Here are some of the featured articles... EDUCATIONAL IDEAS: Blended Operations Help Innovation Flourish TECHNOLOGY UPDATE: Free Tools for Tough Times LEADERSHIP: School Business Leadership in the New Fiscal Reality CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING: Creating a Culture of Innovation INITIATING CHANGE: Succeeding with Sustainability SAFETY & SECURITY: A Tailored Approach to School Security SCHOOL FACILITIES: Transform Concrete Floors with a Bit of Polish

If you're in Human Resources, you can post job openings on the website, at no cost, if you or a member of your staff is a member of ASBO MD&DC. If you have a job opening that you would like posted on the ASBO.org web site, go to the Job Listings administration area. If you do not have access to this area, please contact John Lang (Executive Director) for more information at asbomddc1@gmail.com.

Let us know...if you have any information about promotions, a new job, professional achievements, school system awards, etc., send them to asbomddc1@gmail.com and we'll put them in the next issue of ASBO Connects.

Play golf at the 24th Annual Spring Conference Golf Outing on Sunday, May 18th in Ocean City, MD! TIME: Shotgun Start at 9:00 AM WHERE: Ocean City Golf Club – Seaside Course 11401 Country Club Drive, Berlin, Md. 21811 Format: Full scramble with longest drive and closest to the PIN prizes! Prizes:1st, 2nd, 3rd place team, longest drive and closest to the pin on par 3’s. Awarded at conclusion of tournament Stay Tuned for Information for sponsoring a hole too!

Each year ASBO offers our Partners an opportunity to sponsor a program. Here is a brief overview of some of those programs and how the awards are used to impact the awarded recipient! For more information, please contact John Lang at asbomddc1@gmail.com.

Each year, ASBO awards the Fay Miller Eagle Institute Leadership Scholarship to an ASBO member to attend the ASBO International Eagle Institute that examines leadership from a historical perspective. This year, the Institute will be held in Washington D.C., July 15-18 with hotel accommodations at the Hamilton Crowne Plaza. Attendance is limited to only 40. To learn more about the Institute, visit asbointl.org/EagleInstitute. The deadline for applying is May 1, 2014.

The Brice and Shirley Phillips Best Practice Award has quickly become one of the most prestigious awards that ASBO MD&DC has to offer and is a wonderful opportunity to share your innovative idea with school systems in Maryland and Delaware, and the District of Columbia.

The candidates for ASBO MD&DC Board of Directors for 2014-2015 has been announced!

MAY 18th - 21st, 2014?

Time: 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM Location: Caroline County Public Schools Ken Roey & Don Kremp Register by: March 17, 2015 Seating Limited to 25 Students

The Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners had appointed Dr. Gregory Thornton, Superintendent of Milwaukee Public Schools, to be the next Chief Executive Officer of the Baltimore City Public Schools. ASBO looks forward to working with Dr. Thornton. and congratulates him on his appointment.

In their Customer Spotlight section, BGE Energy Solutions for Business gives Harford County Public Schools an "A" for energy efficiency...

Effective July 1, 2013, Mr. Keith Hettel has been appointed Assistant Superintendent of Supporting Services for Charles County Public Schools. ASBO MD & DC welcomes Keith!

Ms. Tammy McCourt was appointed as Deputy to the Assistant Superintendent of Fiscal Services and Human Resources, St. Mary's County Public Schools. She had been serving as Chief Budget and Business Officer with the Calvert County Public Schools.

