UnwantedattentionMaintaining morale as employees feel targeted

Windfall or folly?Experts see uptick in foundation creation

Succeeding with solarShining the light on alternative energy

california

California Association of School Business Officials Summer 2011

schoolbusiness

2 | California School Business

Your schools need to save money now. Right now.

That’s why we exist — to help you stay afloat. U.S. Communities was an excellent resource before the economy sank — now look to us as your lifesaver. Grab on and save.

What can you buy?Supplies. Furniture. Technology products. Science supplies and equipment. Synthetic turf and other athletic surfaces. And more. Much more.

How do you participate?Visit www.uscommunities.org and sign up today. No pressure. No commitment. Just savings.

The U.S. Communities program is sponsored in California by California Association of School Business Officials and California School Boards Association.

Summer 2011 | 3

4 | California School Business

Summer 2011 | 5

contents

departments 9 Checking in Leadership during chaos MollyMcGeeHewitt

13 Bottom line CASBO – a friend for all seasons GaryMatsumoto

15 In focus CASBO member profile: Todd Butcher 42 Book club TheFiveDysfunctionsofaTeam: ALeadershipFable

44 Out & about Photos from CASBO Annual Conference

50 Last words

cover story30 Unwanted attention Maintaining morale as employees feel targeted JulieSturgeon

interview17 President of state school board is professor, author, education policy analyst Michael Kirst shares his take on state of California’s schools JuliePhillipsRandles

features22 Windfall or folly? Experts see uptick in foundation creation JuliePhillipsRandles

36 Succeeding with solar Shining the light on alternative energy LindaA.Estep

Volume 76 Number 2 Summer 2011

22

15

36

6 | California School Business

publisher

editor in chief

features editor

contributors

editorial assistant

design/layout

advertising art

casbo officers

president

president-elect

vice president

immediate past president

advertising sales manager

Molly McGee Hewitt

Kevin Swartzendruber

Julie Phillips Randles

Linda A. Estep

Julie Sturgeon

Erika Sizemore

Sharon Adlis

Lori Mattas

Gary MatsumotoHaciendaLaPuenteUnifiedSchoolDistrict

Michael JohnstonClovisUnifiedSchoolDistrict

Rich BusePajaroValleySchoolDistrict

Renee HendrickOrangeCountyDepartmentofEducation

CiCi TrinoAssociationOutsourceServices,Inc.115SpringWaterWayFolsom,CA95630916.990.9999

www.casbo.org

CaliforniaSchoolBusiness (ISSN# 1935-0716) is published quarterly by the California Association of School BusinessOfficials, 1001 K Street, 5th Floor, Sacramento, CA 95814. (916) 447-3783. $2 of CASBO membership dues goes towardthe subscription to CaliforniaSchoolBusiness magazine. The subscription rate for each CASBO nonmember is $20. Periodicals postage paid at Sacramento and at additional mailing office. Send address changes to the CASBO membership department at 1001 K Street, 5th Floor, Sacramento, CA 95814.

Articles published in CaliforniaSchoolBusiness are edited for style, content and space prior to publication. Views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent CASBO policies or positions. Endorsement by CASBO of products and services advertised in CaliforniaSchoolBusiness is not implied or expressed.

Copyright 2011 CASBO. All rights reserved. The contents of the publication may not be reproduced by any means, in wholeor in part, without the prior written consent of the publisher.

Published June 2011

ABOUT CASBO

A private, nonprofit corporation,

CASBO was founded in 1928 and

is the oldest statewide school

administrator’s organization in

California. Association members

are the voice of the industry

and oversee all areas of school

business management and

operations, including finance,

accounting, payroll, human

resources, risk management,

transportation, school nutrition,

maintenance and operations,

information technology, purchasing,

school safety and school facilities.

CASBO MISSION

The mission of CASBO, the leader

in school business management,

is to set the standard for best

business practices and policies

that support public education

through high-quality professional

development and effective advocacy,

communication and collaboration.

STRATEGIC PLAN

In April 2007, the association

adopted its new strategic plan

that will serve as a road map for

the organization’s activities for the

next several years in the areas of

administration and governance,

professional development,

advocacy and policy, marketing

and communications, and

membership and partnerships.

For more details on the strategic

plan, visit our website at www.

casbo.org. The plan can be found

under the “organization” link.

Summer 2011 | 7

8 | California School Business

The California School Boards Association, in association

with Piper Jaffray & Co., has partnered with the California

Association of School Business Officials, and enhanced the

Certificates of Participation program.

û Fixed and variable interest rate options

û Flexible prepayment provisions

û Capitalized interest

û Flexible repayment schedules

û Low cost of issuance

û Education Code 17406 financings

California School Boards Association 3100 Beacon Blvd. | West Sacramento, CA 95691 | 800.266.3382

Summer 2011 | 9

checkingin

Leadershipduring chaos

While education has faced many tough fiscalchallenges inthe past, this year was exceptional.

As a child, one of my favorite television shows was “Get Smart.” A couple of years ago, a movie version of this

weekly sitcom was created, this time starring Steve Carell. It was funny, but not nearly as funny as the weekly show.

Long before we had cell phones, sophisticated listening devices and technology, Maxwell Smart had a shoe phone,

and, to keep out eavesdroppers, the “cone of silence!” OK, so you had to be there to appreciate the gadgets, but

the writers must have been forecasters of things to come. The good guys, the American government agency,

were called Control. The bad guys, the Russian spies, were called Chaos. Chaos and Control battled weekly over

political power and superiority.

This television show and the later movie could have been filmed at the California State Capitol this year. Chaos

has been running amok. While education has faced many tough fiscal challenges in the past, this year was

exceptional. Despite the horrific cutbacks and financial crises of the last few years, a worst-case scenario was

predicted daily.

For schools, unprecedented numbers of layoff notices to teachers, support staff and administrators were issued,

salary cuts taken, fringe benefits cut and furlough days mandated. Already decimated programs were put on

life support, and the tools necessary to operate efficient and effective schools became “frills.” CBOs developed

multiple budgets, and even crystal balls could not predict what was coming. In some districts, the us-versus-them

mentality became a nasty side note; and in some instances, colleagues began attacking colleagues.

The economic conditions of our country and our state played a role. Unprecedented foreclosures, high unemployment

and a general disregard and contempt for public employees became the norm. Somewhere in this mix, school leaders

became faceless and overpaid bureaucrats with inflated pensions. Not true – but truth was not in the equation.

During this Chaos, leadership stayed the course. CASBO members spent countless hours developing options,

outlining alternatives and seeking ways to mitigate the damages. Always, the needs of the children we serve and

the employees who provide these services were priorities. Control for us became Leadership. That Leadership

continued to work to find answers for the issues at hand. Feelings of anger and hopelessness at the Chaos in

Sacramento were replaced with resolve and determination.

This Leadership was not limited to CBOs; it extended to the CASBO Leadership family. Every school business

leader was working to find ways to address the aftermath and effects of the legislative and financial Chaos. The

best of school business has been exercising Leadership. Well done.

If, like Maxwell Smart, I had a shoe phone, I would call every CASBO member and encourage and thank them

personally for their Leadership during the Chaos. It is not over yet – Chaos is still at work. But, through our advocacy

activities, networking and professional development, CASBO will continue to work with you.

While Chaos may continue, in the long run, it is no match for your Leadership.

Molly McGee Hewitt

ExecutiveDirector

10 | California School Business

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Summer 2011 | 11

12 | California School Business

Summer 2011 | 13

bottomline

By Gary Matsumoto CASBO President

casbo – a friend for all seasons

“Winter, spring, summer or fall, all you have to do is call and I’ll be there, yeah, yeah, you’ve got a friend. Ain’t it good to know that you’ve got a friend.” – James Taylor

Yes, just like the James Taylor song says, it is good to have a friend. A friend like casbo.

Back in 1981 when I started my career in school business, I had no idea what I was doing or where I was go-ing. Then I found casbo. casbo pro-vided me with training, guidance and a network of colleagues who would help me grow professionally and personally. I would not be the professional or indi-vidual that I am today without casbo.

