The Green Schools National Network, a 501c3 non-profit organization founded in 2008, works with educators, government and non-governmental organizations and agencies, as well as private partners to create broad-based initiatives and successful strategies aimed at fostering healthy, sustainable K-12 schools across the United States. Founded by principals, superintendents, and teachers, GSNN is devoted to accelerating student achievement through the implementation of green, healthy and sustainable practices as outlined in our GreenPrint® for Green, Healthy, and Sustainable Schools.

On February 13th from 8:30-12:00 in the Board Room of Anne Arundel County Public Schools’ Annapolis headquarters, ASBO will host the first B.I.G. (Best Ideas Group) Forum for Human Resources professionals. Registration is free! These forums are designed to afford school business officials to meet with their peers in an informal setting to discuss topics of interest and share problems (and solutions) with colleagues from across the state. The B.I.G. Forum with start with a few questions posed by Human Resources leaders and will then open up for a free-wheeling conversation about whatever the group wants to talk about. It will be a lively and informative meeting.

Visit our website to learn all of the ways a membership at ASBO MD&DC can benefit an individual membership, a corporate membership, or Business Associate Membership. There are even money savings options available. Check it out ... or tell a friend! Contact asbomddc1@gmail.com

Each year, ASBO MD-DC awards the Fay Miller Education Leadership Eagle Institute scholarship to ASBO International's Eagle Institute, a four day learning experience taught by highly regarded professionals in the field. Taught through a historical lens, this program explores issues of school business management and leadership, and is held at various locations of great historical significance, for example, Gettysburg, Philadelphia, and Washington D.C. Fay Miller, the inspiration for this award, served as Assistant Superintendent of Administrative Services for the Kent County Public Schools for 22 years and has been a member of ASBO MD-DC since 1982 and ASBO International since 1986. She has served in various leadership roles in both organizations and received the very prestigious ASBOI Eagle Award in 2006. The Fay Miller Education Leadership Eagle Institute Award is made annually to an ASBO MD-DC member in recognition of Fay’s exemplary service to education, commitment to excellence, and demonstrated leadership skills in the belief that her career serves as an inspiration to all school business professionals. The scholarship award covers Institute registration, hotel accommodations, all conference meals and travel costs - a value of in excess of $2,000.00. To learn how to apply and what the requirements are visit http://asbo.org/content.php?page=Awards. Applications must be received by May 1. Past Recipients 2011 - Doreen Heath, Montgomery County Public Schools 2012 - Vicky Mayle, St. Mary's County Public Schools 2013 - Jeff LaPorta, CPPB, Harford County Public Schools 2014 - Scott Germain, Garrett County Public Schools

Common Ground 2015, featuring Keynote Speakers Robert Marzano on Thursday, April 30 and Jay McTighe on Friday, May 1, is scheduled for April 30 – May 1, 2015. This conference will be held in Ocean City, MD, at the Ocean City Convention Center.

The 435th Maryland Legislative Session Convenes January 14, 2015! Here are the (preliminary) Dates of Interest for your calendar. New members will be sworn in on January 14th, 2015, and their contact information will be available on the General Assembly website at that time. Pre-filed legislation will be available in early January.

On January 30, 2015, the Foundations of Maryland School Business Management will hold its workshop, "Elements of School Purchasing" from 9:00 AM - to 3:00 PM at Anne Arundel County Public Schools Professional Growth & Development Center. Don't miss this opportunity to build leadership and management skills in our current and upcoming public school leaders, critical to the efficiency of our profession.

Coming in February! The Foundation will host a workshop on February 27, 2015 for School Information. Watch for registration information or visit the ASBO MD&DC Website!

Annual Spring Conference May 17, 2015 - May 20, 2015 in Ocean City Maryland Watch for upcoming details!

March 4-7, 2015 | Virginia Beach, VA This annual conference is designed to allow attendees to learn about creative strategies for success and to take home real-life tools that can transform schools. There will be many excellent sessions at this important and special gathering of K-12 staff who are trying to ramp up sustainability in their operations and curriculum. This is the largest and premier conference dedicated to K-12 sustainability and the opportunities for learning are immense.

