ASBO will be launching their new website in the near future. The new website will be interactive and informational!

THE SPRING/SUMMER ISSUE OF ASBO MATTERS NEWS JOURNAL

The 2014-2015 slate of candidates for ASBO MD&DC Board of Directors has been announced and we thank the candidates for their willingness to serve on the Board. You will note that there will now be six Directors-at-Large, an increase of two over the current number.

Here are the minutes from the 62nd Annual Fall Conference which took place on November 7, 2013 at the Maritime Institute.

The Dwight P. Jacobus Scholarships were established by the Association of School Business Officials Maryland and District of Columbia to assist those students who require assistance to secure a college education. Congratulations!

May 18th - 21st 2014 in Ocean City, Maryland HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!

Ms. Kathleen Egan, Business Services Analyst, and Ms. Barbara E. Regalia, Senior Buyer, both in the Division of Procurement at Montgomery County Public Schools, have received official designation as Certified Professional Public Buyer by the Universal Public Procurement Certification Council. They earned the designation for competency demonstrated by education, professional experience and the successful completion of a rigorous exam.

Jane Lindsay, an eighth grade teacher at John Poole Middle School, has been named the 2014-2015 MCPS Teacher of the Year, and will now compete for Maryland Teacher of the Year. Ms. Lindsay, and other MCPS staff and community members, were honored at the 12th annual Champions for Children celebration on April 29. The event is sponsored by the Montgomery County Business Roundtable for Education.

The Board of Education of Anne Arundel County today appointed Dr. George Arlotto as the next Superintendent of Anne Arundel County Public Schools (AACPS), pending the finalization of a contract between the two parties. With a contract in place, Dr. Arlotto will assume his duties on July 1, 2014. By law, he will have a four-year contract that will run through June 30, 2018.

Chiwy Webster, Edgewood High School secretary and 14-year veteran of HCPS was presented with this year's Employee Support Professional (ESP) Person of the Year Award! The purpose of the award was to recognize an individual who shows outstanding accomplishments in one or more of the following: professional practice, member advocacy and association involvement, personal achievement, enhancement of ESP image, and community engagement. The nominee must be a HCESC member for a minimum of two years. Individuals could be nominated by any ESP personnel, teacher, administrator, student or community member. Each application was checked to ensure it met eligibility requirements by individuals not on the selection committee. A selection committee then reviewed applications according to the criteria without knowledge of the nominee’s identity. All nominees were invited to attend the award banquet in April. This year’s nominees included: Victoria Bridges, North Harford School; Maury Kleinsmith, William S. James Elementary School; Sherry Lomonico, Havre de Grace High School; Susan Mangus, Church Creek Elementary School; Beth Poole, Fountain Glen Elementary School; Jaclyn Rosenkrans, John Archer; Robin Testerman, Aberdeen High School; Chiwy Webster, Edgewood High School; and Amy Wells, Fallston High School. Congratulations, Chiwy!

The Board of Education of Dorchester County is pleased to announce the renewal of the contract of Dr. Henry V. Wagner, Jr. for another four year term as superintendent by a vote of 5–0 at the February 20 meeting. This second term will run from July 1, 2014 through June 30, 2018.

George Washington Carver Elementary School in St. Mary's County, has gained national attention by the USDA for achieving the Silver level award in the Healthier US School Challenge.

Bill Meekins, Buyer Specialist with the Frederick County Public Schools (FCPS) in Frederick Maryland, was selected to speak at the annual National Association of Purchasing Card Professional (NAPCP) conference on April 15th in California. Bill presented "What is OFAC and How it Could Affect Your Program" Bill has also been asked to participate as a panel member of the Government/K-12 Advisory Board Public Sector Panel Discussion, with topics to include: Surcharging, Supplier Outreach, How to talk to Suppliers, Supplier RFPs, Declining Balance Cards, and ePayables Best Practices Bill will also moderate the roundtable discussion for "Training and Communication in the Public Sector"

On Friday, May 9, 2014 Md. Washington Minority Companies Association awarded twenty-two (22) leaders of diversity at the 2014 11th Annual 2014 Spring Breakfast Meeting/Business Showcase Expo. The diverse group of honorees represented various industries such as government, healthcare, education, utilities, gaming, professional services, banking, finance, construction and small minority and women owned businesses. Richard Gay, CPPO, Purchasing Manager | Baltimore County Public Schools was selected as one of the honoree’s for his work on promoting inclusion of minority businesses in our school system contracts. In FY 2013 BCPS achieved an MBE/SBE participation rate of 32% ($75,281,726 million) for state funded projects, and 40% (87,819,711 million) MBE/SBE participation rate when we factored in all funding sources. Rick also received a citation from Governor Martin O'Mally,SenTors Malkowski, and Cardin and Rep Hoyer the Minority Leader of the House.

SAINT MICHAELS — William F. "Bill" Best, son of William L. and Florence Y. Best, was born on Oct. 16 at their home in Mount Savage. He passed away on April 30, 2014, while residing at his home in Saint Michaels. He served as the Executive Director for the Association of School Business Officials for Maryland and The District of Columbia. During that period he established an office in Annapolis, fully furnished at no cost to the association and promoted business sponsorship's for the organization. The ASBO Family extends our sincerest condolences to Bill's family.

Under Featured Articles - Please note that articles excepted from School Business Affairs magazine are published with the express permission of ASBO International. These articles originally appeared in past issues of School Business Affairs magazine and are used in this newsletter with the following disclaimer: "This article originally appeared in the March 2014 and April 2013 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 this imprint does not imply any endorsement or recognition by ASBO International and its officers or affiliates."

