Welcome to the Alaska Association of School Business Officials e-newsletter!
ALASBO's Mission: To promote the highest standards in school business practices.
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Robbie MacManus wins the 2021 School Business Official of the Year Award
Congratulations to Robbi MacManus, CFO, Alaska Gateway School District, on winning ALASBO's 2021 School Business Official of the Year Award sponsored by GCI.
The award was presented by Karen Morrison, SFO, Business Manager, Petersburg School District, who was the 2020 recipient.
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Message from ALASBO President, Andy Ratliff
Greetings ALASBO and happy belated New Year! I hope everyone got some much-needed time off over the holidays to rest, recharge, and mentally prepare for rest of the year.
ALASBO held its annual conference in December and I would like to give a huge thank you to Darcy, Melody, Jennifer, the ALASBO Board and all the presenters, sponsors, and attendees that continually make the conference a success! There were many wonderful presentations and professional development opportunities, but I certainly missed the best part, spending time with friends and colleagues, sharing ideas and stories that few others outside of our profession really understand. I look forward to future events being in-person and being able to have that comradery once again.
Each year after our conference, just like clockwork (or maybe groundhog’s day), our representatives return to Juneau to shape the future of the State. As the legislative session progresses and bills are being considered, I would encourage each of you to be prepared to tell your district’s story and advocate for things that would improve your district, whether it be funding changes, reporting requirements, capital grants, or other more specific needs. If you are anything like me, you didn’t get into the finance business because you like public speaking, however, I bet there are folks in your district, like principals, superintendents, and school board members, that are comfortable speaking so long as they have understandable information to present. As business managers we should be preparing charts, graphs, and talking points to help tell our stories about what happens when years of one-time state and federal funds run out. Current legislation being considered could have long term effects on the on the education system and being able to concisely explain the impacts of these actions, and to an even greater extent, the impacts of inaction, is going to be incredibly important as these decisions are being made on our behalf.
I hope everyone has a smooth and uneventful budget preparation season and look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at the ACSA legislative fly-in at the end of March. ---Andy
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ALASBO Professional Development
by Jennifer Schmitz, Education Director, ALASBO
As I am sure you know, the ALASBO Board applied for and received a grant from DEED last year that was written specifically to expand PD opportunities in school districts for staff on the operations side of things. Over the past year, we have put together a number of very well received PD sessions for people working in HR departments. We are currently working on some partnership ideas with the IT folks, and are also partnering with Lon Garrison at AASB to get some more training opportunities out to the people in the facilities and maintenance field.
Illinois ASBO has developed a pretty comprehensive training program based on the book, Good School Maintenance. We are looking at ways that this training can be modified to address the needs/issues in Alaska. One of the trainers in Illinois is more than happy to work with us in Alaska to get something similar to their program going here.
Our current plan is to get a few facilities and maintenance employees from around the state who are willing to be "trained as the trainers." In all of the PD we are offering, the training is done by current practitioners (people doing the work) because they are the ones who know what is needed. We are looking at offering 2 of these sessions in- person on extra days attached to their conference each year (it would take 2 years to get all 4 trainings). We have also discussed a hybrid model (where people could join remotely) and /or producing training videos to truly get the information to those right in the schools on an as needed basis.
As an organization, ALASBO believes that the more time we spend training our employees, the more likely they are to stick around and possibly desire to "move up the ladder" or to different jobs in our districts. We are excited about the work we are doing to address the professional development needs in school districts across Alaska.
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Member Spotlight:
Becca Moore
Our member spotlight shines on Becca Moore. Becca is Accounts Payable at the Delta/Greely School District.
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Executive Director's Message- Darcy Carter
No, that is not a picture of me. Yes, that is a picture of Amy Lujan enjoying retirement on a recent trip to Hawaii. I want to give a big THANK YOU to Amy for continuing to serve ALASBO even after her retirement from working as Executive Director for 10 years. Amy has been ALASBO's Legislative Liaison for the past few years, but has stepped down from that position for 2022. Fortunately for ALASBO, Amy is still active and helping our organization.