As you can see, I am a proud casbo member and a veteran cbo. My support and dedication to casbo are not out of obligation, but out of commitment. Despite my undergraduate education and master’s and doctoral program, my professional portfolio was incomplete. I had a great skill set and knowledge, but in many areas, I needed practical, tried-and-true best practices information, and a way to maneuver through the issues that I encountered.

Whether it was a school finance is-sue, a legal question, a legislative inquiry, a personnel recommendation or any of the myriad programs, projects and chal-lenges I have encountered over the years, my connections through casbo, along with the professional development op-portunities the association offers, have given me a professional advantage. That professional advantage is more important today than ever.

At every Annual Conference, cbo Symposium or section or council event, I meet members who, like me, have made lifetime personal and professional friends through casbo. We can share our testimo-ny on how often we have called upon those friends and colleagues when we needed advice, support or a recommendation.

It is my privilege this year to serve as casbo president. My goal is to continue our forward momentum and to keep our commitment to assisting our members through our professional development programs and our legislative advocacy.

I am also committed to empoweringevery member to make casbo their “as-sociation of choice” in school business.

The individual members of casbo and their involvement at the state, sec-tion and professional council levels have been the backbone of the casbo network. Keeping and promoting our member involvement and direction is our continu-ing priority.

Remember, you are not alone. De-spite the budget cuts, fiscal turmoil, lay-offs and political unrest in education, you have colleagues who understand and are facing, or have faced, these same issues. Together, we can build our future and our profession.

These times are daunting – but they will not last forever. We need to be pre-paring not just for the crisis of today, but also for the recovery of tomorrow. And just like James Taylor’s song said many years ago, “It is good to know that you have a friend.” casbo will be there in the tough times and in the future.

casbo provided me with training,guidance and a network of colleagueswho would help me grow professionally and personally.

14 | California School Business

Summer 2011 | 15

infocus

Summer 2011 | 15

Todd Butcher Type A personality, task orientation make career in schools a perfect fit

Todd Butcher’s favorite quote says a lot about his personal philosophy and how he

sees his roles as a school construction director and a CASBO member. The quote is

“Lead, follow or get out of the way,” and Butcher lives by it.

Butcher’s career in the school industry began in 1983 when he took a job at Alvord

Unified School District in Riverside as a general maintenance worker while attending

community college. From 1986 to 1995, he was simultaneously running his own

construction company after hours, handling pipe fitting and pump installations in

downtown Los Angeles.

The birth of his son, Chase, and the desire to spend more time at home forced

Butcher into choosing a single career path; he chose schools.

In 1997 Butcher became director of maintenance and operations at Val Verde Unified

School District, and in 2010 he took on his current role of director of construction for

the Santa Ana Unified School District. Butcher’s self-described ‘Type A personality’

and task orientation make a role in school construction and maintenance a perfect

fit. “I like the challenge of the different work whether it is the designing of school

facilities, maintaining them or constructing them.”

He’s a straight shooter about his approach to business and his involvement in the

association. “I’m as practical and honest as the day is long. If I see something that

may harm kids, I speak up. My continued focus is to improve the learning environ-

ment for students; if everything works, the room is clean and constructed correctly,

teachers only have to focus on education.”

Butcher joined CASBO in 1994 and quickly moved through the ranks of the Main-

tenance and Operations R&D Committee, serving as vice chair and chair. He then

held each of the director posts and was vice president and president of CASBO’s

Eastern Section. Not one to avoid a challenge, Butcher spent three years as chair of

the Governance Implementation Team which was charged with re-engineering the

association’s bylaws and manual of procedures. He now serves on the Governance

Oversight Committee and is in his second term as director of the Eastern Section.

He says the depth of his involvement in CASBO is tied to another of his philosophies

– “If something needs improvement, I’d rather fix it than complain about it,” he

explained. And since the early ’90s, Butcher has been doing just that on behalf of

CASBO. He says he’s gotten a good return on his investment.

“I get exposed to environments that I would not otherwise be in. I’ve become a

better speaker, a better presenter and a better person,” Butcher said. “Learning how

to deal with different sides of the house, like purchasing or human resources, makes

me a better rounded administrator.”

Photography by Kevin Lock

16 | California School Business

Summer 2011 | 17

By Julie Phillips Randles

interview

President of state school board is professor, author, education policy analyst Michael Kirst shares his take on state of California’s schools

Michael Kirst, the current pres ident of the

California State Board of Education, has had a 47-

year career in the education industry including

roles as a policy analyst, author, budget expert,

researcher and author. This is his second stint as state board of education president.

He previously served from 1977 to 1981. In addition to his role on the school board, Kirst is a profes-

sor emeritus of education at Stanford University. He has been on the Stanford faculty since 1969.

Prior to joining the Stanford faculty, Kirst held several posi-tions with the federal government including staff director of the u.s. Senate Subcommittee on Manpower, Employment and Poverty and director of program planning and evaluation for the Bureau of Elementary and Secondary Education in the u.s.

Office of Education (now the u.s. Department of Education). He was a budget examiner in the federal Office of Budget and Man-agement and associate director of the White House Fellows. He also held the title of program analyst for the Title i Elementary and Secondary Education Act program at its inception in 1965.

Kirst has been active in a number of professional organi-zations. He was a fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in Behavioral Sciences and has been a member of the National Academy of Education since 1979. He has been vice president of the American Educational Research Association and a commis-sioner of the Education Commission of the States.

Kirst co-founded Policy Analysis for California Education (pace), an independent, non-partisan research center based at the University of California, Berkeley, the University of South-ern California and Stanford University. According to its mis-sion, pace seeks to define and sustain a long-term strategy for comprehensive policy reform and continuous improvement in performance at all levels of California’s education system. pace

Phot

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18 | California School Business

Michael Kirst

continued on page 20

President of state school board is professor, author, education policy analyst

attempts to bridge the gap between research and policy, work-ing with scholars from California’s leading universities and with state policymakers to increase the impact of academic research on education policy in California.

He was also a researcher and author of a number of stud-ies that were part of “Getting Down to Facts,” a 2007 research project of more than 20 studies designed to provide California’s policymakers and other education stakeholders with compre-hensive, research-based information on the state’s current school finance and governance systems.

Kirst has authored 10 books, including “The Political Dy-namics of American Education” and “From High School to College,” which looks at methods for improving student prepa-ration for success in post-secondary education.

As a policy analyst, Kirst has published articles on school finance politics, curriculum politics, intergovernmental relations and education reform policies.

CSB: What is the last book you read?Kirst: I mostly read historical novels. The last book I read was “Battle in the Mountains” about the second World War and the struggle between the Germans and the Yugoslavians for control of Yugoslavia.

CSB: What are the top three keys to your success?Kirst: First, the interdisciplinary prep I had at Harvard which has enabled me to use a lot of different frameworks for looking at policy. Longevity; I’ve been in education for 47 years. I started in 1964 as a budget analyst for education. Third is the personal relationships I’ve built over the years. When you’ve been at it this long, you know a lot of people and you know where to go for resources.

CSB: What is the best advice you have ever received? From whom? Kirst: To take the job as a professor at Stanford in 1969 and to stay at Stanford even though other opportunities came up. This advice came from a former dean at Stanford named Tom James.

CSB: If you were granted three wishes for public education, what would they be?Kirst: For California, better funding, better assessment and bet-ter teaching.

CSB: What are your goals as president of the State Board of Education?Kirst: To stabilize education funding and to increase local fi-

nancial flexibility. The tax election is important, but we need to do more than that. I’ve supported a weighted pupil formula. I would also reduce the number of categorical programs and fold them into the weighted pupil formula. Also, to simplify things by eliminating some of the mandates and expanding waiv-ers. We have a system similar to this that funds things called charter schools. I would like to develop a comprehensive plan to implement common core standards – improve frameworks, assessments, instructional materials, accountability policies and professional development.