Leadership. Strategy. Teamwork. Communication. Foresight. All of the attributes are important to our personal and professional success today.

Barry Sackin, SNS explains in this School Business Affairs article in April, how online payment systems in schools promote safety, accountability, security and convenience to students, parents and administration.

The definition of risk has changed dramatically through the years...and so has risk management. In this article from the March issue of School Business Affairs, Dr.Karen Starr, Ph.D discusses the risks that are very different from risks two decades ago.

In this April 2014 issue of School Business Affairs, Chris Beyne and Craig A Shilling describe how a reliable, robust infrastructure is critical to delivering instructional technology and how School Business Officials should play a key role in the selection, maintenance, and evaluation of technology and its infrastructure.

A mandatory student ID system allows a district to improve classroom attendance while enhancing security. In this article in the April 2014 issue, Brett St. Pierre reviews how effective a streamlined security process improved attendance and security.

Bring your own device (BYOD)—also called bring your own technology (BYOT), bring your own phone (BYOP), and bring your own PC (BYOPC)—refers to the policy of permitting employees to bring personally owned mobile devices (laptops, tablets, and smart phones) to their workplace, and to use those devices to access privileged company information and applications. The term is also used to describe the same practice applied to students using personally owned devices in education settings. Chris LaPoint, School Business Affairs, April issue, explores the preparation required for BOYD policies to be successful

By Scott MacFarlane | Tuesday, Apr 29, 2014 Montgomery County Public Schools is making a big change to its school lunch program, and students will immediately see the difference! Montgomery County Public Schools is making a big change to its school lunch program, and students will immediately see the difference. The district is ditching its traditional Styrofoam lunch trays as early as June and introducing new "paper" recyclable trays. The change was already made Tuesday at Francis Scott Key Middle School in White Oak. Officials hope to complete the change to paper trays district-wide in August, when the new school year begins. The school district serves 14 million lunches each year and has been swamped in Styrofoam waste because there is no local recycler for the product. Previous efforts to shift to "greener" trays were stymied by cost. Until recently, paper trays were nine times more expensive than Styrofoam. (Paper trays cost 28 cents each; Styrofoam cost 3 cents each.) A county official said the district found a new vendor offering a discount on the paper variety (4 cents each) and is finalizing an arrangement for widespread usage.

In this article by Alyson Penn of Business Insider, the Associated Press went out to see how school lunches in the U.S. compared to those served around the world. Spongecake and Salmon?

New research indicates virtually all middle and high school students have access to mobile devices and are using them for schoolwork. And nearly a third of them are using mobile devices issued by their schools. According to the report, "The New Digital Playbook: Understanding the Spectrum of Students' Activities and Aspirations," issued by Project Tomorrow in an event taking place in Washington, DC today, 89 percent of high school students (grades 9–12) and 73 percent of middle school students (grades 6–8) have access to smart phones. Another 66 percent in both groups have access to laptops. Sixty-one percent of middle schoolers and 50 percent of high schoolers have access to tablets. And 48 percent of middle schoolers and 39 percent of high schoolers have access to digital readers.

In this article by Janet C. Sites, Purchasing Assistant in Harford County Public Schools, vendor changes and their impact is explored.

Mold growth in schools over the summer break is a state-wide problem and Building Dynamics would like to make available a paper we recently completed on this issue. It identifies a number of HVAC deficiencies which promote mold growth caused by excessive humidity and over-cooling, preventative measures and energy implications. Our study found that several HVAC changes to improve humidity control can actually save energy, and a cost-effective strategy for limited HVAC operation in unoccupied areas is discussed. Many of these modifications are low-cost and can be implemented by in-house personnel. Reproductions or quotes from this document are prohibited.

Tornadoes. Historically, Maryland averages three reported tornadoes each year, most often occurring between May and July. The most powerful tornado recorded in Maryland occurred on April 29, 2002, in Calvert and Charles counties. Briefly reaching F5 status, it covered more than 30 miles, and had winds in excess of 260 mph. Does your school district have an emergency plan in the event of a tornado warning or a tornado touchdown and are you aware of employees, students and visitors with disabilities and other special needs? Do you have a plan for them? And the most important question is has all the plans been tested?

Christopher Hauge, School Facilities Engineer in Dorchester County Public Schools shows how improved lighting in schools can provide many benefits to students.

America's public schools strive to offer a path to the middle class for children from hard-working families in every community, particularly those living in poverty. Yet too many students lack access to the education and supports that make the journey to the middle class possible. The Obama administration is committed to ensuring equity of opportunity for every child.

Jordan Weissmann is Slate's senior business and economics correspondent.

Nearly 80% of a typical school’s energy use can be attributed to lighting and heating, ventilation and air conditioning. Reducing energy consumption in these areas by implementing energy efficiency measures or retrofitting old equipment is not only a smart way to save money but also a good teaching model for students, faculty and parents.

Published on Feb 20, 2014 - BGE In this YouTube video students are learning about energy and the environment. To increase energy efficiency, Maryland's Harford County Public Schools (HCPS) upgraded lighting and HVAC systems in its schools using financial incentives from the BGE Smart Energy Savers Program®. As a result of the upgrades, HCPS saw a significant reduction in energy costs and a much improved learning environment for students and teachers. Visit BGESmartEnergy.com/business for more information.