Time is running out for you to advertise in the ASBO 2014-2015 Directory! Participate and connect with key-decision makers in Maryland, Delaware and Washington D.C. school districts. Take advantage of this opportunity before it's too late! Contact Brian Agnes at (770) 810-6979 to reserve your ad space today!

ASBO International US Communities and team up! U.S. Communities has signed on to be the official sponsor of the Emerging School Business Leaders Scholarship, supporting the School Business Leaders of Tomorrow

Did you know that you can now change your personal information in the ASBO database when you change jobs, get a new mailing address, email address, phone,etc. Just follow these simple directions: Go to www.asbo.org and click on the "Login" button on the right hand side Type in your username and password. If you do not know your username or password click on "Forgot Username/Password?" You will then enter your email address and an email from info@asbo.org will be sent to you. It will include a link to change your password it will also include your member ID # and your username. If you click on the link it will ask you to enter a new password. Then you will be able to log in to the website. Once you have logged in, you can edit your information by clicking on "Member Information Editor" on the right. Please make sure that your LEA name is in the "Company" field. That field should read, for example, Baltimore County Public Schools. At the bottom of the page under "Groups" click "Edit". Under "Member Groups" click "Assign" for all subject areas in which you have an interest. This will be used to send you information specific to your areas of interest and to establish on-line discussion groups. Click "Finish". After that you can access all the Member Area info. If you have questions please contact your liaison or Scott Germain, at info@asbo.org

For many School Business Officials, professional certification is an achievement that reflects superior knowledge, experience, and status as a school business professional. Whatever your motivation to achieve certification, ASBO MD&DC’s courses, workshops, and education sessions equip you with the knowledge and the qualifying credits you need to become certified as Certified School Business Administrator (CSBA), Certified School Business Official (CSBO) and Certified School Business Specialist (CSBS).

Three hundred ASBO members attended the 63rd Annual Fall Conference on November 6th at the Conference Center at the Maritime Institute. For the first time, conference attendees were able to register and pay on-line and there were only a few minor problems encountered. If you were there, you had the pick of twenty great education sessions with topics ranging from Hints for a Successful Audit and A Food Cooperative That Could Work for You, to Leadership in Action – In the Twilight Zone and Successful Modernization of Older, Historic School Buildings. There also was a fascinating keynote presentation about Emotional Intelligence (EQ) that you can find at asbo.org. Allen Gaddis (Member Number 008!), long-time Chair of the Constitution and By-Laws Committee and ASBO President in 1963, was recognized for his over five decades of service to ASBO MD&DC. The Brice and Shirley Phillips Best Practice Award, sponsored by Johnson Controls, was awarded to Robert Wilkinson, Director, Maintenance and Operations, Frederick County Public Schools, for his submission entitled "Stimulating Creative Thinking and Unanticipated Advancement for Maintenance." Bob will be presenting at the Spring Conference, as well as those who submitted other creative ideas – watch for them at the Spring Conference and in ASBO Connects as well. Congratulations to all!! The day ended with a drawing for twenty $250 registration scholarships to the Spring Conference. The Spring Conference is May 17-20 in Ocean City –make plans to be there!!

DATE: November 21, 2014 TIME: 9:00 am to 4:00 pm WHERE: Anne Arundel County Public Schools Professional Growth & Development Center 2671 Carver Road | Gambrills, MD 21054 Get a working knowledge of the rules, principles, and procedures for transportation management in Maryland Public Schools as it applies to Maryland Local Education Agencies. Each session will be catered for Breakfast and Lunch

December 12, 2014 FROM 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM Anne Arundel County Public Schools Professional Growth & Development Center 2671 Carver Road Gambrills, MD 21054 Gain a working knowledge of the rules, principles, and procedures for facilities management and an understanding of Maryland School Facilities Management Each session will be catered for breakfast and lunch.

