CASBO School Business Winter 2009

california

California Association of School Business Officials Winter 2009

schoolbusinessDON’TMENTION IT

REFLECTING ON FIVE YEARSOF STRATEGIC PROGRESS

SACROSANCT ISSUES HAMPER CALIFORNIA SCHOOLS

Can-Do CASBO

2 | California School Business

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contents departments9 Checkingin What we all need is more recess BrianLewis

13 Bottomline Think outside the box and invest in you! SharonKetcherside

15 Infocus CASBO member profile: Laura Gower45 Out&about Photos from CASBO events statewide

46 Bookclub TheUPsideoftheDownturn

47 Firstperson The perfect storm DennisMeyers

50 Lastwords

coverstory26 Don’tmentionit Sacrosanct issues hamper California schools JulieSturgeon

interview17 ASBOchiefweighsinonvalueof associations,leadershipandchange John Musso: Change is inevitable but growth is optional JuliePhillipsRandles

feature34 Can-doCASBO Reflecting on five years of strategic progress JuliePhillipsRandles

Volume 74 Number 4 Winter 2009

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15

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publisher

editorinchief

featureseditor

contributors

editorialassistant

design/layout

cartoon

advertisingart

casboofficers

president

president-elect

vicepresident

immediatepastpresident

advertisingsalesmanager

Brian Lewis

Jodi Jackson

Julie Phillips Randles

Linda A. Estep

Dennis Meyers

Julie Sturgeon

Kevin Swartzendruber

Kristen Jacoby

Sharon Adlis

Shawn Turner

Lori Mattas

Sharon KetchersideSacramentoCountyOfficeofEducation

Renee HendrickOrangeCountyDepartmentofEducation

Gary MatsumotoHaciendaLaPuenteUnifiedSchoolDistrict

Eric D. SmithSantaBarbaraSchoolDistricts

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 2009 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 December 2009

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 Web site at www.

casbo.org. The plan can be found

under the “organization” link.

Winter 2009 | 7

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checkingin

What we all need is more recess

“There’s never enough recess.” So said the son of my sister’s good friend after the first few days of

kindergarten earlier this fall.

Wiser words have never been spoken.

It seems that when the boy, Elijah, compared his kindergarten experience to that of preschool, he

just didn’t think there was enough time for fun and social interaction with his classmates. Clearly, he’s

onto something.

Kids do know things that we seem to forget. We may be tempted to think we have things all figured

out, but a quote like this tends to snap us back into reality. And it takes effort to stay in that reality because

it’s way too easy to slip back into autopilot and into the groove of our hectic lives.

When I heard this story it made me think of CASBO members all over the state. You’re all working

harder than ever with fewer resources, trying to ensure that the stage is set for learning. And there’s little

time for recess.

But from everything virtually every CASBO member has ever told me, it’s the times when you all get

together, whether at the section or state levels, that the opportunity to recharge, re-engage and reinvigorate

happens. It’s your recess - your opportunity to connect, network and collaborate on the challenges you

share in common.

At a time when school business officials are busier than ever doing the impossible to support student

learning, some form of recess is a must.

Recess isn’t just about going out to play or creating down time, though those things in themselves

are good for us. Recess is also about experiential learning, sharing time with friends, taking the pulse of

what’s going on in your world. Kids call it hanging out. Adults refer to it in more formal terms – mingling,

meeting and greeting, socializing.

When we “grow up,” “going out to recess and playing with your friends” can be thought of as “net-

working with your peers.” No matter what you call it, the benefits are the same.

Studies tell us that smiling and laughing are good for our health. Research also shows that some of

kids’ best school memories involve recess. So why do we as adults seem to feel that smiling and laughing

while we do the hard work that must be done is a bad thing?

Perhaps a little adult recess will help blur the bad memories of these challenging times, replacing them

with pleasant memories of a struggle handled together. A struggle that, like recess for children, taught us

to better interact with each other, to create new rules and customs and to relate to each other without the

strictness that sometimes seems to be required during the work day.

Listen…I think the recess bell just rang. Meet me on the playground.

Brian LewisExecutiveDirector

Recess is also about experiential learning, sharing time with friends, taking the pulse of what’s going on in your world.


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bottomline

BySharonKetchersideCASBO President

Think outside the box and invest in you!

If ever there was a time to think

outside the box, this is it! These are critical times that call for creative solutions.

That’s why your casbo colleagues from all over the state are working to de-liver to you an outstanding 2010 casbo Annual Conference & California School Business Expo; one that serves you and your schools like never before. The con-ference will be upon us in a blink of an eye; April will be here before we know it. Your attendance and participation at this year’s conference is more important than ever.

How can we maximize the avail-able resources in our district or county office with efficiency, while maintaining effectiveness? This year’s annual confer-ence will provide grass-roots workshops across all disciplines, and the opportunity to network with your colleagues. As we all know from experience, that network-ing has proven to be invaluable to school business officials across this state. I myself am a product of these opportuni-ties, having advanced from a classified position to management within a few years of initially attending and actively participating in our organization.

We are all faced with budget cuts, and we know professional development is one of the first areas to be reduced. But if we put our heads together, we can come up with extremely creative ways and means by which to attend this year’s conference.

Think about the areas where your schools need your expertise – where they need you to be at the top of your game

Don’t let the economic timesprevent you from becomingeven more valuable to your schools.

with the latest information – and then go to casbo.org, click on the conference icon, download the conference brochure and find those workshops that directly relate to your work. Write a short memo that outlines how those specific conference of-ferings relate to your work and how they will help you serve your schools even better than before. Show how attending these sessions and meeting these people will help you contribute to your organiza-tion’s strategies to address critical issues.

And as for paying for the con-ference… is your position funded by

facilities bond monies? If so, tap into this revenue stream to fund your conference attendance. There’s a full offering of facilities workshops presented by the best of the best in the business. And this is just one potential funding source. In addition, remember that professional development is a tax write-off. This is a two-fold benefit, because you’re investing in your professional future and your tax future at the same time! Who couldn’t use a little extra help at tax time?

If you’re working toward your cbo certification, this year’s conference offers 18 sessions that qualify for cbo certifica-tion renewal. Don’t forget – Districts and county offices throughout California offer professional development stipends upon completion of professional growth

programs. Also, look for scholarshipopportunities in your local sections; many offer this type of assistance.

It’s time to think out of the box about how you can be a part of the tremendous professional growth opportunities at next April’s conference. Invest in yourself and prepare for your future when the economy rebounds.

Don’t let the economic times prevent you from becoming even more valuable to your schools. Now more than ever, they need your fine-tuned skills and leadership.

Sharon Ketcherside, of the Sacramento County Office of Education, serves as casbo president.


