As expected, 2020–21 is shaping up to be a very interesting year for school administration and finance. This workshop provides the information needed to close the books for 2019-20 and to finalize local educational agency budgets for 2020-21, both of which are assured to be full of changes.

A finding of noncompliance can result in an LEA losing a significant amount of revenue. Knowledge and preparation could be the key to resolving issues early. This workshop incorporates need-to-know, up-to-date information on all of these changes and sound advice on internal controls and fraud prevention.

Across the state, the number of students with disabilities continues to grow while overall student enrollment declines. State and federal special education revenues have long been inadequate, and the squeeze from increased need and reduced resources only adds to the necessity for higher General Fund contributions.

Managing employee leaves has and will continue to be challenging as changes in law and regulation require local educational agencies (LEAs) to carefully track eligibility for leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, California Family Rights Act, Pregnancy Disability Act, local collective bargaining agreements, statutory requirements, board policies, and local practice. This workshop will provide participants with operational advice on how to effectively manage employee leaves in this era of continuing change.

For many of us, federal compliance is an area that is learned through experience with very little training be-forehand. Federal compliance requirements are rigorous, tedious, and often very confusing.

The passage of Proposition 51 provided much-needed funding for new construction and modernization projects, but, only three years later, the funds have all been exhausted. The 2019–20 Legislative cycle, however, provided some light at the end of the tunnel with the authorization of a new $15 billion facilities bond for the March 2020 ballot, as well as additional funding for kindergarten facilities.

During the Great Recession and recovery through 2017–18, statewide K–12 enrollment was essentially unchanged. Student enrollment trends have varied widely based on geographic location, with some local educational agencies (LEAs) growing in enrollment and others declining. The outlook for the future is uncertain, as the state Department of Finance forecasts declining enrollment statewide over the next ten years.

Collective bargaining in the cost-of-living adjustment-only Local Control Funding Formula and post-Janus decision environment is complex—revenues have slowed, but cost pressures continue to escalate. Coupled with an increase in highly contentious labor negotiations, collective bargaining is on a new course where the tried and true negotiations playbook often falls short.