, too.

13

CASBO PARTNERS

JOB LISTINGS

PUBLICATIONS

COMPLIMENTARY UPCOMING CASBO PARTNER WEBINARS HEAR FROM TRUSTED ADVISORS.

REGISTER NOW ANNUAL CONFERENCE

COVID-19 RESOURCES

SECTION EVENTS

14

LEADERSHIPtrends THE BEST LEADERS HAVE A CONTAGIOUS POSITIVE ENERGY LEADERSHIP INSIGHT The pandemic has taken a significant toll on the well-being and energy of so many, making “positively energizing” leaders more crucial than ever, write Emma Sepal and Kim Cameron for Harvard Business Review.

Sepal and Cameron have studied people in terms of their networks of relationships — communities, organizations and families — and observed that certain relationships within those networks are extraordinarily life-enhancing and uplifting. The result is extraordinary performance. In particular, they’ve found there’s usually one person at the center of these networks who’s responsible for most of the forward motion — not to mention well-being — of all the rest. They call them positive energizers.

Energizers’ greatest secret is that by uplifting others through authentic, values-based leadership, they tend to also uplift both themselves and their organizations. Positive energizers demonstrate and cultivate virtuous actions, including forgiveness, compassion, humility, kindness, trust, integrity, honesty, generosity, gratitude and recognition in the organization. As a result, everyone flourishes.

To identify energizers, they asked members of hundreds of organizations — from mom-and-pop startups to multinational corporations — this question: When I interact with [person X] in my organization, what happens to my energy?” In other words, each person was asked to rate themselves on a scale from very positively energized to very de-energized when they interacted with another person in their enterprise. Each member of a senior team, for example, rated their interaction with every other member of the senior team.

The overall finding? When leaders display positive relational energy, it catapults performance to a new level. More specifically, positive energizers: Are themselves far higher performers than others, Positively affect others’ performance so that other people tend to flourish in their presence, and Exist in greater numbers at high-performing organizations than at average-performing organizations.

15

CASBO PARTNERS

JOB LISTINGS

PUBLICATIONS

May 24, 2022 When the leader is a positive energizer, the organization has greater: Innovation; Teamwork; Financial performance, including productivity and quality; and Workplace cohesion.

And when the leader is a positive energizer, employees have greater: Job satisfaction, Well-being, Engagement, Performance, and Relationships with family.

But there’s more to this than the need for employees to feel valued, respected and engaged.

When they get recognition, support and encouragement, absenteeism is low, productivity is high, and quality and safety improve.

Additionally, positive relational energy then becomes reciprocal. An energizing approach to others acts as a continual energy-boosting mechanism, which, in turn, produces an abundance of energy in the whole network.

Energizers reproduce themselves, building networks of positive energizers around them, and that heliotropic effect expands to attract still more.

ANNUAL CONFERENCE

COVID-19 RESOURCES

SECTION EVENTS

16

LEADERSHIPtrends THREE POSITIVE WAYS TO OVERCOME NEGATIVE ATTITUDES AT WORK THIS WEEK’S LIST Mark Twain famously said, “Don’t walk away from negative people ... run!” But while that may be reasonable advice for our personal lives, it’s often not possible at work, especially for leaders.

Work teams will always include negative people — it’s just a fact. But according to author and speaker Skip Prichard, the question for leaders is, will you manage those situations positively or negatively?

Many times, for those with an overwhelmingly negative attitude, the situation becomes a kind of self-fulfilling prophecy. Consider the team that has a general attitude of “This is impossible.

There’s no way we can get this done. We’ve been set up for failure.”

What happens? They tend to fail more often.

But the same can be said for how leaders treat people they perceive as being negative. To improve outcomes, we have to deal with them positively. Here’s how: 1. Differentiate and navigate between negativity and criticism. While the two can overlap, there are all kinds of legitimate reasons to be critical in business situations. We need people who can spot roadblocks ahead of time. But we also need to know how and when to share those comments. So, before lumping someone in with the “bad attitude” crowd, make sure that they’re not being helpfully critical, but maybe just at the wrong time or in the wrong way.

2. Have boundaries for yourself and your teams. Experts point out that we need to have healthy boundaries that allow us to manage relationships with negative people. Have you created those boundaries for yourself and your team? Could this type of thinking be included in your organization’s guidelines? For example, consider including boundary-setting statements like “Assume positive intent.”

3. Dig deeper. Author and speaker Jim Rohn once said, “Turn frustration into fascination.” This could actually be a goal for leaders. Don’t write someone off because their negativity makes them harder to be around. Find out what’s up. Get “fascinated” about their situation. A small change in their work-life balance, a shift of tasks or timing, the chance for a stretch assignment — even a simple word of praise — can improve the situation. Empower yourself, as a leader, to help turn someone’s attitude around.

17

CASBO PARTNERS

JOB LISTINGS

PUBLICATIONS

The CASBO Organizational Subscription Benefits Everyone

ANNUAL CONFERENCE

COVID-19 RESOURCES

SECTION EVENTS

18

May 24, 2022

What Do You Think?

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER TATIA DAVENPORT

Previous Issues EDITOR-IN-CHIEF JOYCE TRIBBEY

FEATURES EDITOR JULIE PHILLIPS RANDLES

DESIGNER CHRISTINA NORDIN

CONTRIBUTOR JENNIFER SNELLING

©2022 CASBO. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.