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infocus

Winter 2009 | 15Photography by Hope Harris

Laura Gower Innovative thinking key to her success, attraction to CASBO

Laura Gower likes the idea of out-of-the-box thinking. Perhaps that’s what attracted

her to a career with American Fidelity Assurance Company, named one of Fortune

magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work for,” and to CASBO, an organization she

says is appealing due to its current “big and brave thinking.”

Gower, California region vice president for American Fidelity, began with the firm

20 years ago as an account representative, working her way up to manager, then

regional manager and on to regional vice president. In her current position, she

oversees 90 California employees and orchestrates and manages the day-to-day

operations of the four offices in the state. She also spends time at school districts

speaking to CBOs, union leaders and employees about American Fidelity’s products

and services.

The firm, a CASBO platinum-level associate member, offers the education industry

a product portfolio of supplemental insurance programs that include disability income

insurance, annuities, cancer insurance, life insurance and Section 125 Plan services.

American Fidelity also provides dependent verification audits under which account

reps visit districts at no charge to verify documentation of employees’ dependents

for insurance programs. “Districts are looking for every dollar under every rock, and

American Fidelity wants to help,” Gower commented.

Gower currently serves on CASBO’s Associate Member Committee (AMC) and last

summer was appointed to the Strategic Planning Team. She says she sought out

inclusion on the AMC after seeing firsthand her company’s longtime dedication to

the association.

“I thought, ‘this is a great organization, and I am sure there are things I can do to

help and support it.’” Once active, she found her instincts were on target. “It’s fun

contributing your time alongside others who want to make something fantastic,”

Gower said. “There’s a lot of heart and soul in CASBO. From my bird’s-eye view,

there’s this extreme dedication.”

Another draw, and benefit, to participating in the association is that it makes good

business sense. “I’ve been reading a lot lately that if you are in business today and

trying to survive hard times, the secret is to have relationships with people who are

able to make decisions. Find someone else to do the paperwork; get out and build

relationships,” Gower recommended.

She said her dedication to CASBO is in response to the support from AMC members

who have been outstanding teachers. “The sky’s the limit on what the AMC can do.

It’s a new day, and CASBO members are really out-of-the-box thinkers right now.

That’s attractive, and that is what’s required to survive these days,” said Gower.


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ByJuliePhillipsRandles

interviewPh

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John Musso has more than 30 years experience in

public education, including roles as a teacher,

principal, deputy superintendent and chief financial

officer. For the past three years, Musso has worked in the business of schools at the international level as the executive director of the Association of School Business Officials International (asbo), an association that provides programs and services to promote the highest standards of school business management practices, professional growth and the effective use of educational resources. casbo is a state affiliate of asbo International.

Prior to joining asbo, Musso was the chief financial officer for the District of Columbia Public Schools, a district with more than 12,000 employees and 167 schools and learning centers serving 60,000 students. In this position, Musso oversaw a bud-get of more than $2 billion in annual operating, grant and capital funds, and was charged with working daily with public officials, including city council members, the mayor and Congress to strengthen the fiscal state of the d.c. Public Schools system.

In his 15 years as a school business official, Musso secured more than $14 million in competitive grant funds and led the successful passage of bond issues totaling more than $100 mil-lion, which resulted in the remodeling of 43 school buildings and the construction of five new schools.

Musso has served in leadership and director capacities with various nonprofit organizations including Colorado asbo, Colorado Liquid Asset Trust and the Colorado Association of School Executives.

He has earned the designations of Certified Association Ex-ecutive through the American Society of Association Executives and Registered School Business Administrator through asbo International. Musso also holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern Colorado, a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Northern Colorado and a school administrator credential and license from Western State College in Colorado.

ASBO chief weighs inon value of associations, leadership and changeJohn Musso: Change is inevitable,but growth is optional


continued on page 20

John MussoCSB: What is one of your hidden talents?Musso: Something most people don’t know about me is that my past includes a career in the medical field. At one time, I was a certified paramedic. I worked in a hospital emergency room, with an ambulance crew and as a clinical therapist in a hospital’s mental health unit working with troubled adolescents. During my 32 years in education, I have been able to put the skills I learned during my medical career to use, responding to medical emergencies in schools, and understanding the physical and emotional needs of students.

CSB: What three things are essential to your life?Musso: Without hesitation, my God and faith, my family and my work. I had to learn the hard way that family is what matters as I went through some difficult times in my education career – difficult times that only my faith and my family helped me get through. Being a school district cfo is probably one of the most rewarding jobs anyone could have, but it is also one of the most challenging. After several very difficult community meetings, for example, I wanted to go home, sit down in the middle of the living room floor, and cry. During those times, faith and family got me through so I could make the best possible decisions for the children in the school system.

CSB: What do you do to manage stress?Musso: As strange as it may seem, sometimes chaos tends to bring me to focus – I guess because during those stressful times I know that I have to become as centered as I can in order to deal with whatever issue or issues are presenting themselves. I try to exercise as much as I can during stressful times. I make sure I eat properly and do not go off on the “junk food circuit.” I also try to smile and laugh a lot. Smiling creates endorphins that help the body deal with various stressors. I also focus on the three most important things that are essential in my life.

CSB: What is the best thing you have ever bought?Musso: The best thing I ever bought was my wife’s engagement and wedding rings. For the past 32 years, she has been the backbone of my career, supporting me in whatever direction or path I decided to take. She has been there to help counsel me and pick up the pieces during difficult times. She never hesitates to bring me back to focus when I head in the wrong direction. We have the best daughter a father and mother could ever ask for, and we believe we have raised her to maneuver through life’s good times, as well as bad. Had I not purchased those rings, my life would have taken an entirely different path – one that would not have brought me to the point where I am today.

ASBO chief weighs in on value of associations, leadership and change

CSB: What is the best advice you’ve ever received? From whom?Musso: The best advice I’ve ever received came from my father and mother. My mother made me understand the importance of forging ahead and giving everything that extra push it needed. She advised me to go to school rather than becoming a farmer like my father, grandfather and great-grandfather. She pushed me through my bachelor’s program, my master’s program and my school administrator certification. Her advice: Never quit.

My father gave me two important pieces of advice. The first was to never put my eggs in one basket and the second was to not be afraid to take risks. Having a diverse education and career background certainly opened up many opportunities in my life and made me a better educator, so I am glad I followed my fa-ther’s advice to “diversify.” With regard to risk-taking, my father reminded me often that if you fall, the farthest you will go is the floor. When faced with a decision, I learned to ask myself, “What is the worst thing that can happen? How far can I really fall?”

CSB: Earlier this year, the American Society of Association Executives spoke to the new administration and Congress about the power and value of associations, the idea that these groups represent the best minds in various industries and often have solutions to the tough issues of the day. In these challenging economic times, what are you telling folks about the importance and value of association membership?Musso: Everyone needs to belong, to feel a part of something. We all need to belong to some sort of group where we all share a common bond: a church group, a community group or an association. Associations provide opportunities for us to connect with each other. I maintain that any success I have had in my career is because I knew who to call for help – the colleagues I met through my professional association.