I also want to acknowledge and thank the many other retirees who continue to serve ALASBO and our members: David Means is serving a critical role as ALASBO Data Analyst and helps with legislative inquiries. Melody Douglas continues to serve ALASBO as the Associate Executive Director. Tammy White is serving on the Joint ALASBO/AASB/ASA Board Policy Review Committee.
The New Business Manager Institute (NBMI) program is supported by retired members willing to share their knowledge. Thank you to NBMI facilitators Amy Lujan, Holly Holman, Dennis Niedermyer, Colleen Fitzgerald, Robin Mullins, David Means, Patti Carlson and Rene Spracklen. In additions to these facilitators, the mentors who are current practitioners also play an important role.
The fact that so many retirees continue to support and participate in ALASBO speaks to what a great organization it is. If you are retired or getting ready to retire, I hope you will stay active with us. It is not only important and appreciated, it is fun!
Another thank you to all the attendees, presenters, planners and sponsors of our 2021 Annual Conference. Working together, we were able to offer a great line-up of professional learning. We are planning more great content with workshops, Power Lunches, and our Summer Leadership Conference.
This year, Summer Leadership Conference will be held in Fairbanks, AK at the Wedgewood Resort. Save the dates of July 15-17, 2022. We are excited to be planning an in-person event and hope to see you there. Watch for more information as we get closer to the dates. See MARK YOUR CAENDAR below.
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MARK YOUR CALENDARS! JULY 2022
The following events will take place at the Wedgewood Resort, Fairbanks, AK:
- July 15: New Business Manager Institute (NBMI) Kick-Off Cohorts 2022, 2021, 2020
- July 15-17: ALASBO Summer Leadership Conference begins Friday evening, July 15
- July 18: ALASBO School Business Academy
- July 18: ALASBO Strategic Planning (Board of Directors)
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Thank you to our Power Lunch presenters!
January 8: Conflict Resolution presented by Carleen Mitchell, APEI
February 11: E-rate and ECF presented by Valerie Oliver, DEED
UPCOMING: March 8: COVID Relief Funds presented by DEED staff: The Department of Education and Early Development will provide updates as it relates to the federal COVID relief funding and provide an overview of the department’s new COVID relief funding dashboard.
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ASBO International's Emerging Leaders Scholarship recognizes new professionals and helps them develop into tomorrow's leaders.
18 SCHOLARSHIPS AWARDED EACH YEAR. EACH RECIPIENT GETS:
- $2,000 scholarship toward ASBO International's Annual Conference & Expo
- A strong network of peers and mentors before, during, and after the event
- Exclusive training session and networking events
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HR Workshop Spring 2022 Begins Feb. 23.
- All sessions will be held virtually via Zoom.
- The sessions will be recorded for those who may not be able to attend the day a session is offered.
- WE LISTENED TO YOU! Instead of a 3-day format, we scheduled shorter sessions once per month.
There is a choice of Individual or District Level registration. District Level allows unlimited district office staff/admin to attend.
Individual: $50 per session
District Level: $100 per session
There is an option to bundle the sessions and attend all of them for a reduced fee.
Individual: attend all 5 sessions for $200
District Level: attend all 5 sessions $400
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JOB POSTINGS
Looking for a job in public K12 education? Does your school district have an open position to post?
Alaska Teacher Placement (ATP) is for more than just teaching positions. All categories of school district jobs can be posted/searched.
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International School Business Management
Professional Standards- Extract
ASBO International is globally recognized, respected, and consulted as the leading authority in the school business profession. ASBO International provides programs, resources, services, and a global network to school business professionals who are passionate about quality education.
ASBO promotes the highest standards of school business management, professional growth, and the effective use of educational resources.
ASBO International members are the finance decision makers in school systems around the world, managing the critical business and operations aspects of education, including budgeting, purchasing, facilities, human resources, technology, transportation, food service, healthcare, and much more.