MSDE GRANT IS AIMED AT DEVELOPING INNOVATIVE PRACTICES TO REDUCE ACHIEVEMENT GAP FOR CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES Worcester County Public Schools (WCPS) is the sole recipient of a $1 million-plus competitive grant, known as the 2014 Bridges for Systems Change grant, awarded by the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE). The surprise announcement was made at Pocomoke High School today, while MSDE representatives were providing professional development for all WCPS Special Education personnel. The grant focuses on increasing academic achievement for students with disabilities, while eliminating gaps.

ASBO International hereby grants permission for use of these articles for ASBO MD-DC members as requested. Any additional re-purposing or reprinting of this article is restricted without prior written consent. "These articles originally appeared in the September 2014 and the October 2014 School Business Affairs magazine and are reprinted with permission of the Association of School Business Officials International (ASBO). 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."

AN ACCOUNTING OF SCHOOL-BASED COMMERCIAL ACTIVITIES Many districts have turned to commercial activities to supplement their budgets. In this article by Brian O. Brent, Ph.D, and Stephen Lunden discuss how many districts have turned to commercial activities to supplement budgets and the controversy over this resource.

By Jeff Feyerer, Business Manager/CSBO, Fairview School District 72 Financial dashboards can help you and your school community to understand and assess your district's fiscal health. Find out what a financial dashboard does and how it assists school districts with greater transparency.

By Catherine Cruickshank, and Kevnin Duffy, Senior Project Management for Hoffman Planning, Design. If you are considering a school construction project, the first step is to ensure that your budget is realistic.

What is CNG you ask? Compressed Natural Gas - see how the decision to use compressed natural gas buses is saving the Lee's Summit R-7 School District thousands of dollars! By Ron Cox, Director of Purchasing and Distribution for Lee's Summit R-7 School District

Brett A. Geier, Ed.D. an Associate Professor at the University of South Florida discusses how the U.S. falls short in providing quality facilities to enhance programming needs to compete in a global economy.

" By failing to plan, you are planning to fail" Ben Franklin In this article by Charles Moleski, LEED Green Associate, Principal for Becker & Frondorf Project Management, discusses how owner's representatives are invaluable to a district's facility planning team.

An effective purchasing network can save school districts money, time, and hassle. Learn how cooperative purchasing networks can provide leverage to thousands of members, negotiating best values on goods and services. By Greg Spencer, Cooperative Purchasing Network Program Strategic Leader for Trane

"This job of keeping our children safe, and teaching them well, is something we can only do together, with the help of friends and neighbors, the help of a community, and the help of a nation." — President Barack Obama, December 16, 2012

Harford county's sheriff says he'll move quickly to equip school buses with outside cameras to catch and ticket motorists who don't stop when students are boarding or leaving the bus.

Baltimore County officials announced plans Tuesday to spend $9.8 million over the next three years to expand the school security system by outfitting every public school with surveillance cameras and secure doors.

As the Obama administration effectively enters its twilight years in the wake of the midterm elections this week, some prominent U.S. Department of Education officials who were originally in charge of its splashy initiatives—including the stimulus-born Race to the Top program, the No Child Left Behind Act waivers, and the multibillion-dollar School Improvement Grant expansion—have left the building.

Editorial Blog by Rebecca Klein for Huntington Post After boycotting their high school cafeteria food this week, a group of students in Connecticut say they have reached a compromise with their school administration and the company that provides the food.

Check out the US Department of ED’s Forecast of funding opportunities under the department of education discretionary grant programs for fiscal year (fy) 2015. This document lists virtually all programs and competitions under which the Department has invited or expects to invite applications for new awards and provides actual or estimated deadline dates for the transmittal of applications under these programs. The lists are in the form of charts -- organized according to the Department's principal program offices -- and include programs and competitions previously announced, as well as those planned to be announced at a later date

What major evaluations could have the biggest impact on preschool through Grade 12 (P-12) education—providing information that could drive significant improvement in the ways that teachers, principals, and policymakers provide education to American students?

New Hire? New Job? Promotion? Try these tips from Sherry Ramsey Downen, Procurement Specialist, Harford County Public Schools