CSB: As a long-time supporter, reformer and observer of public education in California, what are the biggest challenges or changes you have witnessed? Kirst: I’d say the biggest change in the whole period is the erosion of local control and decision making. In 1969, there was much less state control and it’s been a one-way vector force with power flowing to the state and not much flowing to the locals in return. This has caused a loss of confidence in local education officials to make the decisions that the legislative and executive branches think the public wants. The legislative and executive branches have interpreted what they hear from the public as saying that they should play a larger role. That has continued since the 1960s until 2011. Tier iii is the biggest thing I’ve seen in returning local decision-making; and it’s temporary.

Second is the growth in English learners. It was a small number in the 1960s and now it’s between 25 percent and 30

percent of our pupils. And the decline in funding, of course. In the 1960s we were

in the top 10 and now we’re in the bottom five.

CSB: How can we regain California’s reputation for educational excellence from a national perspective?Kirst: I’d say the biggest thing now would be improving on the National Assessment of Education Process (naep). It is not well aligned with our California Standards Tests (cst). Our scores have been low, including for white pupils. Now it’s less what you spend and more what your results are. Our scores are lower than Texas and they spend only 10 percent more than we do. Texas scores better overall and better with white pupils.

CSB: The state board of education has had a contentious relationship at times with the state superintendent and staff. Will this change with the new board?

Summer 2011 | 19

20 | California School Business

continued from page 18

Kirst: I think it’s a new era. The state board and the state superintendent have been in contention since 1985 when the board sued Bill Honig. It’s deeply embedded in the cultures of the state board and the cde, but the state superintendent and I, and the state board of education and top staff, are working mightily to overcome this and to work together and establish a collaborative relationship. We will have our differences. But it should be noted that board-superintendent relations have been tense under both democratic and republican administrations.

CSB: You were on the board the last time Jerry Brown was governor. What is different about public education now, and what remains the same?Kirst: It’s just very different in that there is just so much more state policy than in 1982. That means the board has so much more to do. We didn’t have charters or nclb accountability before. And there are so many more interest groups, particularly grass-roots and citizens’ groups that are not affiliated with

education employees. And because there is much more policy, it’s harder to get consensus and move forward. It was a lot easier last time. I expected a souped-up version of 1982 and instead I got a whole new ball game.

CSB: Schools have been through $18 billion in cuts and deferrals since the 2008-09 budget. There are threats of more cuts without the revenue extension. According to the legislative analyst, Proposition 98 will return to its 2007-08 level in 2015-16. Is there a funding crisis in public k-12 schools in California? Is it time for an education funding initiative? Kirst: I think there is a funding crisis, no question about it. I’ve studied class size for many years and all of the studies are around reductions. There are no studies about enlarging class sizes – going from 25 to 40 in a couple of years. We are conducting a study into increasing class sizes and there is nothing to guide us.

Something needs to be done; an initiative may be it. There is a lawsuit out there, Robles vs. Wong, seeking to overturn the state finance system based on the fact that we have standards and no plans to fund schools based on those standards. I don’t have a clear idea on what an initiative ought to be, other than the one we’re talking about in June.

CSB: What should be the role of our members, leaders in school business, in the area of education reform? Kirst: Since the cutbacks are so severe, they have to move away from routine incremental decision making on finances. The old tried-and-true formulas are not sufficient, so they have to come up with new concepts. One might be around the increased use of technology. If we are not going to have a lot of adults around children, what do we do? We’ll be looking to them (school business leaders) to come up with new financial models that aren’t just incremental or decremental. z z z

Julie Phillips Randles is a freelance writer based in Roseville, Calif.

Do you have an opinion or a comment on this article? CaliforniaSchoolBusinessmagazinewelcomes “Letters to the Editor.” Please send your letters to kevins@casbo.org.All letters are edited for content, space and style considerations.

Michael KirstPresident of state school board is professor, author, education policy analyst

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Summer 2011 | 21

22 | California School Business

Summer 2011 | 23

feature

What one expert described as “the

worst way to fund public schools” is quickly becoming the best way to rescue enrichment activities and, in some cases, fund core programming that would otherwise disappear due to the current funding crisis faced by California’s public schools.

A reliance on monies from public school foundations, once funders of fringe programs and little extras, has be-come the new reality for school districts statewide.

“This is not how it should be, but it’s not going to get better, so the new reality is that these private support or-ganizations are here to stay,” explained Tim Shaw, president of Empower/Excel Inc. and former ceo of the Irvine Public Schools Foundation.

There are currently about 650 educa-tion foundations in the state – a number that is escalating as school districts face yet another year of decreased funding.

“There are definitely people explor-ing establishing one if they don’t have a foundation,” said Susan Sweeney, execu-tive director of the California Consortium

By Julie Phillips Randles

of Education Foundations (ccef). “Those that are established are looking at how they are doing business. There’s just in-creased need and they are looking at how to ramp up and how to partner.”

Shaw is also seeing an uptick in the formation of foundations, as well as a new focus on revamping existing founda-tions that may have been dormant or un-dercapitalized. While many foundations started with a goal of funding the extras schools needed, today’s foundations are tackling the much larger role of funding core programming, he explained.

“You can almost follow the pattern of what they fund by the degradation of the public school finance system,” said Shaw, whose company provides con-sulting services to nonprofit and public organizations.

In fact, one researcher called school foundations “the hottest fundraising trend in public education.” And that was before California schools entered the re-cent years of drastic budget cuts.

School foundations are a viable method for providing financial assistance that improves education at the local level,

experts say. One study found that as little as $20 per student can have a profound impact; add an additional $20 on top and it can produce a change in education.

Here’s what you need to know to start a successful foundation or to revital-ize a flagging one.

GETTING STARTED

Education foundations are involved in three core activities: raising, handling and redirecting money. These foundations are privately operated nonprofit organiz-ations established to assist public schools by augmenting, supplementing or com-plementing programs and activities being provided by a school district.

Think of a foundation as a vehicle to address identified needs, Sweeney described.

The foundation that supports Rock-lin Unified School District in Northern California is in its second year. The first year of operation was spent identifying a board of directors, establishing bylaws and getting set up as a tax-exempt non-profit, said Superintendent Kevin Brown.

Windfall or folly?EXPERTS SEE UPTICK INFOUNDATION CREATION

24 | California School Business

“The biggest struggle now is trying to find a revenue stream or even a couple of events that generate high-yield dol-lars,” Brown explained.

That’s not as easy as it sounds. After all, foundations don’t want to encroach on established fundraising groups like parent-teacher associations and booster clubs; and they also want to steer clear of putting on community events that are al-ready the domain of other organizations.

Brown says the foundation has set a goal of raising $100,000 a year through events including a bike race, a Monte Carlo night and a trash-collection event. Payroll contributions from staff of $1 to $5 a month are also in the mix – 20 em-ployees have signed up so far.

“We’re still crawling,” described Brown. “I hope by next year we’re walk-ing and in five years we’ll be racing down the street to the bank with bagfuls of money.”

Once established, foundations can be a viable income stream for districts, ac-cording to Don Zimring, superintendent of the Las Virgenes Unified School Dis-trict and immediate past chair of casbo’s Professional Standards and Leadership Committee.

In 2008-09, California education foundations raised in excess of $250 mil-lion, according to figures from ccef in conjunction with EdSource.

“Foundations are very realistic, but it takes time and work. One of the big-

gest challenges is the change of culture,” Zimring described.

While parents and community mem-bers may be comfortable donating to an in-dividual school, some see donating to the district as putting money into a big, black hole. “So the change of culture needs to be, and what some have achieved, is that you are going to give to both. You have to change the culture of the community to think that way,” Zimring said.

THINK NONPROFITVS. FUNDRAISER

School foundations should be set up as tax-exempt organizations under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

Windfall or folly?

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School Business Services Consultants:Phil Hillman Donna Demond David Foster Bobbie FooteEstela Perez

Summer 2011 | 25

“When someone wants to start one, they want it now and there’s lots of pres-sure to get it now,” Sweeney noted. But time spent planning is essential to success and is actually unavoidable due to the requirements of the 501(c)(3) process.