Associations also provide opportunities for us to grow personally and professionally. During tough budget times, professional development is often the first item on the hit list. Unfortunately, tough economic times are the times when we need professional development most – to help us get through those rough waters. These are the times we should be network-ing with each other, finding out what has worked for others and what has not. Your association can provide you with solutions to your problems that will not only help you do your job, but will also make your school district a better place.

CSB: What are some of the key issues that school business leaders will likely have a hand in solving?Musso: School business officials are magicians. Year after year after year, we make rabbits appear out of hats that were once

Winter 2009 | 19

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continued from page 18

thought empty. In the current economic conditions, those rabbits are much more difficult to produce. The present state of the economy has created a paradigm shift with unprecedented challenges, as well as unprecedented opportunities. All of us are thinking about school funding in much different ways and considering new and, we hope, more innovative ways to fund public education. This is what we call the “new normal.”

Our challenge is making the right decision today that will affect how we do business tomorrow. We’ve already cut the “low-hanging fruit” and identified which reductions will have the least impact in the classroom. Instead of looking for ways to make it through the next budget cycle, school business officials need to look at ways to make these cuts sustainable and generate revenue from other sources. This will be the greatest challenge of all.

CSB: School districts nationwide, and particularly in California, are facing the toughest times they’ve seen in 30 years. With that in mind, what changes to governance and operations should associations cur-rently be considering?

Musso: Associations are not immune to the downward spiral in the economy. Looking at how we do business internally and how we can maximize resources and provide programs and benefits for our members becomes paramount. A good association should be nimble enough to change course quickly to meet the current needs of its members.

No one particular change to governance or operations can be considered the silver bullet for every association. The key is recognizing that while the association may no longer be able to do business as usual, it must find ways to continue to provide valuable and unique services to its members.

CSB: You’ve had the opportunity to participate in some casbo events and observe the association in recent years. What are some of your observations about casbo as a nonprofit association? Musso: casbo has been around for more than 80 years, and, like most of the other asbo affiliates, focuses primarily on professional development and does a great job providing the programs and services its members need. What’s also impressive is the degree to which casbo has taken on growth and change as an organization through strategic planning. As a result, the association has accomplished what many other associations only hope to achieve – a growing, thriving organization.

I’ve seen firsthand how casbo focuses on its members and their needs. The board’s leadership, combined with Brian’s lead-ership and that of the entire staff, have made that strategic focus and growth possible. That’s critical to move any association forward. It’s easy for an organization rich in history to keep the status quo. Those organizations often are unable or unwilling to identify those things they need to let go of; things that once had a place in the organization but have served their purpose and need to be set aside to make room for new and innovative programs and best practices. I’ve seen casbo make those changes over the past few years, which signals an organization that’s not only rich in history, but adaptable and responsive to its members.

Yours is an organization that will survive these tough economic times. One of my favorite quotes is “change is inevi-table, but growth is optional.” casbo has made a commitment to grow. 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 [email protected]. All lettersare edited for content, space and style considerations.

John MussoASBO chief weighs in on value of associations, leadership and change

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Don’t mention it

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cover

ByJulieSturgeon

here is a large, long-term guest in the home of public education in California. This guest sits perched on the living room sofa, taking up tons of space, only visiting with the residents about select issues and generally tying the education family up in knots.

His needs and distraction techniques can make it impossible to address the chal-lenges in public education, and like a disruptive guest bent on stirring up siblings, this tenant tends to reinforce petty arguments and infighting instead of encouraging the family to face the issues head on.

“It’s almost like there are unwritten rules of decorum that those in education have agreed to over time – rules that stand in the way of getting down to the issues,” de-scribed casbo Executive Director Brian Lewis. “We’re splintered as a community, and we’re collectively unable to talk about the core issues.”

All of this begs the question – actually quite a few questions – when it comes to the chance for meaningful dialogue about the future of California’s schools and students. When will all involved get to the point that they agree that whether the topic is curricu-lum, policy or finance, the focus should be on students? How many more decades will drift by as education leaders continue to hover at disparate points on myriad issues? When will the children come first for all the players?

There’s an elephant in education’s living room. Perhaps it’s time to address the beast.

Education leaders and experts attempted to do just that in recent interviews – talk about the unmentionables, face the issues and explain their positions.

SACROSANCTISSUES HAMPERCALIFORNIA SCHOOLS

T


and policy with casbo and currently the chief legislative liaison to the super-intendent at Riverside County Office of Education. “We aren’t interested in shar-ing solutions that move us all forward.”

It doesn’t help that schools don’t have a strong history of practice to build a consensus around what does and doesn’t work. “It’s a formula of a high level of emotion, a high level of perceived inter-est, and a low level of answers that carry any strong evidence,” said Campbell. “No wonder we’ve reached the point we have now.”

Digging your heels in is a good tactic for individual concerns, as Silberstein admitted. “I totally get it. But people would rather win than be happy,” she added. “We’re taking our battles, fight-ing them to the death, and they’re the wrong battles.” Not to mention they cre-ate enemies that erode any future rescue. Leaders who announce they will talk to the other side to find an agreement rather than pound the other viewpoint into sub-mission “are often seen as traitors to the cause,” she said.

Such demonizing then forces cre-ative thinkers out of the system and into alternative “safe” places, as Campbell has seen, leaving the education community spinning its wheels on logjams like these:

Proposition 98

The Proposition 98 funding mechanism passed in 1988 was intended to ensure school districts had a floor on their monies so budgets didn’t bounce wildly. In a perfect world, it would remove education from being at the mercy of politicians’ whims, said Draza Mrvichin, a management consultant who has spent 40 years in labor relations in schools. Most players agree the reasoning was sound, but the practicality is missing.

Picking the battles

First among the unmentionables is that the various groups involved in education are often seen as self-serving. Add to that an overall disdain for change, and thus the battle begins.

Consider, for example, the fact that the Obama administration has dangled financial incentives totaling nearly $500 million for California school districts if the state can agree to change some of its education system’s status quo. What’s required is change to the system – and in this case, change with a capital “C.”

The idea is not getting much traction with the California Teachers Associa-tion. “I think the long arm of the federal government reaching all the way down to the local school districts is going to be hard,” said Joe Nunez, cta’s associ-ate executive director of governmental relations. And he’s been to Washington, d.c., to meet with Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Rep. George Miller to say just that.

Instead of unraveling, the issues that tangle up education and support the sta-tus quo in California seem to be coming more raveled, according to Nunez. “Our frustration is you get people who have a personal experience in a specific school or district, then generalize that to the whole system.”

There’s plenty of frustration to go around whether the topic is how we got here, the definition of reform or whose interests outweigh another’s.

