california

California Association of School Business Officials Fall 2010

schoolbusiness

Same table,new atmosphereTough times mean morecollaboration at bargaining table

Lottery lowdownLottery may be a drop in the bucket when every drop counts

Shining starsCASBO members notsidelined in retirement

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contents departments 9 Checking in CASBO members leading with courage in challenging times MollyMcGeeHewitt

13 Bottom line Beyond today…preparing for the future, next generation ReneeHendrick

15 In focus CASBO member profile: Kevin Smith 42 Book club EverythingCounts!52WaystoInspire ExcellenceandDriveResults

45 Out & about Photos from CASBO events

50 Last words

cover story28 Same table, new atmosphere Tough times mean more collaboration at bargaining table SteveWiegand

interview17 Public education expert weighs in on school governance, reform issues Diane Ravitch talks to CASBO about role of school business leaders, direction of public education JuliePhillipsRandles

features23 Lottery lowdown Lottery may be a drop in the bucket when every drop counts LindaA.Estep

37 Shining stars CASBO members not sidelined in retirement JuliePhillipsRandles

Volume 75 Number 3 Fall 2010

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15

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6 | California School Business

publisher

editor in chief

features editor

contributors

design/layout

advertising art

casbo officers

president

president-elect

vice president

immediate past president

advertising sales manager

Molly McGee Hewitt

Kevin Swartzendruber

Julie Phillips Randles

Linda A. Estep

Steve Wiegand

Sharon Adlis

Lori Mattas

Renee HendrickOrangeCountyDepartmentofEducation

Gary MatsumotoHaciendaLaPuenteUnifiedSchoolDistrict

Michael JohnstonClovisUnifiedSchoolDistrict

Sharon KetchersideSacramentoCountyOfficeofEducation

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 2010 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 September 2010

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 website at www.

casbo.org. The plan can be found

under the “organization” link.

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checkingin

CASBO membersleading with couragein challenging times

Courage is aboutbeing an everyday hero – being anindividual whoshows up on time, prepared and ready to do the job they have accepted withprofessionalismand pride.

I work for a courageous group of people. School business officials have great personal courage and conviction.

They strive to do the right thing, for the right reasons, and with the needs of the students and staff as their priorities.

We often think of courage as a word to describe soldiers in battle or military service. We use the word to describe

heroes who are firefighters, police officers or emergency personnel. We talk of great courage and character in

describing those people who face impossible odds, defy common perceptions, overcome obstacles and place the

needs of others ahead of their own.

While I am thankful for those who serve our country and our communities, I am also grateful for the men and women

who have the courage to tackle the issues impacting and threatening public education. It takes courage to create

bus routes and operate transportation systems that safely and efficiently transport students. It takes courage at

the bargaining table to make student needs and achievement a priority. It takes courage to develop a budget that

is fair, transparent and equitable. It takes courage to go head-to-head with builders, inspectors, contractors and

additional providers who provide facilities, maintenance and other services to our schools. It is about more than

the money involved – it is about student and staff safety, being good stewards of tax monies and making sure that

quality is not lost.

Courage also involves having courageous conversations. Dealing with human resource issues that involve manage-

ment and supervision. Courageous conversations involve telling people the truth – even if it is uncomfortable or hard

to hear. These conversations also include monitoring, evaluating and ensuring professionalism at all levels in our

organizations. Courage is about saying no – even when we really want to say yes! It is about keeping our schools

operating, educating and maintaining fiscal solvency. Courage is about being an everyday hero – being an individual

who shows up on time, prepared and ready to do the job they have accepted with professionalism and pride. It is

about continually doing the right things and keeping student needs at the forefront of our priorities.

Sound like anyone you know? It does to me. I see these everyday heroes in IT departments, in central kitchens, in

accounting and fiscal service offices, in risk managers and in CBO offices. These are the heroes who often, behind

the scenes, make it possible for classrooms to have their books and supplies, to have safe facilities and to provide

services for children and young adults. Because they provide the foundation, educators can teach and children can

achieve. Being an everyday hero is tough work. It rarely gets public praise or acknowledgement. Some of the very

people whose lives you enhance do not even know your names. They may never know about your courage and

dedication – and yet you keep doing the right things.

I aspire to be a courageous leader and a compassionate person. It is a quest that continues throughout my lifetime.

I am luckier than most … my life is filled with everyday heroes and heroines who demonstrate courage through

their work as school business professionals. Thank you. You inspire me and give me great hope and encouragement

for the future and for public education.