Avoid being in too much of a hurry, Sweeney advised, and instead spend time in the planning process touching base with the district’s administration and the school board and scanning the community to see who else is there, what they are doing and how the groups can work together.

Shaw recalled that the Irvine Public Schools Foundation started with a single person running the organization. In order to grow and develop, the organization had to begin to view itself not as a little public school foundation, but as a profes-sional foundation that supports educa-tion – as a true nonprofit.

“There are a lot of parts to put togeth-er to know you are legal and you have to do audits and statements to be sure you are in compliance,” explained Gary Matsumoto, casbo president and asso-ciate superintendent, business services, for Hacienda La Puente Unified School

District. “It takes some sophistication to be able to handle it.”

AS UNIQUE ASYOUR COMMUNITY

Every community has assets and liabilities. There is nothing one-size-fits-all about the more than 600 education foundations in California. While most are districtwide, some foundations operate at the site or county level, and some are made up of a cadre of districts seeking to address a joint need like a technology center.

“A foundation’s success depends on its closeness to the community and its ability to bridge a gap between citizens and their schools,” according to a report by the Amer-ican Association of School Administrators.

In other words, every foundation must craft a strategy that meets the needs of the community and targets the proper potential givers.

“What will work in Manhattan Beach will not work in Rocklin, and you really have to set your foundation up according to the assets and liabilities of your com-munity,” consultant Shaw said. “Founda-tions often fixate on the problems instead of viewing themselves as a necessary part of the education system and as a group that has as much right to raise money as the United Way does.”

BUILDING A BOARD

Successful foundations understand the importance of building a governing board made up of folks with just right mix of background and experience. To really work, the foundation must be inclusive, transparent and accessible, noted Sweeney.

“A real effort should be made to have the foundation reflect the whole commu-nity,” Sweeney said. “To be successful, a

For more on foundations...

The California Consortium of Education Foundations (CCEF) provides three training sessions each year to assist with the creation, growth and improved effectiveness of local education foundations.

Go online to cceflink.org to learn more about the confer-ences and workshops offered through CCEF, and to view a calendar of the organization’s upcoming training sessions. Or, contact CCEF Executive Director Susan Sweeney at (650) 324-1653 or susan.sweeney@stanford.edu.

What will work in Manhattan Beach will not work in Rocklin, and you really have to set your foundationup according tothe assets andliabilities of your community.

26 | California School Business

Other income generators he’s heard of at various districts include a raffle for a do-nated new car, a sailing regatta and even an auction for a new home with tickets priced at $200 each.

“People are really getting creative out there for the major dollars,” Matsu-moto noted.

The 19-year-old Eureka Schools Foundation in Granite Bay raises $500,000 each year, $170,000 from a single dinner-dance and auction event and more than $200,000 from an annual giving drive that asks parents to give $300 per family, explained Renee Nash, foundation presi-dent and an attorney for Professional Education Services. A golf tournament, 5k run and an auction of student art rounds out the fundraising.

The Eureka Schools Foundation last year began accepting recurring donations online on a monthly basis in an attempt to increase participation. Participants can sign up to give from $10 to $100 a month, Nash said.

“Any direct appeal that is well done raises the most money,” Zimring said. Research supports this assertion and shows that foundations which have had long-term success see solicitation for annual pledges as the backbone of their fundraising.

A survey of some California foun-dations shows that they are funding a variety of programs including: class-size reduction programs, scholarships for high school seniors, grants for classroom programs, visual and performing arts programs, salaries for computer techni-cians, junior high athletics, discretionary money for school sites, foreign language programs, counseling programs and technology-related items.

One somewhat controversial use of education foundation funding is under-writing teacher salaries. In some cases, districts are using foundation monies to keep teaching positions that would otherwise be cut. Not all agree on this use of funds.

“I don’t want to commit fundraising dollars to ongoing expenses. If we have $100,000 for visual and performing arts and technology, you can adjust, but if you commit to teacher salaries and raise less the following year, what are you going to do?” Rocklin’s Brown wondered.

BLUE-RIBBON FOUNDATIONS

Flourishing foundations share certain traits that can be replicated. Here are a few traits of “blue ribbon” foundations:

They have a clear focus – a reputable foundation’s goal is to support the mis-sion of the district. They are raising money to protect and improve programs as set out by the school board.

They are institutionalized – they oper-ate out of a location where people can go and the group’s files and information are all in one place. This also allows for growth down the road that might require staffing.

They are inclusive and accessible – not only does the foundation reflect the com-

foundation needs to reach beyond par-ents. I tell people to look at the make-up of their community. If you have a lot of seniors, have someone that can speak to that group. Really think this through and be very strategic; look for skills and time availability.”

Keep in mind that having the proper mix of professionals and experts on the board may also give your group access to pro-bono services that would otherwise require payment.

Here are a few key professionals that can play important roles on foundation boards: • Attorneys• Certified Public Accountants (seek more than one for succession planning)• Marketing and communications professionals• Information technology professionals• Chamber of commerce leaders• Prominent business owners• Sales representatives

Also include, as non-voting mem-bers, liaisons from the school board and the district, and, in the case of high school districts, a student representative. Districts with active ptas should also in-clude a representative from that group’s executive committee, Sweeney said.

INCOME GENERATORS

The ways foundations raise money are asunique as the communities where the non-profits are based. In fact, matching fund-raising events to the community and a foundation’s available people-power are key.

Matsumoto said a single gala event in Palos Verdes could raise as much as $1 million due to celebrities in the area who are able to donate valuable auction items.

A foundation’s success depends on its closeness to the community and its ability to bridge a gap between citizens and their schools.

continued on page 29

Windfall or folly?

Summer 2011 | 27

28 | California School Business

Summer 2011 | 29

munity, it includes all stakeholders, not just a small group of parents, and main-tains good relations with the school board and administration.

They are transparent – as 501(c)(3) or-ganizations, foundations must be trans-parent about the funds taken in and how those funds are allocated. One way to maintain transparency is by publishing a newsletter that includes an annual report.

They operate as a vehicle to address identified needs – whether meeting class-room needs or funding entire programs, strong foundations address issues that are important in the community, from wellness plans for students and staff to staff development.

They collaborate – in addition to work-ing with the school board and adminis-tration, leading foundations collaborate with city governments which have a vested interest in maintaining strong schools. They seek funding from city government by making the point that in order to have a great city, you have to have great schools.

They communicate – not only about what programs the foundation will fund, but about the state of school funding and how a lack of funding is impacting districts.

They are realistic about what they take on – putting on events takes people-power and successful foundations don’t commit to too many events that take legions of volunteers. They instead host a few large events so as not to burn out volunteers.

They are joiners – rather than oper-ate in isolation, first-rate foundations are members of other organizations that support and advise nonprofits. Leaders from these foundations also take time to visit the websites of other foundations to stay current.

They have internal controls and good record-keeping practices – with the irs in-creasing reporting rules in recent years, strong management in this area is a necessity.

They professionalize the foundation – instead of being the Uber-pta, great foundations see themselves as profes-sional foundations that support educa-tion. In fact, education foundations are an emerging sub-sector of the national nonprofit sector.

They reflect – leading foundations set aside retreat time each year to evaluate how things are going and to celebrate accomplishments. This allows the group to ensure that it remains on course and gives time to reflect on ways to widen the circle of involvement.

UNEXPECTED BENEFITS

In addition to income generation, there are other, less obvious, benefits to having an education foundation in a community.

“The economic advantages are critical and are the main genesis, but it also unites your community in a lot of ways,” Brown explained. “It brings the educationally minded together in support of children, and it has an aura about it that helps the district in pr ways as a method to connect with families, businesses and civic leaders. It wraps it all together.”

It also makes a statement about the community’s values, experts noted, while at the same time sending the criti-cal message that schools are being under-funded by the state.

“It’s the community saying we un-derstand the state has not been able to adequately fund our schools. It brings the community together in a common focus and purpose,” Brown said.

ccef’s Sweeney said foundations have a unique opportunity to have a foot in two worlds – as partners with schools and in the broader community. “The have an opportunity to be an honest broker and to convene people around an issue,” Sweeney explained.