Don’t mention it

“It has always amazed me that education ‘reforms,’ by whatever name, often tinker around the edges. And there is hardly a recognition of, or serious dis-cussion about, what is already in place,” commented Lewis. “Once a law passes, it’s in for good. A constituency forms to protect it and new programs just keep piling on. Issues and programs become sacred.”

For those involved in categorical programs that just saw all of the strings eliminated, it is a survival issue. And they were created in the first place by interest

groups within education who felt their programs didn’t receive enough support. “Emotions are running very high as they compete for dollars. Flexibility is ok for the other guy, but one person’s reform or critical need is another person’s special interest program,” said Davis Campbell, senior fellow for the Center for Applied Policy in Education at uc Davis and president of the California School Boards Association Governance Institute.

Sound selfish? There’s plenty of self-interests at work, which is glaringly evident each time elected representatives try to craft a state budget. “You ask why you don’t get education reform in the Legislature. It’s because I’m all about me, my interests and I don’t care what happens to your program even though it also serves my kids. I just want to go to Sacramento, get my fair share and go home,” said Sandra Silberstein, former assistant executive director for advocacy

YOU GET PEOPLE WHO HAVE APERSONAL EXPERIENCE IN A SPECIFICSCHOOL OR DISTRICT, THEN GENERALIZETHAT TO THE WHOLE SYSTEM.


Winter 2009 | 29

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For one thing, it’s tied to state revenues, which are too precarious to be a good safety net.

“No one ever expected an economy like the one we have now. Legislators and the governor say they are protecting schools as they cut to the ‘guarantee.’ Well the guarantee, with all the manipu-lations, isn’t providing enough support to students and needs to be reworked. But it is a hard sell within our own com-munity,” Lewis said.

Second, the action puts handcuffson California’s policy leaders. “To say you will always give X number of dol-lars to schools, I don’t care if there was a big earthquake, I don’t care what’s hap-pening on the health and welfare side or criminal justice. I get my fair share,” Sil-berstein said. “I have always questioned whether Proposition 98 is good public policy.” That’s because one common fallout is that voters think they’ve taken care of schools with this stroke and now every time money becomes a topic, the assumption is that schools have wasted it – or are greedy.

“I don’t think in a diverse state that needs to come together in the middle and find ‘yes’ answers to complex problems that a simplistic formula like this is wise,” Silberstein said. “Another price you pay for this protection is that it builds a wall between you and potential collaboratives.”

And then there’s the fear factor. While a large part of the education com-munity would likely say Proposition 98 is not working well, the idea of not having a constitutional guarantee is scarier still.

Therefore, the passion for Proposi-tion 98 is reaching theological levels in Campbell’s observation. “It’s perceived as a firewall protection; the only thing stand-ing in the way of dismantling the school finance system,” said Campbell. “People tend to rally around the notion this is the last stand against [deeper] cuts.”

Don’t mention it

Still, focusing on the dollar fight is a red herring if you ask Nunez at cta. “Nothing can be done about the world-wide recession we’ve found ourselves in and the traumatic impact it’s having on all services,” he said. “So we’re certainly right in line with everybody else there.”

In downturns as big as what we’re seeing now, you’d expect cuts to schools. “But beyond suspension of the guaran-tee, it has been too easy to lower funding to the guarantee,” Lewis said. “We need a broader conversation about what schools need in order to do the job expected of them by the state and the children we serve, and then a funding commitment needs to follow; that’s where a re-envi-sioned Proposition 98 comes in.”

Collective bargaining& merit pay

No doubt about it, collective bargaining brought fair pay to jobs that were underpaid in the system. Silberstein definitely puts teachers in that category.

But the process of negotiation in Cal-ifornia, insiders say, is too adversarial to leave behind good feelings. At the end of the wrangling, teachers and administrators have squared off, called each other cheats, and questioned who cares enough about kids. A year later, the rebellion repeats.

School district management egged on this attitude, Mrvichin believes, by not understanding how to bargain in the first place. “They [management] historically came at this from a position that we love

you, we would give you the world if we could afford it,” he explained. “And the union has very smart business agents. They [union representatives] showed the districts where they could afford to give more money, and now you have the third highest paid teachers in the nation with the 50th percentile in funding.”

It’s also patently unfair, in his view, because teachers can vote at the polls for school board members, which al-lows them to stack the deck, as it were, from the private citizen side, too. “If the United Auto Workers could control the board of directors at Ford, they’d have even better contracts than they have now, I would imagine,” he said.

But things really reached a deadlock, said Mrvichin, because the Legislature has left a state code in place when it comes to wages, hours and working conditions in education; language that dictates to the school district what percentage of their budget has to be spent on teachers, how sick leave is to be used, and so forth. “So management is at the bargaining table

with one arm tied behind their backs because they can never go below code requirements, only above,” he said.

“It’s almost as if school is about adults and not children,” he summed up. “It’s turned into a place of employ-ment and not so much an educational institution.”

Lewis pointed to a personal experi-ence to illustrate Mrvichin’s point. Sever-al years ago an education lobbyist made a point-blank comment that literally took Lewis aback. The lobbyist told Lewis that

WE’RE TAKING OUR BATTLES, FIGHTING THEM TO THE DEATH, AND THEY’RE THE WRONG BATTLES.


Winter 2009 | 31

it was her job to look out for the adults whom she represented; that her life’s work was about supporting the schools as effective local employers of adults.

“It was the first time I had heard it said with such frankness,” recalled Lewis. “My only thought was ‘that’s where we differ.’ Schools are, and always will be, about children. It’s a fundamental place from which we need to operate as humans and professionals to serve what should be our only constituency.”

Nunez said he doesn’t understand the uproar over collective bargaining. As he reads the code, bargaining law provides a way for local districts to ham-mer out pay for performance in terms of extra pay for extra work. He also says cta

isn’t automatically opposed to merit pay. “To the extent we use a test that was developed to test children once a year on

state standards to base teachers pay, we have a problem. But let’s have a full complement of valid, reliable matrices on which to do that evaluation, have our locals bargain that, and we’re good to go,” he contends.

California’s Legislature

Sure, a chunk of the blame also falls on the shoulders of elected representatives

in Sacramento. But the problem of Cali-fornia’s ungovernablility isn’t that the people in the Capitol are stubborn, most insiders agree. Silberstein instead points the finger at term limits.

She’s preaching to the choir with Nunez. He says cta spent nearly 12 years to create and deliver perfomance standards for the classroom. But after aligning the materials and posting pos-itive increases on the grading matrix,

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term limits meant the original politicians were replaced with representatives who were now using data from Adequate Yearly Progress and others to judge progress.

Redistricting is the other bugaboo. Voting lines have been dissected to the point that families live in either a staunch Democrat or Republican dis-trict, and never the twain shall meet. They force politicians to constantly run for re-election, and bring in uninformed people every few years to start over without background notes, partner-ships or mentors. “Imagine in your own business if you cleaned out and hired new people every six years,” Silberstein illustrated.

