School Finance and Management Conference (2020)

This year has been anything but normal, and we expect no less of the 2020–21 State Budget. Through no fault of his own, Governor Gavin Newsom’s May Revision proposals bear no resemblance to his January State Budget and there is no playbook for what comes next—the 2020–21 Enacted State Budget.

The next major fiscal checkpoint for 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. Traditionally, our School Finance and Management Conference is held in July each year—after the Governor has approved the Legislature’s June 15 budget and then after the budget trailer bills have been acted upon. All of these steps may be true for this year’s budget process, but because of the pandemic the Legislature has an abbreviated budget process that is addition-ally complicated by a sudden downturn in anticipated state revenues. Also, at this point the Legislature and the Governor are proposing significantly different approaches to the budget for education, so there are substantial unknowns about how this will all come together for the state’s July 1 Enacted Budget.

We at School Services of California Inc. (SSC) always strive to find ways to provide you timely and accurate information and thoughtful advice at all times, but especially during a period of crisis and great uncertainty such as now. With this in mind, we will continue to follow the State Budget deliberations and keep you informed through our Fiscal Report articles and videos. 

In the meantime, please be sure to hold this date for our School Finance and Management Conference webinar:

Tuesday, July 14, 2020 - 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

If you participated in the 2020 May Revision Workshop, you are already registered for this conference.

The webinar will be recorded so that you can view the content at a convenient time for you. Attendees will be able to submit questions throughout the webinar to be answered live at the end of the event. You have asked for this feature, and we are happy to enhance your experience with this interactivity!

As with our prior conferences, this year’s program will focus on the newly adopted State Budget, current management issues, and implementation of current initiatives for public education. Unlike prior conferences, we will help local educational agencies prepare for what changes may lie ahead in a later revision to the 2020–21 State Budget.

While the Conference will discuss how the State Budget deals with the ongoing economic issues, the primary focus will be on K–12 education programs, along with tips and ideas for making the most of your limited resources. Additionally, our presentation will discuss forecasts of school funding for future months and years—a critical factor for multiyear projections and, therefore, budget-year decisions.