Whether that issue is the need for after-school care or summer school, the foundation can unite the community around the cause.

Plus there’s the benefit of instant ac-cess to new audiences.

As foundation boards turn over and new members join, past members con-tinue to advocate and they are joined by a new army – and that army has a host of unique contacts. “So in a few years you have hundreds of ambassadors out there for schools,” Brown said.

Sweeney touted the same benefit saying, “I really try to make sure people understand that in the long-term, the role as an ambassador and an engager is more important than the money that’s brought in.” z z z

Julie Phillips Randles is a freelance writer based in Roseville, Calif.

Do you have an opinion or a comment on this article? CaliforniaSchoolBusinessmagazine welcomes “Letters to the Editor.” Please send your letters to kevins@casbo.org. All letters are edited for content, space and style considerations.

Windfall or folly?

The economic advantages are critical and are the main genesis, but it also unites your community in a lot of ways.

continued from page 26

30 | California School Business

Summer 2011 | 31

cover

s the long-term cost of public employee pensions, cases of double-dipping and various stories of some who are cheating the system are revealed, governmental workers of all types are being lumped into a single employment class. It’s a class that is certainly feeling the heat of negative sentiment from the general public.

While it may be noble to be a teacher, in current times, it’s suspect to be a classified employee at a school district office. And the public often doesn’t understand the distinction or the differences in salaries and benefits among, let’s say, county employees, public safety employees and those who work at a school district’s central office.

A plethora of school leaders say it’s instinct to protect the educators – a school’s mission, after all, is to teach the community’s children – but the dialogue against their category of employment is definitely ratcheting up around the country.

Take what one city councilman said in April: “The school has always gotten more money – we’ve cut people, we’ve furloughed people, we’ve cut our own stipends. You have a custo-dian making more than the town administrator; I find that offensive.”

Meanwhile, citizens in Kern County, Calif., had a new battle cry this spring – fire admin-istrators and district office employees first. This despite the fact that Bakersfield City School District ranks among the state’s highest ratios at 18 teachers to 1 administrator.

Unwantedattention

Maintaining morale as employees feel targeted

By Julie Sturgeon

A

32 | California School Business

who understand the financial issues the district faces and the rationale behind decisions (particularly those that attract media attention). She walks this talk – in February she wrote letters to local presidents of Little League divisions in her community, leaders who had suggested the school district was being puni-tive when it began charging to use its softball fields. She made sure the newspaper received a copy of the letter, too.

“I got letters of support from school principals who have children in Little League, and who are so thrilled that a member of the community would stand up and support them,” Wayne noted.

William Habermehl, superintendent of schools for the Or-ange County Department of Education and a casbo member, can also vouch for this strategy. He sits on the board of the Orange County Taxpayers Association, a conservative group “that I have great respect for because they do wonderful things, but they would oppose almost any expenditure they think is a waste of taxpayers’ money,” he explained. Habermehl sought this seat to make sure public education received a more positive reputation.

When public employee pension details became a hot item on the group’s trigger list, the superintendent listened for several meetings before chiming in. It seems the members were under the impression that all government retirement funds worked the same, and he was glad to pull out numbers to the contrary.

“Now whenever the group’s president speaks about public pensions – and he still does it often – he always excludes educa-tion,” said Habermehl.

His next stealth target is educating the local media. Orange County itself has just one countywide newspaper and no tele-vision stations. When his residents turn on their news every evening, Los Angeles Unified School District is the headliner. “Well, that’s a disaster,” Habermehl said, “so I do comparisons

Unwanted attention

I don’t think we’ll see theend of the tunnel for at leastthree years. All the morereason why managers haveto be more attuned to theneeds and stressors on thestaff they work with.

Even when San Ramon Valley Unified School District Su-perintendent Steven Enoch declined a board-approved raise in April 2011, he still couldn’t catch a break. The first comment on the online article complained:

“Lead by example. Good. But he is already making $240,000 a year. Unless he is head of the best school district in Ca. That is already too much money. This means he makes $115 an hour. Time for Ca. to check its fiscal responsibility. Anyone who serves the public, on the publics (sic) dime, should have their salary approved by the tax payers.”

So far, school leaders don’t seem inclined to fight back. “School administrators have always had a certain degree of stigma attached to them. It goes with the territory,” said Gayle Wayne, owner of Gayle Wayne and Associates, a management support service firm in Huntington Beach, Calif. “Just by their sheer numbers, there’s not enough of them – they’re easier to make fun of.”

RALLYING THE TROOPS

The time has come to start circling the non-exempt wagons, if only to steer these employees away from job depression. Wayne’s recent presentation at an association workshop revealed that every administrator in the room had taken some degree of pay cut; every attendee had accepted furlough days. The pain is being shared equally, even if the blame is not.

And time alone won’t rescue the situation, if you ask Garry T. Eagles, Humboldt County superintendent of schools and a member of casbo. “I don’t think we’ll see the end of the tunnel for at least three years. Certainly the next two will be extremely difficult in terms of fiscal resources,” he said. “All the more reason why managers have to be more attuned to the needs and stressors on the staff they work with.”

The tried and true tools of making employees feel impor-tant, showing trust in their abilities, still hold weight in Wayne’s book. She applauds those who invite the staff to backyard barbe-cues for team building and encourage pride in their work despite dramatic budget limitations. But she says it’s time to add new strategies to the agenda.

KEEP CALM. CARRY ON.

Here are some of the strategies Wayne advocates for keeping up morale among school business employees:

Keep the record straight. One of her newer recommendations: Establish third-party advocates within the community, people

Summer 2011 | 33

all the time with Silicon Valley, Santa Clara, San Jose, San Mateo. I like to show the fact that our schools outperform those schools.”

He goes so far as to write up an official report every year, and ask the district employees to leave copies at their salons, hospital waiting rooms, restaurant lobbies – everywhere people might sit down and want to pick up something to read.

Just say no. Both Eagles and Habermehl have begun pub-licly setting realistic expectations in recent years – goals that are lower than they were a decade ago. “You can only reduce your resources to a certain point, then you then have to reduce your expectations to ensure you don’t burn out your good staff,” said Eagles.

He’s busy rooting out cases of bureaucracy or duplication and setting priorities. Oh, and then there’s the meetings. “Don’t just meet because you’ve always had a biweekly staff meeting,” he pointed out. “People are busier now than they’ve ever been, and in order to do a quality job, they need the time to do it rather than sitting around talking about doing it.”

Meanwhile, Habermehl is working with superintendents to determine which programs to let go – among the casualties are health and wellness programs, and academic competitions. “Oh, God, it hurts,” he admitted. “But I realize I just don’t have the staff any longer to ask them to do it.”

As for community reaction: “We just say we can’t afford to do that anymore, and they grimace and say, ‘We’ll miss that.’ And we say, ‘We will, too.’ But if we continue to do everything for less money, why weren’t we doing that a long time ago?”

“It sends a healthy message,” Eagles added.Show your human side. Encouraging people to stay optimistic

involves psychology that goes beyond a thump on the back. That’s why a human voice answers the phones when someone calls Humboldt County Office of Education. Granted, they may need to direct the caller to a voice mailbox, but it’s not an auto-matic mechanized process. “This is a people business, and they ought to get a warm body at the front end,” Eagles insisted.

You can only reduce yourresources to a certain point, then you then have to reduce your expectations to ensure you don’t burn out yourgood staff.

34 | California School Business

around the edges with a little wrinkle here and a little change there, but you don’t substantially change what you’re doing because there’s no reason to, and people don’t like change,” he explained.

Habermehl is gung-ho on exploring online education op-tions, giving students physical education class credits for using the family gym membership and refusing government monies that won’t let his schools tap into the educational power of YouTube.

By portraying the possibility of upbeat outcomes and in-triguing possibilities, Habermehl’s underlying message is that the future is worth the pain. z z z

Julie Sturgeon is a freelance writer based in Indianapolis, Ind.