ASBO MD&DC Congratulates Worcester County Public Schools for their many accomplishments! • All 14 schools are accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, accomplishment achieved by few school systems. • Nine (9) of our 12 eligible schools are Maryland Blue Ribbon Schools (Ocean City, Pocomoke, Showell, and Snow Hill Elementary Schools; Stephen Decatur and Snow Hill Middle Schools; and Pocomoke, Snow Hill, and Stephen Decatur High Schools). • Five (5) schools are National Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence (Ocean City, Pocomoke, Showell, and Snow Hill Elementary Schools; and Stephen Decatur Middle School). • Nine (9) schools received the highest Gold designation as Positive Behavior Intervention Strategies (PBIS) schools (Buckingham, Pocomoke, and Snow Hill Elementary Schools; Cedar Chapel Special School; Berlin Intermediate School; Pocomoke and Snow Hill Middle Schools; and Snow Hill and Stephen Decatur High Schools). • Worcester County Public Schools has 30 National Board Certified teachers. • Fifty-eight percent (58%) of the Advanced Placement tests administered in 2012-2013 demonstrated student mastery, with scores of 3 or above. • With 94% of students scoring proficient or advanced on the 2013 MSA, Worcester County Public Schools ranked first in the state overall, out of 24 school systems for the third consecutive year. • Our 2013 MSA scores rank first in the state in Reading (at 95.3%) and first in the state in Mathematics(at 94.4%). • In Grades 3 through 8 in both Reading and Mathematics, our 2013 MSA scores by grade level rank first in the state in 10 of the 12 indicators or in 83% of them. • Our school system consistently ranks in the top-five for dollars spent in the classroom, when compared with all 24 school systems.

ASBO MD & DC welcomes Paul Jefferson, new Transportation Specialist in Wicomico County

Mrs. Babara Canavan, former Interim Superintendent of Harford County Public Schools, has been appointed as Superintendent. Congratulations!

The award represents a significant achievement by the entity. It reflects the commitment of the governing body and staff to meeting the highest principles of governmental budgeting. In order to receive the budget award, the entity has to satisfy nationally recognized guidelines for effective budget presentation. Congratulations on this achievement! Congratulations also goes to Wicomico County as the recipient of the ASBO International MBA Award!

Please note that articles excepted from School Business Affairs magazine are published with the express permission of ASBO International. Any additional re-purposing or reprinting of these articles is restricted without prior written consent. These articles originally appeared in past issues of School Business Affairs magazine and is reprinted with permission of the Association of School Business Officials International (ASBOI). The text herein does not necessarily represent the views or policies of ASBO International, and use of any of these imprints does not imply any endorsement or recognition by ASBO International and its officers or affiliates."

Make the school lunch menu, including nutrition information, accessible on smartphones and online! By Robert J. Safransky, Ph.D., and Arthur Dunham, Ph.D.

A complete overhaul of the student transportation system can save money and increase customer satisfaction. By Paul A. S. O’Malley, Ed.D.

School business offi cials must understand the implications of the new GASB standards. By Corey Arvizu

This district serves its students supper with a side of afterschool activities. By Ali Mehanti and Elvira Michalek

Partnerships between K–12 districts and higher ed offer a variety of benefits to schools and students. by Nicholas D. Young, Ph.D., Ed.D., and Richard P. Roque, M.S.

In integrated surveillance system is most effective to ensure safety. by Brian N. Moore, RSBS

The SEC is turning up the heat in enforcing Rule 15c2-12 regarding posting financial reports. by Renée Graves, Dan Warden, and Abigail Stokes Palsma

Today’s emergency drills must go beyond preparing for a fire or bad weather. by Brian N. Moore, RSBS

Few issues in education have generated more ongoing controversy during the last half-century than affirmative action.... By Charles J. Russo, J.D., Ed.D

This New Jersey district ensures students focus on learning rather than hunger. by Derek J. Jess, RSBA

In this article in the November, 2013 School Business Affairs - Innovative Practices, Robert Schoch, PRSBA discusses how innovation is more than just a creative process.

February 9, 2014, USA TODAY by Talia Richman Some schools in at least 5 states are allowing e-learning days STORY HIGHLIGHTS Ohio, Illinois and West Virginia among states incorporating e-learning on snow days E-learning days can meet state class-time requirements With e-learning, teachers are available to provide assistance

Harford County Public Schools leads the way in energy efficiency.

From time to time, ASBO Connects will be publishing great projects recently submitted for the Shirley and Brice Phillips Best Practices Award. In this issue we're featuring two ideas that you can use that were submitted by Chris Hauge, School Facilities Engineer, Dorchester County Public Schools. SELF PERFORMING A PERFORMANCE CONTRACT

DELIVERING A LARGEST MOST COMPLEX SCHOOL PROJECT USING INTEGRATED PROJECT DELIVERY