“We don’t elect moderates anymore, and it is in the middle that people find workable compromises,” she explained. “They are the ones that say, ‘You have a point and you have a point and here’s common ground.’”

There may be hope for improvement moving forward due to the passage ofProposition 11, a measure approved two years ago that puts reapportionment of legislative districts in the hands of a citizens’ commission, rather than withpoliticians. The measure was backed by the governor with bipartisan support from legislators on both sides of the aisle.

Where’s the leadership?

What do these stand-offs say about edu-cation’s leadership? “I’m not impressed,” Mrvichin commented bluntly.

But those looking for a knight in shining armor to ride in and save the day are looking in the wrong direction, Campbell contends. The answer begins with something as innocuous as lan-guage. “How do we address these issues without alienating the parties who have such a deep commitment to them? Ap-

proach these questions with a perspectivethat does not assume good or bad, right or wrong,” he said. That translates to dropping the term “sacred cows” for “elephants” and replacing “reform” with “redesign.”

“Reform says you are broken. Re-design says the structure and system no longer works and the people in it are part of the solution, not the problem,” Camp-bell explained. For his part, Campbell’s working with a program at uc Davis to bring the best thinkers on the practical re-design concept to meet with small groups of superintendents.

Meanwhile, Silberstein selects mod-erates when she’s in the voting booth, “people that want to get to ‘yes.’ I don’t look for somebody who agrees with me, I want somebody who can think on his or her feet, who’s smart, brave and politically savvy enough to do it,” she described. Also in the action column, she encourages Riverside County school officials to take a problem-solving role with legislators, offering suggestions on ways to help the district as opposed to the “don’t cut our funding, cut the other guy’s” message.

“I don’t think we’ll ever be holding hands and singing Kumbaya on every-thing,” she said. “But we can be flexible.”

Then again, there’s something to be said for a nuclear option – say, a state bankruptcy – as well. “If this thing gets much worse, it is going to blow up,” Silberstein warned. “And that may be

what moves people to wanting a more productive debate.”

While there is little agreement on exactly what needs to be done to oust the elephant, various organizations are attempting to come up with solutions for improving how California governs itself.

California Forward, a bipartisan, foundation-supported group that pro-motes government reform, is one of the latest entities to step up with ideas to fix what ails the state’s current state of government. Also at it is the Bay Area Council, a group pursuing the idea of a Constitutional Convention to address the state’s governance issues.

Perhaps one of these groups will find a way to disrupt the political apple cart and direct leaders toward Campbell’s idea of “redesign.”

Not convinced? Perhaps then it’s time to head to the kitchen to make our pachyderm pal a snack while we wait. 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 welcomes “Letters to the Editor.” Please send your letters to [email protected]. All letters are edited for content, space and style considerations.

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feature

Ever-changing budget numbers, out-of-control mandates, constantly modified business practices; with all of the constant activity in the business of schools, today’s deadlines and tomorrow’s to-do list leave little time for reflection.

Between day jobs and volunteerism as association members, most casbo members are so busy moving forward full speed ahead that little time is spent looking back.

But reflecting is exactly what’s in order periodically, accord-ing to Patricia Koch, casbo’s volunteer strategic plan facilitator and a retired member. That’s especially the case when it comes to a member-driven association that is guided by an active stra-tegic plan.

“We need to occasionally stop and reflect on what we have accomplished, both to acknowledge our successes and to inspire us for the tasks ahead,” noted Koch. “Otherwise we tend to think only about all that we have yet to do, and we lose sight of all we have done. Sometimes we surprise ourselves when we realize we have achieved so much.”

Such is the case at casbo, where a backward glance shows the association has much to celebrate.

Despite the most challenging economic times in 30 years, casbo can boast about a trio of recent successes – advancing strategically as a nonprofit while other organizations struggle, purchasing office space in a key Sacramento redevelopment area

and earning a prestigious national publishing award for this quarterly magazine, California School Business.

A more in-depth examination of the five-year track record of the association nets additional strategic successes, along with the acknowledgement of a few bumps in the road.

Strategic progresscasbo’s long-term commitment to strategic planning, combined with a commitment to a growing body of best practices in association governance and leadership, has poised the association to accomplish a remarkable slate of achievements in a relatively short period of time.

Such is the nature of strategic planning. By creating a plan approximately every five years which spells out the course of the organization, member-driven goals are established and implemented. casbo has seen strategic progress in the follow-ing key areas:

strategic planningStrategic planning is a cornerstone of casbo’s philosophy, and the driving force behind the initiatives that are addressed on behalf of members. In the last half-decade, casbo has increased its attention and dedication to the process, ensuring that the

ByJuliePhillipsRandles

CAN-DOCASBO Reflecting on five yearsof strategic progress


member-driven and professionally staffed system creates a strong vision for the future of casbo.

casbo President Sharon Ketcherside of the Sacramento County Office of Education says that strategic planning is be-hind the host of successes, while at the same time positioning the association for the future. “It pushes us to perform better, to think on a broader scale and to set aside individual agendas and consider what’s best for casbo.”

legislative advocacyIn 2005, casbo ’s first in-house advocacy program was established (as directed by the previous strategic plan), resulting in a highly recognized advocacy effort that gave the association its own voice in all things political and legislative. Recognizing the need to establish direct e-mail communication with members on legislative issues, the then-new executive director, Brian Lewis, envisioned the casbo Newsbreak and the organization brought it to life. Today members rank it among the association’s strongest benefits.

According to Gary Pickavet, assistant superintendent, administrative services as the Santa Barbara County Office of Education and chair of casbo’s Legislative Committee, one of the association’s biggest successes in the past five years has been “putting casbo on the map as far as the Legislature goes.”

While in the past casbo had single inroads with legislators through individual member’s relationships, bringing legisla-tive advocacy in-house provided the association with a singular focus in its advocacy efforts. “It became casbo’s opinion only influenced by casbo members,” said Pickavet. “casbo is in a unique position to evaluate not only the pros and cons of a bill, but the fiscal impact, and lots of legislators like to implement bills without consideration of how it gets paid for. The motiva-tion when casbo takes a position on a bill is what’s best for school sites and school districts.”

communications & marketingCommunications and marketing were a key priority of casbo’s strategic plan in 2004-05, and Lewis was charged with leading the efforts to revitalize the association’s communication efforts.

Successes in this area include: the creation of a branding platform for the association with a new marketplace position, logo and federally trademarked tagline; a complete redesign of the former casbo Journal into the national award-winning Califor-nia School Business magazine; the creation of a user-friendly and constantly evolving Web site; the renaming and redesign of the association’s bi-weekly newsletter to include editorial content

and electronic delivery; and the renaming and positioning of the casbo Annual Conference & California School Business Expo.

association governanceNoteworthy progress has also been made in recent years in the area of governance practices. The association has seen significant governance change driven by the strategic plan that sought to align casbo’s governance with both strategic goals and association best practices. This includes the “re-engineering” of the association’s bylaws which were passed by a vote of 85 percent of voting members in March 2009, and the current re-write of the Manual of Procedures.

membershipIncreasing casbo’s membership numbers was also a high pri-ority five years ago. This goal triggered a review of the associa-tion’s membership offerings and the eventual adoption of a new dues structure by the board of directors in spring 2007.