Do you have an opinion or a comment on this article? CaliforniaSchoolBusinessmagazine wel-comes “Letters to the Editor.” Please send your letters to kevins@casbo.org. All letters are edited for content, space and style considerations.

Unwanted attention

He also refuses to let hard times set the tone for his conversa-tions. Eagles is a happy man and lets that joy shine through in his voice. But that doesn’t mean he believes in forced cheerfulness on the job.

“One of the worst things you can do is ignore a situation,” he said. “When you have someone who is suddenly not working up to par, that’s an opportunity for counseling and engagement.” The county’s health benefit program pays a partial portion for coun-seling sessions. “As an employer, I’ll pay the remaining fee just to encourage someone to make the appointment,” Eagles added.

Habermehl’s approach is similar, but his message is tailored to suit his personality. “I’m excited about this recession because it’s going to give us a wonderful opportunity to rethink our pri-orities and where we spend our money,” he said bluntly. He has no qualms about rallying the troops around this outlook, even if it isn’t politically correct at first glance.

“I’ve been in education more than 40 years, and if you con-tinue to put money in the trough, nothing will change. You’ll flirt

Summer 2011 | 35

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feature

Succeeding with solarShining the light onalternative energy

By Linda A. Estep

From the cafeteria of River City

High School in West Sacramento, it’s a two-minute walk to a parcel of land the size of three football fields where a “crop” of more than 3,000 solar panels will produce electricity for classrooms and feed the intellectual curiosity of students.

The Washington Unified School District joins legions of other districts in California that are either investigating or implementing solar energy programs.

Installed as a utility cost-saving mea-sure, the program includes a thoughtfully planned educational component where students and visitors can stand on a view-ing platform and learn about the histori-cal usage of solar power from centuries ago to present day. A sundial is in place to indicate seasons, and strategically placed large rocks serve as sitting areas for students to plot where the sun will be at a certain time of day or year. Reflective

writing students will visit and create. It is an outdoor laboratory integrating lessons in science, math and literacy.

Make no mistake, however. This project is about saving money to operate in a state of diminishing dollars for edu-cation. Money saved is the motivator and knowledge gained is a byproduct.

“The biggest piece is the cost sav-ings,” confirmed Scott Lantsberger, assis-tant superintendent of business services for Washington Unified School District and a member of casbo.

Primarily financed with Qualified School Construction Bonds, the district first sought guidance from an indepen-dent energy engineering firm which per-formed a feasibility analysis which was followed by the scrutiny of independent financial advisors who specialize in re-viewing business plans for public entities.

The process from early investigation to implementation took almost three

years, allowing school officials to fully explore if and how solar energy would benefit the district as a whole. And that is exactly what some experts with no mone-tary stake in selling solar products advise.

Where to begin

An independent feasibility analysis can be prepared for districts by firms that specialize in energy engineering and consulting, such as casbo asso-ciate member Newcomb Anderson McCormick, the company hired by Washington Unified and a casbo asso-ciate member. Unaffiliated with any solar vendors, that company’s client list includes utilities, government agencies, education institutions and private enterprise. Russell Driver, a principal with Newcomb Anderson McCormick, sees an increase in solar interest by school districts.

38 | California School Business

“From our perspective, there is a trend for schools to ask about solar programs. Renewables are here to stay and it is clear the state has made a big commitment to green sources,” he noted. “More and more of our business is with school districts. It has taken off in the last two years.”

Kevin Gordon, president of School Innovations & Advocacy, a platinum-level associate member of casbo, con-curred on the uptick in interest in solar on the part of schools. “We’re moving into a strong green culture in the public sector, and it’s taking hold in schools. Districts are looking at what their options are. It’s picking up as more and more districts understand that there are short- and long-term financial gains by looking at

renewable energy options. It never hurts to ask the questions,” Gordon said.

Driver acknowledged that there are also many new companies competing in the solar universe, and that the industry will see a “shaking out” as it matures.

“School districts are looking for cost savings, but many also want to teach sustainability,” he said. “Solar programs are partially construction and partially a systems project. This is not the same as building a building.”

Some companies have expertise in construction but not necessarily in solar implementation. The converse is also true – some companies with green experience are ill-equipped for construction. Driver believes the market is best served by what he called “integrators.”

“There are good and bad implemen-tations all over the place,” he noted. “Dis-tricts get bombarded by vendors trying to sell them. An independent expert can help navigate this complex environment to build a business case and mitigate project risks.”

Driver said that a good feasibility analysis should include a close look at historical energy use patterns and rate schedules, an assessment of physical opportunities and constraints for imple-mentation and a business case with finan-cial implications of costs and paybacks. He said his firm never recommends specific vendors for projects.

Ignore guarantees

“Some districts can be lulled into what they think is a good deal when they see savings are to be guaranteed, when in reality, due to loopholes, they are not,” advised Keith Weaver, a certified independent public finance advisor with Government Financial Strategies, a private company and casbo associate member. “We suggest districts not rely on any claims of guarantee.”

Weaver and Jonathan Edwards, also a certified independent finance advi-sor with the firm, have examined many proposals for solar programs and note that districts need to be especially aware

Succeeding with solar

Renewables are here to stay andit is clear the state has made a big commitment to green sources.

Summer 2011 | 39

of the assumptions in a proposal, as they can often be misleading or incomplete.

A projected inflation rate of utility costs is something they look at closely. If the inflation projection is artificially high, the prospect of purchasing a solar system seems more appealing. “Every analysis must make a projection for the future and if the assumption is, for example, 10

percent, it makes it easier to sell the solar program that saves money,” Edwards explained.

“When we review a proposal, that is the most important variable and it can be controversial,” he stressed.

Edwards noted that in their analysis they calculate what the break-even infla-tion rate would be – what the lowest inflation rate must be in order to break even after implementing a solar pro-gram. Anything higher would amount to savings.

Additionally, the financial advisors suggest that districts look at proposals with an eye for what might have been left out of the equation, such as main-tenance, operating costs and equipment replacement.

Sometimes there are cases where a district’s utility costs are already low and converting to a solar system would not pan out financially. But, Edwards and Weaver contend, it is a policy decision for a school board whether or not to pursue

a project for the non-financial benefits, and it is the responsibility of district staff to communicate accurate and unbiased financial information contained in a fea-sibility analysis.

Buyer beware

Rick Brown is president of TerraVerde Renewable Partners, a casbo associate member, and he also emphasizes the importance of districts learning about solar energy from reliable sources before committing to a program.

“What we have found is that districts that take the time to get educated about the pros and cons (of solar energy pro-grams) and work with a reliable partner are the most satisfied,” he said. “Twenty-five percent of the districts we talk to will not save money. For them it is not a viable option.”

si&a’s Gordon called finding that reliable partner the key to a successful renewable energy investigation. “The key is for districts to partner with reliable, reputable entities which have experience in developing renewable energy facilities. It starts with analysis and having a third party that does that can be a real advan-tage,” Gordon explained. si&a supports and facilitates Terra Verde’s consultations in California school districts.

Brown noted that the early days of solar energy were akin to the “wild west,” suggesting some companies were not always reliable or competent and littered the field. “It’s not that all those companies were unscrupulous, but their interest was young.”

Jordan Lerner, regional director of sales and engineering for casbo associ-ate member Schneider Electric, made the point even more bluntly. “Is the com-pany two guys and an f-150, or a real

Decidingon solar

In a guest article entitled “Solar Projects

– Don’t Get Burned” published by School

Services of California in The Fiscal Report,

Jonathan Edwards and Keith Weaver of

Government Financial Strategies provided

the following keys to a successful solar

project:

• Implement the right process to become

an informed consumer. In order to ensure

the integrity of savings projections, use

an outside party with technical expertise;

someone who does not have a financial

stake in the project being implemented.

Design is a key driver of feasibility. If the

district decides to continue exploring solar

energy after the feasibility analysis is

completed, initiate a request for proposals

using the analysis as a guide, and then

evaluate those bids to identify contractors

and vendors needed to implement the

project.