February 13, 2015 8:30 - Noon Board Room of Anne Arundel County Public Schools’ Annapolis headquarters

Acting Employee Relations Specialist at Anne Arundel County Public Schools Baltimore, Maryland Area.

Tom Leary is celebrating 46 years at Anne Arundel County Public Schools.

For over 40 years, ASBO International has awarded the Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting (COE) to school districts for excellence and best practices in financial reporting. Congratulations to Eight Maryland School Systems who have been awarded this nationally recognized prestigious achievement! • Anne Arundel County Public Schools • Baltimore City Public Schools • Baltimore County Public Schools • Board of Education of Wicomico County • Cecil County Public Schools • Frederick County Public Schools • Howard County Public Schools • Montgomery County Public Schools Receiving the COE is a prestigious achievement that demonstrates that your district promotes excellence, transparency in financial reporting and fiscal accountability critical in today's dynamic education environment.

After 34 years Debbie Groat is retiring from Anne Arundel County Public Schools and will begin a new career with the Baltimore Regional Cooperative Purchasing Committee (BRCPC) at the Baltimore Metropolitan Council. Her career with the State and Anne Arundel County Public Schools (AACPS) spanned 34 years, 20 of which she spent with AACPS as Supervisor of Purchasing. She has brought it to its current high professional standard. Anne Arundel County Public Schools is currently certified and recognized as a municipality and Awarded Excellence in Procurement by Universal Public Procurement Certification Council (UPPCC) Debbie’s new position as the Coordinator of BRCPC is charged with facilitating cooperative purchasing for the Baltimore region, and through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Washington Council of Governments, working to collaborate with the Washington/Virginia area as well. While BRCPC is a regional consortium, all municipalities can use these contracts and BRCPC benefits from their participating purchasing volume.The broad stroke objective is to garner the best contracts for membership and the citizens that they serve.

ASBO Congratulates Mr. Jeff Gank who has been named as Director of Information Technology for the Garrett County Public Schools. Jeff is a Garrett County native—graduating from Southern Garrett High School in 2006 and Garrett College in 2007. Since earning industry certifications in computer repair and networking, Jeff has worked in all facets of Information Technology, including help desk, product development, database administration, and network administration. In 2012, Jeff began working with the Garrett County Public Schools as a Database specialist, and for the past couple of months, he has served as the Interim Director of Information Technology. Jeff currently resides in Oakland with his family

On December 18, 2014, FCPS held an employee recognition reception for employees who had received industry certification in the prior six month. The photo includes FCPS employees who had received SafeServe Certification in the Food and Nutrition Services Department, Human Resources employees who received their Professional of Human Resource Certification and Master Trainer Certificate and also, Maintenance and Operations employees and the Chief Operating Officer who received the IFMA (International Facilities Management Association) certification. FCPS continually encourages and supports our business and operations employees in getting industry certifications.

Your district’s brand sends a strong message about who you are and what you hope to accomplish. Veronica V. Sopher explores the issue of what message a district sends to its audience in this article in asbointl.org SCHOOL BUSINESS AFFAIRS |  NOVEMBER 2014

Should districts "punish" students for their parents’ unpaid bills? In this article in the NOVEMBER 2014  |  SCHOOL BUSINESS AFFAIRS asbointl.org, By Robert Ruder, Ed.D. examines a PB&J headline was a spin-off of the real issue the district was facing: an outstanding debt of $10,000 owed by parents who were delinquent in paying for their children’s lunches.

Hiring effective teachers requires more than a generic job description. In the December 2014 issue of School Business Daily, Michael V. Pregot, Ed.D reviews how effective teachers are at the heart of any successful school system.

