The State of Maryland and Baltimore County Public Schools (BCPS) will lose one of its best and strongest enablers for minority and women-owned business. Richard "Rick" Gay, CPPO, RSBO,longtime Purchasing Manager for BCPS, tendered his resignation with his last official day being Friday, August 28, 2015.

You can post job opportunities and view them on the ASBO MD&DC website.

The ASBO MD & DC Brice & Shirley Phillips Best Practice Awards recognizing outstanding practices and new ideas that result in significant contributions to school entities or the profession of school business management which can be replicated by other school business officials deadline is fast approaching!

Think Differently: Viewing Change as a Catalyst for Growth

For the 2016 Spring Conference, we will be partnering with the Harrison Group Hotels and Resorts in Ocean City, Maryland! Our members will have the opportunity to choose from these new options during your stay during the conference including: Hilton Ocean City Oceanfront suites on N Baltimore Avenue, Holiday Inn & Suites Ocean City - Atlantic Avenue, Holiday Inn Oceanfront - Coastal Highway. We will keep you up to date on the new accommodations!

The first B.I.G. session, School Finance and Administration, of the new school year will take place on Wednesday, October 14, 2015. All meetings will begin at 9:00 am and end at 12:00 and take place at the Anne Arundel County Public Schools Board Room at 2644 Riva Road, Annapolis, MD 21401

Brice and Shirley Phillips Award applications must be submitted by October 5, 2015.  Visit the website to learn more and to complete the application!

On November 20 th, the US Environmental Protection Agency (Region 3) and the Maryland Environmental Health Network invite school district staff to attend a free workshop on tools and resources for implementing Maryland's green cleaning law.

District leaders should be forward-thinking as they plan new construction and renovation projects. Today’s educators are preparing students for jobs that don’t yet exist. Concomitantly,facility designers are tasked with designing school buildings to support the students, staff, and instructional programs with an eye to the future. When they are considering new construction and renovation projects, school district leaders should be forward thinking and should consider the following elements of school facility design.

RISK MANAGEMENT: A district that investigates accidents swiftly and thoroughly sees the smallest effect. Every school district strives to create a culture of safety. One way districts can do that is by implementing effective incident and accident prevention tactics.

Metal buildings offer custom-designed, energy efficient facilities options for school districts. On school campuses across the country, students,school officials, and teachers are calling for the adoption of low-energy building codes and smarter construction practices. Many schools have turned to metal building systems to create custom-designed structures that exemplify a low-energy,high-value model.

This article explores the wide-ranging benefits of geothermal heating and cooling.

Mobile devices offer quick access to up-to-date emergency plans during crises of all magnitudes. Twenty-first century educational institutions must be prepared for a wide variety of emergency situations: from fire, medical emergencies, and severe weather to lock-downs and bomb threats. The types of emergencies that schools face differ in nature, so the responses to them must be custom-tailored to their unique environment.

FACILITIES: Properly selected and installed, fire and smoke barrier doors save lives and property. Fire and smoke barrier doors are essential for schools, especially in long hallways, stairwells, and high-hazard areas, such as boiler and mechanical rooms. Fire and smoke barrier doors that are properly selected, installed, and maintained can help reduce the effects of a fire by decreasing its spread, heat, and smoke within the School, thereby providing the occupants with an alternative means to exit the school safely, in addition to minimizing damage to the building.

With the right energy-efficiency measures, districts can reduce energy use and costs, and shrink buildings environmental footprint. Doing more with less has become business as usual; for school administrators and business leaders. They are constantly on the lookout for ways to reduce overhead costs while still creating the best possible educational experience for students, faculty and staff...

New requirements from the OMB affect the way school districts manage federal grants. The Office of Management and Budget’s "Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards"—also known as the Super Circular, Omni Circular, or Uniform Guidance—brought numerous changes that will affect all government entities, particularly school districts and how they manage their federal grants.

Cutting-edge intelligent surveillance is a reliable, cost-effective way to minimize crime on campuses.

FINANCE AND BUDGETING: During times of limited capital resources, consolidation of schools is an option worth considering. School administrators in the seaside community encountered a series of obstacles when they began planning for the future of the town’s two largest schools. A feasibility study showed that repairing and renovating of he structural constraints of the fortress-style building.