65th Annual Spring Conference

May 21-24, 2017

Ocean City, Maryland

Has Hemingway always been an inspiration to you? Do you enjoy writing and sharing your knowledge and ideas with others? Why not contribute an article to the upcoming issue of ASBO Matters? If you would like to discuss a possible article or story, call John Lang, Executive Director, ASBO MD&DC at 410-608-0911 P.S. This also satisfies one of the requirements for the new ASBO MD&DC Professional Certification program.

Ray Barnes, Chief Operating Officer at Frederick County Public Schools, will be retiring December 31st after 23 years of service with the school system and an additional 12 years prior to that with Frederick County Government. Before becoming COO, Ray was the Director of Facilities and Operations.

Hope Miller, Assistant Procurement Card Administrator- Admin Sec, has re-certified her Certified Purchasing Card Professional (CPCP) from the National Association of Procurement Institute.

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 Melanie Webster, Baltimore County Public Schools, has been promoted to Purchasing Manager and is responsible for $226 million a year in spending, including the capital program. Melanie has been with BCPS for 19 years and was most recently a Fiscal Supervisor.

In other news from BCPS Purchasing, Patti Onheiser, with over 20 years of BCPS service, has been promoted to Purchasing Associate where she will be responsible for vendor relations and oversight of the contracting process.

Lisa Goldberg has been promoted from Purchasing Clerk to Purchasing Assistant and has been with BCPS since 2009.

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  Alison Sweitzer is the new Director of Finance for Garrett County Public Schools.

Dr. Jane Wildesen has been selected to be the Director of Human Resources for Garrett County Public Schools.

 

December 20, 2016 This workshop was established for all school business officials, for aspiring leaders in schools and support services, bookkeepers and new employees engaged in the accounting or bookkeeping activities including decision making of those activities and need a working knowledge of the rules, principles, and procedures for governmental accounting as it applies to Maryland Local Education Agencies. Attendees will benefit by gaining an understanding of Budgeting and Financial Planning, Accounting, Auditing, and Financial Reporting, Cash Management, Debt Management, and Technology for School Finance Operations for Maryland School Districts.

January 11, 2017 Best Ideas Group (B.I.G.) sessions are another opportunity to get together in an informal setting with colleagues in your particular area of school business to talk about solutions to nagging problems that you may be having, discuss new legislation and regulations and how you'll be complying with them, develop new contacts throughout ASBO MD&DC, and learn about how colleagues are meeting the challenges that all of you face as you support the teachers and students in the classroom. There is no set agenda. There will be several 'warm up' questions that attendees can suggest prior to the meeting, but the direction of the rest of the conversation is up to you.

January 13, 2017 This workshop was established for all school business officials, for aspiring leaders in schools and support services, bookkeepers and new employees engaged in the purchasing activities including decision making process of those activities and the need of a working knowledge of the rules, principles, and procedures for governmental human resources as it applies to Maryland Local Education Agencies (LEAs). Attendees will benefit by gaining an understanding of the human resource requirements for Maryland School Districts. Attendees will be able to demonstrate an understanding of; Personnel and Benefits Administration; Professional Development; Labor Relations and Employment Agreements; Human Relations.

January 23, 2017 Best Ideas Group (B.I.G.) Sessions are another opportunity to get together in an informal setting with colleagues in your particular area of school business to talk about solutions to nagging problems that you may be having, discuss new legislation and regulations and how you'll be complying with them, develop new contacts throughout ASBO MD&DC, and learn about how colleagues are meeting the challenges that all of you face as you support the teachers and student in the classroom. There is no set agenda. There will be several 'warm up' questions that attendees can suggest prior to the meeting, but the direction of the rest of the conversation is up to you.

February 17, 2017 ASBO is about building leadership and management skills in our current and upcoming public school leaders which is critical to the efficiency of our profession. This workshop was established for all school business officials as well as aspiring leaders in schools and support services, to gain an understanding of Maryland School Transportation Management activities including those decision makers that need a working knowledge of the rules, principles, and procedures for transportation management in Maryland Public Schools as it applies to Maryland Local Education Agencies. Attendees will benefit by gaining an understanding of transportation management for Maryland School Districts. They will learn * How to support and maintain a student transportation program that adheres to all legal requirements; * Manage energy consumption and environmental aspects; * Ensure that the school bus maintenance and replacement program is established and maintained; * Develop a crisis management plan; * Monitor the student transportation program and make adjustments as marked; * Analyze alternative methods available for providing transportation; * Ensure an efficient and comprehensive routing system is developed and maintained; * Ensure a comprehensive plan is in place for training and retaining bus drivers; and * Communicate transportation needs to the public, administration, and state/provincial legislatures.

U.S. Communities offers a range of educational and informational webinars to help your organization get the most out of cooperative purchasing. Subjects vary from introductory U.S. Communities overviews to presentations addressing specific topics such as supplier offerings or e-commerce. Webinars are free but registration is required. New webinars are added on an ongoing basis so check back regularly.

 

Congratulations to Teresa Dennison, Continuous Improvement Specialist, Howard County Public Schools.

During the 2014-15 school year, Howard County schools initiated a continuous improvement project called "School Swap" that transfers unwanted materials and supplies, which previously had been disposed of in dumpsters or sold on www.PublicSurplus.org, to other offices and schools that need them. Similar to CraigsList or FreeCycle, this internal system organizes and communicates available items. The entire school system can now post items no longer needed and search for items prior to spending school funds.

 

MCPS receives the Achievement of Excellence in Procurement Award from the National Procurement Institute, Inc. (NPI) for the fifth consecutive year.

September saw schools' across Maryland taking part in Farm to School Week, which is one program that has helped improve school lunch nutrition by putting more fresh and local produce in students diets. From the HeraldMailMedia.com

The IRS recently released the final forms and instructions large employers will use to meet their 2016 Employer Mandate reporting obligations under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA).

NEWS WORTH SHARING

"The following articles originally appeared in the October 2016 School Business Affairs magazine and is 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."

The debate about state and federally mandated tests focuses on who controls public education. By: John Craven, Ph.D., Garrett Warshay, and Deidre Bassolino

Preparation for and reaction to change can set the tone in your district and in the community. By: Mathhew Malinowski, MPA, RSBA, PRSBA

Key guidance regarding the new regulations for federal purchasing. By: Nicole Neal

Strategies for taking the helm of your new position. By: Brian Moore, MBA, RSBS

"This article originally appeared in the October 2016 School Business Affairs magazine and is 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."

What lessions can we learn from one of the United States' most-respected leaders?