School Services of California Inc. (SSC) was founded in 1975 by Ken Hall, former Deputy Director of the Department of Finance under the Reagan Administration during which he became a leading expert on the State’s public school finance system. It has since evolved into the premier business, financial, management, and advocacy resource for educational agencies in California. From 1999 to 2013, our company was led by Ron Bennett, who brought to his leadership a deep understanding of local organization operations. John Gray, who like Ron was a field practitioner before assuming the role of President in 2014, led the company through 2025. Dr. Patti Herrera was named company President in January 2026. Five decades of leadership by only three long-serving leaders has given the company and its employee-owners the continuity necessary to provide a finely focused array of services to public education in California. Promoted to President from within SSC, Patti will provide the continuity to ensure that it remains public education’s premier resource for local educational leaders to guide critical decisions for their staff, students, families, and communities.
During its evolution from a small sole proprietorship to a full-service diversified company of more than 30 dedicated professionals, SSC has also become employee owned and is an award winning Employee Stock Ownership Plan company. Much of the strength of the company is found in the active participation of every staff member in providing the highest quality, value, and service to each and every client.
Our leadership team and staff members come from the ranks of school business officials, human resource professionals, special education leaders, and California state government, including the Department of Education and the California State Legislature. They are seasoned executives with the skills, talents, and abilities to solve problems effectively because they have walked in the shoes of the client.
Whether the engagement is for information services, advocacy, consulting services across all levels of school operations, executive search, or innovative webinars and training designed to help solve problems and improve student performance, SSC is the recognized expert. Our greatest strength is the quality of our people; our greatest challenge is helping to ensure that all children in California get a world-class education as they prepare to become the next generation of leaders.