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Message from Dr. Lisa Parady, Executive Director, ACSA
As ACSA prepares for our annual fly-in, this is a reminder of the many benefits our umbrella organization offers its affiliate members. ACSA is comprised of superintendents, elementary and secondary principal, and school business officials, with a mission of Leadership, Unity, and Advocacy for Public Education in Alaska.
ALASBO members who join ACSA receive additional benefits, such as advocacy. With many education bills moving during this year's legislative session, ACSA keeps its members updated on the happenings at the Capitol. All ACSA members are invited to our live weekly legislative update meetings. ACSA helps coordinate constituent meetings with members and their legislators. And every year, ACSA hosts a legislative Fly-In for members to visit Juneau to receive professional development around advocacy and the opportunity to advocate for education in person. Our ALASBO members offer insight into school finance, budgets, and funding that all of our members benefit from. ALASBO’s members are incredibly helpful to their colleagues and the legislators when BSA or other funding bills arise during the session. Involvement in ACSA supports all our members to have a collective voice about critical education issues that are important to YOU!
ACSA also offers leadership opportunities to members, access to professional development throughout the year, and opportunities to collaborate with your colleagues from around the state. Since the start of the pandemic, ACSA members have been meeting over Zoom to receive updates from health officials and other state-wide agencies. These opportunities to collaborate face-to-face will continue as our members have seen them as a benefit.
Here’s the bottom line - our strength lies in our collective efforts, working together on behalf of all our students! I encourage you to join ACSA and strengthen our mission of Leadership, Unity, and Advocacy for Public Education. ACSA membership is only $50 a year. You can become a member today by registering here.
If you have questions about membership, I encourage you to reach out to other ALASBO members who have joined ACSA. They will be able to share how they have benefited from being a part of ACSA and ALASBO. I look forward to our continued partnership with ALASBO to serve the students of Alaska. The team at ACSA is here to serve!
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Recruiting For Vacant School Operations Positions
The lack of qualified applicants for school district operations positions can be significant and challenging in some Alaska communities. The problem is exacerbated by a limited number of independent contractors with the skills to address business management, IT, and facility maintenance functions when positions remain vacant.
ALASBO is working with Alaska university business management, accounting, IT, and other colleges to recruit graduating students for vacant positions posted with Alaska Teacher Placement (ATP). There will be a couple of informational Zoom meetings for college students early in March. The ATP Job Fair is scheduled March 18-19, 2022, at The Hotel Captain Cook in Anchorage.
Hiring individuals with little experience could be challenging; however, mentoring would be impactful. In some cases, it may be best to contract mentoring services. ALASBO will consider developing mentor cohorts where needed. New and aspiring business managers will be encouraged to enroll in the New Business Manager Institute.
Succession Planning If district staff are nearing retirement and there are not employees in the wings ready to step in when someone retires or resigns, districts may want to consider hiring people to begin training. Example: district suffers greatly when a business manager leaves and there is no one to pick up the slack.
Hopefully, districts will consider hiring compatible college graduates to begin developing depth of staff resources.
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Thank You!
Silver Level Sponsor
First National Bank
ALASKA
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Thank You!
NBMI Platinum Level Sponsor
Altman, Rogers & Co.
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Altman, Rogers & Co. combines the experience of a large firm with the personal attention only a small firm can provide. We provide auditing, accounting, consulting and tax services from our offices in Anchorage, Soldotna and Juneau. We specialize in working with government entities, non-profits, and Alaska Native corporations. We proudly serve over 36 Districts across Alaska and are thankful to be celebrating 30 years in business in 2021. 907-274-2992 altrogco.com
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Thank You!
Silver Level Sponsor
Leonardo DRS
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Thank You!
Bronze Level Sponsor
UKG
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Thank You!
Gold Level
NBMI Bronze
and
SBO of the Year
Sponsored by GCI
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