Governor Gavin Newsom’s first opportunity to put forth his vision for public education was in January, and for the most part he doubled down on his proposals in the May Revision. Now the real negotiations begin with the Legislature. Our opportunity to provide the final results of these negotiations and how they impact your local agency will be at our annual School Finance and Management Conference, which has been the centerpiece of school agency financial management and business planning for over 40 years. Each year we revise the content, delivery, and supporting materials in order to keep each presentation fresh and informative. This is also the premier networking event for professionals involved in public education.

In an effort to support local educational agencies to meet identified student needs through the Local Control and Accountability (LCAP) process, California has created the System of Support. The System of Support’s aim is to increase the capacity and expertise of agencies required to provide assistance within the system by building capacity, developing expertise, and enhancing existing statutory roles and responsibilities. As a part of the System of Support, the Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA) System Improvement Leads have partnered with School Services of California, Inc., in the development of this workshop. The workshop is designed to facilitate an understanding of how to appropriately include goals for students with disabilities in the district’s LCAP.

Local educational agencies (LEAs) invest heavily in employee compensation (as much as 90% of General Fund revenue). Protecting the investment through retention of high-quality employees is essential in today’s competitive market. LEAs cannot afford inefficiency in personnel management. Extreme shortages of certificated and classified staff are driving up the costs for recruitment. Teachers, principals, directors, and classified staff in all areas are exercising their options to move among employers, leaving experience gaps in their wake. Ensure your competitive edge to retain the most valuable resource in your LEA—highly qualified staff—by attending our Human Resource Essentials workshop. This full-day workshop focuses on essential human resource (HR) operations, including recruitment and retention as well as best practices in personnel management to minimize legal risks and protect scarce financial resources. Additionally, the workshop will cover recent changes in law in the area of employment and labor relations, proposed new laws affecting personnel management, and employee and employer rights and benefits.

The State Board of Education continues to develop and refine the state’s accountability system.
The California School Dashboard has been implemented, and the Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP), built upon the guiding principles of subsidiarity and transparency, continues to be the accountability system’s cornerstone. To be successful under this accountability system, local educational agencies (LEAs) must meaningfully engage with stakeholders in the thoughtful review of student needs and the development of LCAP goals and actions, be transparent regarding the achievement gaps that exist in their schools, and use the resources provided to ensure that the neediest students are receiving increased and improved services.

With the full implementation of the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), the connection of the budget to the Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP), and continuing changes in how we look at separate funding streams, grappling with school district and charter school budgets is more challenging than ever for business administrators—and the entire management team.

This workshop is a “must” for those who face the task of building, analyzing, and monitoring the school district or charter school budget.

For a second year, this annual workshop will focus on the hottest issues that your district will grapple with going into the new year.

With a new Administration comes new opportunities for legislative action. Topics that have been taboo—like charter schools, changes to the Local Control Funding Formula, and chipping away at local control—are back on the table. Legislators—and school districts—do not yet know how progressive Governor Gavin Newsom will be and how it will affect school operations when he signs legislation this fall. School Services of California, Inc., (SSC) experts will provide you with the newest laws affecting schools and help your district implement changes to the education code and beyond.

Collective bargaining in the post-recession, post-PEPRA1, LCFF2/LCAP3, and post-Janus decision environment is, if not challenging, complex. In the best of times, there is no guarantee that settlements will come swiftly or that they are sure to align with the financial capability and program goals of the local educational agency (LEA). In difficult times, negotiations are often protracted and ripe with conflict. In the best and worst of times, management negotiators must be knowledgeable and skillful.

Educational leaders in California have an opportunity to leverage our state funding for the programs and services that we value the most at the local level. The supplemental and concentration grant funds can
have broad application to support our children with the greatest needs. And, after several years of significant funding increases, today’s decisions are even more critical as revenues are beginning to flatten and resources for ongoing programs are likely to become more scarce.

We are in an environment of continuing change, with the full implementation of the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) and recent developments in our accountability system. In light of regulatory requirements and in concert with our Local Control and Accountability Plan, how do we ensure that we are appropriately calculating and managing our LCFF revenues, and how does full implementation of the LCFF affect our operations?

NOTE: As of May 2017 the content of this workshop has been verified as current (we periodically review our online workshops to ensure relevancy and applicability to current requirements and practices).

The number one area for findings in an audit report are those in the area of Associated Student Body (ASB). It is critical that district- and site-level staff receive training in this area on a regular basis to ensure that the district, as well as the employees, are being protected.

This online format will allow school agencies to build capacity within their organizations by expanding the number of employees that receive training who are involved in the handling of ASB funds.

School Services of California, Inc. and the Fiscal Crisis and Management Team (FCMAT) have teamed up to provide a free online workshop on fiscal solvency.

Hear from Mike Fine, John Gray, and Matt Phillips as they discuss the various aspects of district financial management including:

• Multiyear planning
• Negotiations
• Cash management
• Other budgetary challenges facing school districts today

As many districts struggle with time and budget constraints, School Services of California, Inc., (SSC) has made a commitment to provide some of its foundational workshops through various modes of delivery.  SSC hopes to make these workshops more accessible and meet the varying needs of school districts across California. As such, the “Fiscal Aspects of Negotiations” workshop is now available in both a face-to-face format and as an online offering.

Local educational agencies must be aware of their obligations under current law and develop appropriate policies and procedures. Both charter schools and traditional school agencies need to be familiar with the processes, requirements, and timelines for charter school petition submittal and approval; as well as, ongoing operations and oversight.

SSC recently held a three-part online series to help local educational agencies meet their oversight responsibilities, evaluate new and renewal petitions for charter schools, and understand the ways charter schools can access facilities. For employees charged with the review of charter petitions, oversight of charter schools, or those working with charter schools wishing to access district facilities under Proposition 39 (2000), the webinars provided a wealth of information.

SSC is now making the three, prerecorded webinars (with additional resources) available to watch on demand through March 1, 2020.

• Charter School Petitions 101
• Tips, Tricks and Tools for Charter School Oversight
• Charter Schools and Facilities