• Understand the public procurement

requirements. California law requires that

school districts publicly bid for public proj-

ects, but there are exceptions. Know what

is currently allowed and the requirements

for any exceptions.

• Understand the financing and funding

options. Even if the projected savings

from a solar project are less than the

project costs, it may still be worthwhile

to consider the project if it can be funded

with facilities funds that are restricted

(redevelopment revenues, Mello-Roos

taxes, general obligation bond proceeds,

etc.) since the utility cost savings will be

experienced in the general fund.

L.A.E.

School districts are looking for cost savings, but many also want to teach sustainability.

40 | California School Business

ings are less than other options. A ppa provides predictability of costs for the district. Costs do rise on a formula tied to inflation, however.

A ppa also can allow districts to maintain focus on their mission of edu-cating students, rather than getting into the energy business, Schneider Electric’s Lerner pointed out. “Do districts really want to be a power exporter, or do they want to focus on their core mission? A lot of times, some kind of third-party owner-ship may be better,” Lerner said.

Questions that should be addressed before entering into a ppa include who is responsible for maintenance, what hap-pens to the system at the end of the term of the contract and what rates will the district pay for electricity over the life of the contract?

In 2007, San Jose Unified School District teamed with Chevron Energy So-lutions and Bank of America to establish a solar power program through a ppa. The district had studied solar options for several years but the cost of hardware was prohibitive. With the ppa, the bank financed the entire project, and now the district purchases its power from the bank at a rate lower than market utility rates. The bank enjoys investment tax credits and incentives through the California Solar Initiative, according to an article published by the Green Schools Initiative.

Chevron Energy Solutions acts as the contractor and designer of projects like the San Jose program. “We like to partner with school districts. We have a good un-derstanding of what districts need,” said Conrad Newberry of ces, an associate member of casbo. “Each district is in a unique situation.”

Michael Rochman is the managing director of School Project for Utility Rate Reduction (spurr) and is skeptical of

company that will be there for the life of the solar array? Districts need a company that is focused on right-sizing energy and on the efficient use of energy,” said Le-rner, whose company helps districts and community colleges optimize energy ef-ficiency, improve operations and reduce energy-related capital and operating expenditures.

“Districts need a relationship with a company that will be there to main-tain the performance of energy systems over time,” Lerner said. “Work with a partner that’s committed to long-term relationships and that also understands the school environment and how that is different than working on an office build-ing. All requests for qualifications should include experience in education facilities and for public agencies.”

Brown said that as the market has gotten more efficient, installation costs have come down. He estimates another 10 percent drop in those costs could be seen, but not much more than that.

Brown, who once served as a school board member in his community, recalls how in 1993 health care costs were at a single-digit growth rate, but rising. Now he believes “energy is the new health care. If you have a way to fix that, why

wouldn’t you do it? Given what is go-ing on in the world of energy, those who aren’t paying attention are in for some surprises.”

Michael Johnston, casbo president-elect and assistant superintendent of business services at Clovis Unified School District, has examined the issue for over a year with the help of Brown and his firm.

He has no illusions about why solar ought to be examined. “It’s great to be green, but it has to have a cost savings component for us to do it,” he said. “Districts need to have a cost analysis done. Don’t just get into solar because it is solar,” he advised.

Clovis Unified already has an inter-est in green energy with its new $5.2 mil-lion Energy Academy which opened last year at Buchanan High School. The facil-ity offers students opportunities to study various aspects of renewable energy and environmental sciences.

The district has reviewed financing options, including incorporating costs into a 2012 school bond.

Finding the money

Spending money to save it can be a tricky business, especially in education. District financial resources vary, as do the sources available outside the district coffers. A district with enough cash reserves to pay for a solar system might be considered in a good position, if not a rare one. Other means of paying for a solar project include qualified school construction bonds, general obligation bonds and power purchase agreements (ppa).

With a ppa, a third party actually owns the solar facility. It pays for the solar equipment, leases the space and then sells energy to the district. There is no up-front money spent by the district, but the sav-

Succeeding with solar

Districts need a relationship with a company that will be there to maintain the performance of energy systems over time.

Summer 2011 | 41

what he has seen so far in terms of solar programs for school districts. His organi-zation is a joint powers of authority (jpa) that buys and provides energy at a fixed price for clients, enabling them build budgets on predictability.

“Sometimes I feel like the skunk at the party,” he conceded, “but from what I have seen, vendors tend to give inflation rates per year based on historical rates and that is not a good guide. That is not accurate because some years rates were frozen and other years we had an energy crisis. You have to go back farther (than most projections indicate),” he said. “A 20-year inflation rate is 3 percent, and that is more accurate.”

Rochman also feels some assump-tions are neglected in proposals, such as

the cost of security against vandalism, insurance and replacement costs, not to mention the disposal of worn out panels.

“What does all that cost? When you change the assumptions, the costs change. Districts should look at what are the best- and worst-case scenarios,” he said. “Everyone wants to know a number, but who can predict accurately 20 years down the road? The future is a range of possibilities.” z z z

Linda A. Estep is a freelance writer basedin Fresno, Calif.

Do you have an opinion or a comment on this article? CaliforniaSchoolBusinessmagazine welcomes “Letters to the Editor.” Please send your letters to kevins@casbo.org. All letters are edited for content, space and style considerations.

Energy is the new health care. If you have a way to fix that, why wouldn’t you do it? Given what is going on in the world of energy, those who aren’t paying attention are in for some surprises.

42 | California School Business

CASBO book club

Group behavior and dysfunction is focus ofsummer book

CASBO book club participants can add

this title to their summer reading list

– “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A

Leadership Fable,” by Patrick Lencioni.

As with his prior books, Lencioni uses a

fictional tale to deliver some hard truths

about critical business procedures, this

time with a focus on group behavior. The

author tells a tale of a CEO at a struggling

Silicon Valley firm who is faced with a

dysfunctional executive committee. Over

time, she regains control of the group and

helps the team succeed.

The first, fictional

section of the book

focuses on how

the concept of

teamwork can

escape even a

dedicated team,

yet can be

restored by a

strong leader.

Part two details Lencioni’s “five dysfunc-

tions:” absence of trust, fear of conflict,

lack of commitment, avoidance of ac-

countability and inattention to results. The

author astutely contrasts how dysfunc-

tional teams behave, as compared to how

cohesive teams behave, by referencing

each of the dysfunctions he identifies.

The book also includes a questionnaire

that readers can implement to evaluate

their own teams and then use to help

address the group’s shortcomings.

Join your CASBO colleagues in reading

this fast-moving book this summer.

Summer 2011 | 43

sudoku

answers on page 49

7 8 49 1 82 1 59 7 36 1 42 4 94 9 65 6 93 4 2

1 3 18 4 48 8 91 7 83 9 85 5 24 1 69 7 39 5 4 9 9 5

2 7 87 2 59 3 81 4 88 5 97 3 45 9 74 9 3

CASBO 1/4 page Magazine Ad (3.875”x5”)for Orbach, Huff + Suarez LLP

May 20, 2010

White Background - Note: OH+S to select black or white background

44 | California School Business

Guest lecture series speaker Brian Biro teaches the crowd how simple it is to break a board using the right technique.

Ron Bennett, president of School Services of California, receives CASBO’s Associate Member of the Year Award from CASBO outgoing President Renee Hendrick.

Gary Pickavet, assistant superintendent, administrative services, Santa Barbara County Office of Education, receives the 2011 Sky Joyner Award during the first general session.

Representatives from Wilkes University, CASBO’s new partner for the school business master’s degree program, discuss the details of the program with conference attendees.

Second general session speaker Kevin Freiburg jokes with incoming CASBO President Gary Matsumoto.

CASBO officers thank American Fidelity Assurance Co. for hosting one of the hospitality suites at the conference. Pictured (l-r) is Raelene Walker, American Fidelity; Renee Hendrick, outgoing CASBO president; Laura Gower, American Fidelity; Janet Kendrick, American Fidelity; Gary Matsumoto, incoming CASBO president; and Nina Boyd, Annual Conference Volunteer Task Force chair.