The new structure was adopted after a review by the board determined that while casbo had grown in depth, breadth and scope, the existing dues structure was not keeping pace with the services the association was providing. With this in mind, the board sought to establish a new dues structure that was fair, equitable to all members and timeless in its application.

To meet these goals, the board created a dues structure that is more reflective of the type and size of association casbo is, and the association casbo is going to be; implemented a more equitable dues system; and built in incremental increases to al-low the dues structure to get to where it needed to be over time, avoiding a huge one-time increase.

With the July 2007 implementation of the new structure, new member numbers increased by 10 percent in less than one year and revenues from dues were strengthened.


CAN-DO CASBO

We need to stop and reflect on what we have accomplished, both to acknowledge our successes and to inspire us for the tasks ahead.

Winter 2009 | 37

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office acquisitionIn another acclaimed achievement, casbo closed escrow on a single floor of office condominium space at 10th and K streets in downtown Sacramento in October 2008. The fifth-floor space in the K Street West office building at 1001 K Street is located in a key revitalization area in the city’s downtown area, and near the Capitol and sister education associations.

While the association had expected to maintain its offices in buildings owned by the California Lottery in the 700 block of North 10th Street until 2010, the lottery decided in January 2008 that it would be demolishing the buildings at the site, forcing casbo out of its leased space.

An Office Space Task Force composed of casbo members was established to determine where, when and how to relocate casbo’s offices. After exploring all the options for leasing and purchasing office space in a variety of Sacramento-area locations, the task force recommended the purchase of the K Street space.

Purchasing space was found by the task force, and later the board of directors, to be the most sound fiscal decision for the

association in both the near and long terms. And, due to several years of conservative fiscal management, the association was positioned to put a down payment on the space while maintain-ing a meaningful reserve.

casbo moved into the improved space in February 2009.

fiscal oversight & revenue generationThe creation of sound reserves and effective fiscal oversight has also been a key initiative for the association.

In a three-year period, the association’s reserves increased 170 percent to in excess of $1.4 million in mid-2008. The exis-tence of those reserves made it possible for the board of directors to authorize the purchase of the new casbo office space.

Not without controversyWhile casbo has committed to embracing change and has shown itself to be more nimble than many associations, facing those changes has not been without controversy.

CAN-DO CASBO

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Winter 2009 | 39

Such was the case with a strategic plan component that called for the re-engineering of the association’s governance structure. In the end, that re-engineering will lead to changes in the make-up of the association’s board, and its bylaws and operational policies.

The changes to the make-up of the board of directors has caused somewhat of a split, according to Michael Dodge, regional director for associate member company California Fi-nancial Services, former chair of the Professional Development Committee and a past strategic plan action team member. “We don’t know yet if it’s good or bad; I know a lot of people are concerned. They are trusting in the process.”

Nancy Axelrod, a governance consultant and founding president of BoardSource, assures that controversy over chang-es to governance is typical. “Often the greater the proposed change, the greater the resistance from members. Members are often quite wedded to the status quo,” she said. “Too many organizations that need to make governance changes wait un-til the pain of inaction exceeds the uncertainty of making the change. It takes courage and it takes clarity, and it should be done in response to what’s best for members, not in response to a crisis.”

Another “sore topic,” Dodge suggested, is the purchase of the office condominium to house the association. “At the time it was a good idea, but given where the economy has gone, it could be a struggle for us now,” said Dodge.

Damon Smith, chair of the task force that recommended the purchase to the board of directors when the association was given its walking papers by the state lottery, said that while “there is a lot of dust and the picture isn’t as clear or as comfort-able as many would like with regard to the building purchase, if we take a moment to clear the air, I believe the visage casbo members will see is one to be proud of.”

Smith, assistant superintendent, business services, for the Imperial County Office of Education, noted that the association would have been paying substantially higher rent even if the decision to purchase a building were not made because the lottery lease was at a below-market rate. “When the task force evaluated that incremental difference between renting a new place and owning a new place – the decision was unanimous. When the casbo board likewise reviewed those facts, its action, too, was decisive. The board understood the long-term benefits and ramifications of ownership.”

In the same vein, the entire idea of strategic planning was controversial when introduced some 15 years ago, Pickavet recalled. “The strategic plan challenges the association to look

at every area, even what we think we are doing well, to see if it can be improved upon. A lot of people are comfortable with the way it’s been for 50 years.”

“The bumpy road has been minimal compared to our achievements,” noted Ketcherside, adding, “other organizations have come to us and asked us how we do it.”

What’s behind the progress?With a host of achievements to tout, some might wonder how casbo has managed to evolve while other associations have stagnated. The answer can be found in members’ dedication to the association.

Brett McFadden has served on casbo’s strategic planning team for the last two summers, is a school board member and the director of management services for the Association of California School Administrators. He has a 10-year history of collaborating with casbo and says today’s casbo is more focused and more organized than the association of the past.

“It’s got more sense of mission and purpose. It’s much more courageous now and much more willing to have difficult con-

It pushes us to perform better, to think on a broader scale and to set aside individual agendas and consider what’s best for CASBO.


versations, and through those conversations is willing to lift up rocks and say ‘we’ve been doing it this way for a while – how it is working?’”

McFadden noted that casbo’s members have a tendency to look for silver linings; a trait that bodes well for the group. “There’s a saying that a crisis is a terrible thing to waste, and that’s what the strategic planning process has given casbo; the mechanism to say ‘our world is changing rapidly and how can casbo best support members?’”

Another piece of the success puzzle – “You’ve had coura-geous leaders willing to ask ‘why are we doing this?’ and Brian has a set of skills that encompasses the full range of what an executive director needs to have. The board has been willing to take courageous steps, and Brian has been willing to push it where it needed to be pushed,” McFadden said.

Larry Wonder, a past chair of the Associate Member Com-mittee and vice president of sales with Virco Inc., a platinum-level associate member company, noted that casbo has long had innovative and professional elected leadership and said that the current staff is equally talented.

“Since Brian Lewis joined the team, the face of casbo has dramatically changed. I’m involved with many national as-sociations, state associations and their publications, and what Brian has done with casbo and the look and content of its publications is outstanding,” Wonder said. “There is also more professionalism in the day-to-day management which, in the long run, will enhance casbo overall and influence people joining casbo.”