Stephanie Armbruster and Tom Strasburger in this DECEMBER 2014 | SCHOOL BUSINESS AFFAIRS article, tell us how Automation can help the HR department promote diversity, safety, and efficiency

New Hampshire’s virtual learning school makes learning personal—and cost effective. An innovative experiment in New Hampshire is radically changing the way secondary school students learn—a change that can have a signifi cant effect on both cost and quality of education in that state. Writer, Larry White tells us about an innovative idea in his NOVEMBER 2014  |  SCHOOL BUSINESS AFFAIRS asbointl.org article.

Grants have the power to transform learning and create lasting change in a community. By Anne R. Sisk, MS NOVEMBER 2014 | SCHOOL BUSINESS AFFAIRS asbointl.org

If you are new to the Maryland General Assembly website, here is a document that can help navigate the site. The General Assembly of Maryland (GAM) has maintained a public web presence since 1996. The website was redesigned for the 2013 Session and updated for the 2015 Session. The GAM website contains information for current and past legislative sessions.

As the central nonpartisan professional staffing agency for the General Assembly of Maryland, the Department of Legislative Services (DLS) employs more than 350 people who provide legal, fiscal, committee, research, reference, auditing, administrative, and technological support to the members of the legislature and its committees. The department's mission is to facilitate the legislative process by providing the members of the General Assembly with the highest quality of staff support. This requires that the department establish and maintain high performance standards for its staff, as well as create an organizational culture that promotes adaptability to the changing needs and priorities of the General Assembly.

With the onset of the 2015 Legislative Session, (Convening January 14, 2015 with a swearing in of members), its helpful to know about the committees. Much of the legislature’s work is done by its committees. Committees include standing committees, statutory committees, special committees, and select committees (commonly known as county or regional delegations). Special committees are usually temporary and go out of existence when their purposes have been fulfilled. The Department of Legislative Services assigns to the committees policy analysts who generally facilitate and support the work of the committees, including reviewing and analyzing legislation to identify legal and policy issues and drafting amendments, floor reports, and other informational documents to assist the chairs and members of the committees. Assistants to the Chair are responsible for the day-to-day management of the Committee office throughout the year.

With the session getting ready to start, you may find yourself in the position of visiting our State Capitol...if you are new to the area or need to know where something is in Annapolis, including shuttles, parking or a building...here ya go!

DECEMBER 11, 2014 U.S. Department of Education Statement from U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan on the Federal Communications Commission’s vote on the E-rate program: "The Federal Communications Commission’s vote to further modernize the E-rate program ensures the program will continue to help our schools be part of the digital age. This is another huge step forward in our ConnectED Initiative’s work to provide high-speed internet access to schools and high-quality digital learning resources to teachers and students.

December 10, 2014 Contact: Press Office, (202) 401-1576, press@ed.gov U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell announced that 18 states have been awarded grants, totaling more than $226 million, under the Preschool Development Grants program.

Prospective employers are also encouraged to log in and advertise vacancies. For more information, contact asbomddc1@gmail.com

New rain gardens are being planted at two schools in Harford County originally printed in the AEGIS newspaper on 5/18/11 by Matt Button - AEGIS Staff Member

Want an update on Early Childhood Learning? How about Race to the Top or other Education related issues? Visit the White House!

In June 2013, President Obama announced the ConnectED initiative, designed to enrich K-12 education for every student in America. ConnectED empowers teachers with the best technology and the training to make the most of it, and empowers students through individualized learning and rich, digital content. The President also directed the federal government to make better use of existing funds to get Internet connectivity and educational technology into classrooms, and into the hands of teachers trained on its advantages. And he called on businesses, states, districts, schools, and communities to support this vision, which requires no congressional action. Following the 2014 State of the Union address, the President announced major progress on the initiative, highlighting commitments by the FCC and the private sector.

Under the provisions of §7-213(a), State Finance and Procurement Article, the Governor, with the approval of the Board of Public Works, may reduce, by not more than 25%, any appropriation the Governor considers unnecessary

Read Jeff LaPorta's insight into the November article entitled, Tips for a Newbie.