Summer 2011 | 45Summer 2011 | 45

out&about

Please send in your Out & About photos from CASBO events along with the names of the people in the photos and the event where the photo was taken. Digital photos may be sent to kevins@casbo.org.

Jeanne Robertson shares hilarious stories with the crowd during her address at the first general session.

CASBO officers thank some of the scholarship sponsors at the conference. Pictured (l-r) are Colleen Taylor, Digital Schools, LLC; ReneeHendrick, outgoing CASBO president; Jeanette Garcia, Jeanette Garcia & Associates; Jack O’Connell, School Innovations & Advocacy;Michael Johnston, incoming CASBO president-elect; Mark Bedford, Digital Schools, LLC; and Gary Matsumoto, incoming CASBO president.

(l-r) Marilyn Cleveland, CASBO outgoing Associate Member Committee chair; Michael Johnston, incoming president-elect; and Sharon Ketcherside, past president, cut the ribbon during the grand-opening celebration of the California School Business Expo.

CASBO officers thank Keenan & Associates for hosting one of the hospitality suites at the conference. Pictured (l-r) is Nina Boyd, Annual Conference Volunteer Task Force chair; Barry Blade, Keenan; Renee Hendrick, outgoing CASBO president; Gail Beal, Keenan; Greg Trapp, Keenan; Casey Amorosi, Keenan; and Gary Matsumoto, incoming CASBO president.

Dr. William Habermehl, superintendent of the Orange County Office of Education, tells a story during his inspirational comments at the first general session.

CASBOannual conference

& school business expo

anaheim, californiaapril 6-9, 2011

46 | California School Business

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48 | California School Business

advertiserindex

Accounting, Auditing and Financial ServicesVavrinek, Trine, Day & Co LLP(909) 466-4410www.vtdcpa.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 & 24

Vicenti, Lloyd & Stutzman LLP(626) 857-7300www.vlsllp.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 & 21

ArchitectsWLC Architects(909) 987-0909www.wlc-architects.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Bond CounselJones Hall(415) 391-5780www.joneshall.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Construction ManagementSGI Construction Management(626) 395-7474www.sgicm.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Consulting / AdvocacySchool Innovations & Advocacy(800) 487-9234www.sia-us.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Consulting ServicesGASB 45 Solutions(916) 371-4691www.csba.orgPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Vavrinek, Trine, Day & Co LLP(909) 466-4410www.vtdcpa.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 & 24

Contractors / Construction ManagementBernards(818) 336-3619www.bernards.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Cooperative PurchasingThe Cooperative Purchasing Network(713) 744-8133www.tcpn.orgPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Emergency 24 Hour ServicesAmerican Technologies, Inc.(800) 400-9353www.amer-tech.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Energy Management ServicesSchneider Electric(866) 822-4636www.schneider-electric.us/go/buildingsPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Financial and Human Resource SoftwareSmartetools(760) 242-8890www.smartetools.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Financial ServicesPiper Jaffray & Co.(800) 876-1854www.PJC.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Stone & Youngberg LLC(800) 447-8663www.syllc.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Fire & Water Damage RestorationAmerican Technologies, Inc.(800) 400-9353www.amer-tech.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Fraud Prevention, Detection & InvestigationVicenti, Lloyd & Stutzman LLP(626) 857-7300www.vlsllp.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 & 21

FurnitureVirco Manufacturing Corp.(800) 813-4150www.virco.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Back Cover

Insurance Benefits and ServicesAmerican Fidelity Assurance Co.(866) 523-1857www.afadvantage.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

ASCIP(562) 403-4640www.ascip.orgPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Keenan & Associates(310) 212-0363www.keenanassoc.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Metlife Resources(760) 930-9375www.metlife.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Schools Excess Liability Fund (SELF)(916) 321-5300www.selfjpa.orgPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Self Insured Schools of CA (SISC)(800) 972-1727www.sisc.kern.orgPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Legal ServicesAtkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo(562) 653-3428www.aalrr.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Jones Hall(415) 391-5780www.joneshall.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Kristof & Kristof626-535-9445Please see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Orbach, Huff & Suarez, LLP(310) 788-9200www.Ohslegal.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, LLP(413) 773-5494www.orrick.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Mandate ReimbursmentSchool Innovations & Advocacy(800) 487-9234www.sia-us.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Summer 2011 | 49

advertiserindex

sudoku from page 43

7 8 54 1 62 3 99 2 38 5 46 7 11 9 75 6 83 4 2

6 9 13 2 58 7 41 6 87 3 95 4 22 8 64 1 39 5 7 6 8 1

2 7 93 4 59 3 81 6 27 5 45 1 68 9 74 2 3

AD INDEXAmerican Draperies & Blinds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

American Fidelity Assurance Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

American Technologies, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

ASCIP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo . . . . . . . . . 38

Bernards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

C.E. White Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Capital Program Management. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Creative Bus Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Eagle Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Edupoint Educational Systems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

GASB 45 Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Jones Hall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Keenan & Associates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Kristof & Kristof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Metlife Resources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Mobile Modular . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Orbach, Huff & Suarez, LLP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, LLP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Piper Jaffray & Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Plastic Package . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Public Agency Retirement Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Schneider Electric. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

School Innovations & Advocacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Schools Excess Liability Fund (SELF) . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Self Insured Schools of CA (SISC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Seville Construction Services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

SGI Construction Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Smartetools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Stone & Youngberg LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

TerraVerde Renewal Partners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

The Cooperative Purchasing Network. . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Tyler Technologies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Vavrinek, Trine, Day & Co LLP . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 & 24

Vicenti, Lloyd & Stutzman LLP . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 & 21

Virco Manufacturing Corp.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Back Cover

WLC Architects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Program ManagementCapital Program Management(916) 553-4400www.capitalpm.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Program/Construction ManagementSeville Construction Services(626) 204-0800www.sevillecs.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Public FinanceStone & Youngberg LLC(800) 447-8663www.syllc.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Rentals of Modular BuildingsMobile Modular(925) 606-9000www.mobilemodularrents.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Retirement BenefitsPublic Agency Retirement Service(800) 540-6369 #127www.pars.orgPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Risk Management ServicesSchools Excess Liability Fund (SELF)(916) 321-5300www.selfjpa.orgPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

School Bus Sales Service & PartsCreative Bus Sales(800) 326-2877www.creativebussales.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Solar Energy FacilitiesTerraVerde Renewal Partners(707) 953-2885www.tvrpllc.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Student Information ServicesEagle Software(888) 487-7555www.aeries.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Edupoint Educational Systems(800) 338-7646www.edupoint.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Student Safety SeatsC.E. White Company(239) 218-7078www.cewhite.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Thermoformed PackagingPlastic Package(916) 921-3399www.plasticpack.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

TransportationTyler Technologies(800) 431-5776www.tylertech.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Window Coverings Blinds and DrapesAmerican Draperies & Blinds(510) 489-4760www.americandrapery.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

50 | California School Business

lastwords

Do you have an inspirational quote or interesting statistic to share with your colleagues? Send your favorites to kevins@casbo.org.

55 millionTotal public and private elementary and secondary school enrollment reached 55 million in fall 2007, representing a 10 percent increase since fall 1994. Between fall 2007, the last year of actual public school data, and fall 2019, a further increase of 6 percent is expected, with increases projected in both public schools and in private schools.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics

Nearly 2 million students, or 30 percent of the students in California, attend schools that are in financial jeopardy.

Source: Department of Education

30%California schoolchildren deserve true leadership at the state level – no

Hail-Mary financing schemes, no

temporary fixes.

~ Jonathan Raymond, superintendent, Sacramento City Unified School District, in a Sacramento Bee editorial

I want every child in this country to head

back to school in the fall knowing that

their education is America’s priority.

Let’s seize this education moment.

Let’s fix No Child Left Behind.

~ President Barack Obama

What you do

speaks so loud

that I cannot hear

what you say.

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

1 in 8California educates one in eight public schoolchildren in the United States.

Source: Center on Education Policy

Summer 2011 | 51

52 | California School Business

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