Also key, consultant Axelrod noted, is the ability of an as-sociation to be nimble. “It’s hard to keep pace with the pace outside of the organization. It moves faster than most organiza-tions are able to be adaptable. Associations have to navigate the faster pace of change by harnessing the collective power of their boards. Effective boards shape direction and allocate time to what matters most to the organization and hone the organiza-tion’s direction.”

That nimble nature is ingrained in casbo members, accord-ing to Ketcherside. “In school business if you are not flexible, you are no longer in school business.”

An additional indicator in casbo’s progress is its member orientation, said Susan Murai, a retired member and former casbo president. She called the group’s member orientation “its greatest success in the past couple of years,” adding, “you can get lost in the nitty-gritty of an association and one thing that stands out is the importance of maintaining contact with membership.”

CAN-DO CASBO

Too many organizations that need to make governance changes wait until the pain of inaction exceeds the uncertainty of making the change.


In recent years the leadership has moved the organization to creating a robust relationship with membership – a connection that has moved the association forward, said Murai.

Adds Dodge, “Our strength is that our own peers in the trenches are telling us how to do it.”

Pragmatism vs. prestigeIt is casbo’s practical nature, as opposed to an association that trades purely on reputation, that also sets it up for future success, according to J. Clarke Price, immediate past-president of the American Society of Association Executives and president and ceo of the Ohio Society of cpas.

Associations that provide tangible value, not just prestige in membership, will thrive in today’s challenging times and in years to come, Price contends. “Members ask themselves ‘how has the association moved the needle on the issues that are important?’ When members can look back and say ‘I did get

Winter 2009 | 41

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training, I did get answers, it did help me get another job, I read the magazine, I had my interests represented, I used the Web site’ – if members do that kind of evaluation and say, ‘this is a good dues payment I’m making,’ that’s when an association has a sustainable future.”

Pickavet described casbo’s pragmatic personality this way: “When you look at other associations, you subscribe to them. You’re a member because it furthers your cause. You belong because it moves forward not necessarily the industry, but your group. casbo represents our group, but its purpose is to help us in what we do every day. It’s there to take the collective knowl-edge of a statewide group of people and funnel it into a product that helps everyone.” 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 [email protected]. All lettersare edited for content, space and style considerations.

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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 [email protected].

Winter 2009 | 45

BusyatworkduringtheannualStrategicPlanningTeammeetinginSacramentoare(l-r)CASBOPresidentSharonKetcherside,SacramentoCountyOfficeofEducation;StrategicPlanningFacilitatorTishKoch;andLoraDuzyk,assistantsuperintendentbusinessservices,SanDiegoCountyOfficeofEducationandpastCASBOpresident.

SouthernSectionCASBOvolunteersattheSouthern/EasternSectionVendorShowinclude(l-r)MarthaAlvarado,buyer,PalmSpringsUnifiedSchoolDistrict;DeborahHarris,procurementservicesmanager,LosAngelesCountyOfficeofEducation;JoshieCox,director,purchasing/riskmanagement,ABCUnifiedSchoolDistrict;andDianaField,director,purchasing,PalmSpringsUnifiedSchoolDistrict.

EasternSectionorganizersoftheSouthern/EasternSectionVendorShowinOctoberinclude(l-r)MaryJaneAndersen,programmanager,purchasing/contracts,SanBernardinoCountySuperintendentofSchools;JamieLightsey,contractspecialist,SanBernardinoCountySuperintendentofSchools;AdrienneBecerril,officespecialist,SanBernardinoCountySuperintendentofSchools;CarolynBurleson,purchasing/contractssupervisor,SanBernardinoCountySuperintendentofSchools;andBarbraNewlin,manager,purchasingservices,Yucaipa-CalimesaJointUnifiedSchoolDistrict.

TakingabreakbetweensessionsatCBOBootCampinSacramentoinOctoberare(l-r)RalphAlba,programmanager,SanBernardinoCountySuperintendentofSchools,andMartinLonza,principal,WascoUnionHighSchoolDistrict.

PicturedatCBOBootCampinSacramentoinOctoberare(l-r)CharleneEssigandandCathleenSerna,bothaccountantsatGatewayUnifiedSchoolDistrictinRedding.


CASBO book club

The UPsideof the Downturn10 management strategiesto prevail in the recessionand thrive in the aftermath

Author Geoff Colvin, a business journalist,

claims that even the most terrifying reces-

sion can have an upside – the opportunity

to emerge from the downturn stronger and

more dominant than before the lag.

In his book he

urges readers

to never waste

a crisis and

tells us that

the current

recession is a

turning point

into a new

economic

world. He

asserts that

some businesses – and some people –

will emerge from this downturn better off

than when it started. Others will weaken

and fade. It all depends on the critical

choices they make right now.

In interviews with dozens of top-performing

leaders, Colvin found that real leaders see

the recession as an opportunity to reinvent

their organizations and prepare for future

growth. The best managers are taking

smart, practical steps to stay strong today

and keep them ahead of the game in years

to come.

In this book, Colvin shares 10 strategies

he says will increase an organization’s

competitiveness and build long-term value.

The key tip: even during difficult times,

keep an eye on the long term, trimming the

fat but not the muscle and spending where

it makes sense.

Join your CASBO colleagues in reading this

book and find out what critical choices you

should be making right now in preparation

for the better times ahead.

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Winter 2009 | 47

firstperson

Theperfect stormDennisMeyersCASBOAssistantExecutiveDirector,Advocacy&Policy

We’ve all heard references to “the

perfect storm,” where two or three separate weather patterns converge to create a once-in-a-lifetime superstorm. In non-weather terms, Webster’s Dictionary describes a perfect storm as “a critical or disastrous situation created by a powerful concurrence of factors.”

It’s a lot like what we’re witnessing here in California where the fiscal crisis is crashing head-on with a seriously polar-ized Legislature.

The perfect storm. California style.The Legislature’s inability to address

the deficit with anything more than short-term baling wire and chewing gum fixes, was and still is, one proof that we are in the midst of the perfect storm in state governance.

Proposals to address the perfect storm are many. California Forward has proposed a series of changes, includ-ing performance-based and multiyear budgeting. The Bay Area Council has proposed a Constitutional Convention to address the governance gridlock. The governor created a special commission to look at restructuring the tax system. Even the Legislature has gotten into the act by discussing bipartisanship and strengthening the integrity of the legisla-tive process. All of the proposals could be summarized by the oft-heard question: “Can’t we all just get along?”

We can all get along. There are changes coming that will result in a more responsive Legislature; one where its members are more politically centered rather than miles apart at opposite poles.

We will see one of the more dramatic changes in time for the 2012 elections.

Currently, applications are being ac-cepted for a citizens’ panel to work on reapportioning legislative districts. The panel, adopted as part of Proposition 11 in 2008, will replace the Legislature as the primary body drawing legislative district boundaries. The last time the Legislature worked on reapportionment, it created safe districts that resulted in conservative districts becoming more conservative and liberal districts becom-ing more liberal. Since then, there has been little movement toward the center on any major issue facing the state, espe-cially the budget. That will change as a result of Proposition 11.

One more positive move toward a more moderate Legislature will be on

the June 2010 ballot; sca 4, authored by Republican Sen. Abel Maldonado. Ap-proved by the Legislature as part of the February budget deal, this constitutional amendment proposes an open primary system where voters will be able to vote for any candidate in a primary without regard to party registration. If this passes and withstands legal challenges from the two main political parties, it has the great-est potential for changing the political landscape of California.

Why are these two changes so impor-tant? They will force movement toward the center. Positive change. Climate change. They will also lessen the chances that the perfect storm will hit this great state again.

sudo

ku

answers on page 49

8 9 2 69 3 8 42 8 6 97 8 4 3

6 75 1 9 68 1 5 26 5 4 1

9 7 4 5


advertiserindex

403bInvestmentAdvisorsZUK Financial Group(888) 488-8480www.zukfinancial.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Accounting,Auditing&FinancialServicesVavrinek, Trine, Day & Co LLP(909) 466-4410www.vtdcpa.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

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 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

BondCounselJones Hall(415) 391-5780www.joneshall.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

ConstructionManagementSGI Construction Management(626) 395-7474www.sgicm.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Consulting/AdvocacySchool Innovations & Advocacy(800) 487-9234www.sia-us.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

ConsultingServicesGASB 45 Solutions(916) 371-4691www.csba.orgPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

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

Contractors/ConstructionManagementBernards(818) 838-7923www.bernards.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

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

Emergency24HourServicesAmerican Technologies, Inc.(800) 400-9353www.amer-tech.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

EyeCareVSP(800) 852-7600www.vsp.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

FinancialandHumanResourceSoftwareInfinite Visions/Windsor Management Group(888) 654-3293www.infinitevisions.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Smartetools(760) 242-8890www.smartetools.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

FinancialConsultingServicesPFM Financial Services(800) 891-7910www.casbo.orgPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

FinancialServicesPiper Jaffray & Co.(800) 876-1854www.PJC.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

RBC Capital Markets(213) 362-4138www.rbccapitalmarkets.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Stone & Youngberg LLC(800) 447-8663www.syllc.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Willdan(800) 424-9144www.wildan.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Fire&WaterDamageRestorationAmerican Technologies, Inc.(800) 400-9353www.amer-tech.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

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

InsuranceBenefitsandServicesAmerican Fidelity Assurance Co.(866) 523-1857www.afadvantage.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

ASCIP(562) 403-4640www.ascip.orgPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Keenan & Associates(310) 212-0363www.keenanassoc.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Schools Excess Liability Fund (SELF)(916) 321-5300www.selfjpa.orgPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Self Insured Schools of CA (SISC)(800) 972-1727www.sisc.kern.orgPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Standard Insurance Company(800) 522-0406www.standard.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

LegalServicesAtkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo(562) 653-3200www.aalrr.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Jones Hall(415) 391-5780www.joneshall.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Miller Brown & Dannis(562) 366-8500www.mbdlaw.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, LLP(413) 773-5494www.orrick.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

MandateReimbursmentSchool Innovations & Advocacy(800) 487-9234www.sia-us.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

ProgramManagementCapital Program Management(916) 553-4400www.capitalpm.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Program/ConstructionManagementSeville Construction Services(626) 204-0800www.sevillecs.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

PublicFinanceRBC Capital Markets(213) 362-4138www.rbccapitalmarkets.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

PublicFinanceStone & Youngberg LLC(800) 447-8663www.syllc.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

RentalsofModularBuildingsMobile Modular(925) 606-9000www.mobilemodularrents.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

RetirementBenefitsPublic Agency Retirement Service(800) 540-6369 #127www.pars.orgPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Winter 2009 | 49

advertiserindex

sudoku from page 47

4 8 5 9 3 2 1 6 79 3 6 5 7 1 2 8 42 1 7 8 4 6 5 3 97 6 8 2 5 9 4 1 33 4 9 6 1 7 8 2 55 2 1 4 8 3 9 7 68 7 4 1 6 5 3 9 26 5 2 3 9 8 7 4 11 9 3 7 2 4 6 5 8

ADPAGEINDEXAmerican Fidelity Assurance Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

American Technologies, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

ASCIP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Bernards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

C.E. White Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Capital Program Management. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Creative Bus Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

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

Educational Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

GASB 45 Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Jones Hall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Keenan & Associates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Miller Brown & Dannis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Mobile Modular . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Northern California Carpenter’s Regional Council . . . . . . . . . 16

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, LLP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

PFM Financial Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Piper Jaffray & Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Public Agency Retirement Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Q’straint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

RBC Capital Markets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

School Innovations & Advocacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Schools Excess Liability Fund (SELF) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Self Insured Schools of CA (SISC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Seville Construction Services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

SGI Construction Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Smartetools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Standard Insurance Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Stone & Youngberg LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

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

The Southern California Gas Company. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Tyler Technologies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

U.S. Communities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Vavrinek, Trine, Day & Co LLP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

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

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

VSP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Willdan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Windsor Management Group. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

WLC Architects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

ZUK Financial Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

RiskManagementServicesSchools Excess Liability Fund (SELF)(916) 321-5300www.selfjpa.orgPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

SchoolBusSalesService&PartsCreative Bus Sales(800) 326-2877www.creativebussales.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

SchoolConstructionNorthern California Carpenter’s Regional Council(510) 568-4788www.nccrc.orgPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Services/UtilitiesThe Southern California Gas Company(800) 427-6584www.socalgas.com/business/rebates/onBillFinancing.htmlPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

SoftwareEducational Resources(800) 852-8266www.edresources.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

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

StudentSafetySeatsC.E. White Company(239) 218-7078www.cewhite.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

TransportationTyler Technologies(800) 433-5530www.tylertech.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Wheelchair&OccupantSecurementSystemsQ’straint(954) 986-6665www.qstraint.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

http://www.afadvantage.com


lastwords

© CASBO 2009

$1.3MILLION

94%

65vs.35%In the annual CASBO membership survey, 65 percent of the respondents were female and 35 percent were male.

Source:CASBOmembershipsurvey,October2009

It’s never too late to be who you might have been.~ George Herbert

Sometimes I lie awake at night, and I ask, “Where have I gone wrong?” Then a voice says to me, “This is going to take more than one night.”~ Charles M. Schulz

By nearly every measure, our public schools continue to struggle to serve our most vulnerable children well.~ Education Trust-West

Association members gave anaverage of 71,255 volunteerhours in 2005 – or more than$1.3 million in service.

Source:AmericanSocietyofAssociationExecutives

In the annual CASBO membership survey, 94 percent of respondents said they were “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with CASBO.

Source:CASBOmembershipsurvey,October2009

Winter 2009 | 51

Offered through PFM Financial Services LLC CO-SPONSORED BY CASBO AND ACSA

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