Molly McGee HewittExecutiveDirector

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bottomline

By Renee Hendrick CASBO President

Beyond today…preparingfor the future, next generation

Whenever you see a colleague or

co-worker today and you ask how

they are, the answer is always the

same: “We are so busy.” If there

is a universal situation today in

school business, it is that we are all

busy. We have limited staff, added

responsibilities, new reporting

procedures and mandates, and

increased expectations.

Today, it is imperative that we de-velop additional skills and talents to as-sist us in carrying out our duties. We need to invest in ourselves and acquire tools and resources to help us to get the job done. casbo is just the place to do this. Whether it is attending excellent profes-sional development workshops or the 2011 Annual Conference and California School Business Expo, serving on casbo committees/professional councils and networking with our peers, or spend-ing time with like-minded professionals – casbo offers you the opportunity to enhance your professional image, your career and to expand your areas of expertise. Leadership is action – doing whatever it takes to get the job done. It is also about modeling and mentoring. Are you setting examples for others?

When we are so busy, it is easy to keep our focus on right now and theimmediate future while losing sight of to-morrow. Many of us would not be where we are in our careers if we would have stayed in our district and never attended workshops or meetings with other profes-sionals. The knowledge we gain from our colleagues can save us from making poor decisions if we listen to their expertise. No matter how busy you are, can you really

afford to stop learning or sharing your great expertise with others? From a lead-ership standpoint, any time you spend networking and collaborating with other professionals enriches your knowledge and benefits your school district.

At the casbo 2010 Annual Confer-ence in Sacramento, I looked out at our members and guests and was struck by the group. The majority of our members and attendees are in their final decades of work. Who is going to take my place in the next 10-plus years? Who is go-ing to follow in your footsteps? What are you doing today to make sure that the legacy of leadership and excellence will continue? Many of us would not be involved with casbo or had the opportu-nities we have experienced in our careers if someone had not encouraged us. Are you encouraging your staff to continue their educations and to move forward in their careers? The earlier you begin – the stronger the future generation will be!

The leadership at the Orange County Department of Education has been a powerful motivator in my career. They have encouraged me to be active in casbo, to take classes, to attend meetings and programs, to serve on professional councils and to grow as a professional. They do not talk about what they could or should do; they do it. Their example has inspired me professionally and has enabled me to share this mentoring and networking with my subordinates, staff and colleagues. Their actions are a pow-erful example of how to mentor, model and encourage.

The officers and board of directors of casbo are committed to professional

development for all members. Our cbo Partnership Training programs, our as-sociations with university certificate pro-grams, our workshops, cbo Boot Camp, cbo Symposium and our Annual Confer-ence are evidence of this commitment. This year, expansion to online learning, a new university partnership, an expanded career center proposal and the introduc-tion of director of fiscal services certifica-tion and school business professional certifications are on the drawing board. We need to keep our eye on the future and empower our members to prepare and embrace it. Your association is work-ing for you!

Do not let “busy” be your descriptor.Let’s change that designation to “empow-ered professional.”

Be a school business professional who keeps his or her professional devel-opment a priority, and one who encour-ages staff to fulfill their potential! What a difference a word can make …what a difference you can make. If not now, then when?

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infocus

Fall 2010 | 15Photography by LaMar Millett

Kevin Smith From domestic spy to school business – his career’s been serendipitous

Kevin Smith had specific plans when he was attending UCLA in the 1980s

and majoring in Russian. He was preparing for a career as an FBI agent and

planning to be a domestic spy.

But somewhere along the way, after working at a shipyard in payroll and

accounting, and later being laid off from a job with Toshiba America Medical

Systems, specific plans gave way to good fortune and he began a career

in school business. “My degree and being a people person opened doors,”

said Smith, assistant superintendent, business and support services, at the

Magnolia School District in Orange County. “But my career in school business,

you might call that serendipity.”

He admits to having stumbled upon a career in the school industry when he

took a position in payroll at Manhattan Beach Unified School District after

the layoff. From there he went to Lawndale Elementary School District as an

accounting coordinator, then to the Los Angeles County Office of Education as

a business systems analyst/financial operations consultant. By 2003, he was

the director of accounting services at Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School

District, and then the assistant superintendent, administrative services, at

Hawthorne School District.

As with his school business career, Smith’s been lucky in the connections

he’s made as well. He credits fellow CASBO members and mentors Pearl

Iizuka and John Vinke with helping him remain positive in these challenging

times. And he says the inspiration gained at a workshop taught 14 years ago

by Don Zimring at CASBO’s Annual Conference sticks with him today. “He

taught some real good lessons about walking in the other person’s shoes,”

Smith said of Zimring’s training on the importance of school business officials

collaborating with their colleagues in human resources.

On behalf of CASBO, Smith has twice served on annual conference commit-

tees, has been an Eastern Section workshop presenter and has twice been

president of the Southern Section. He’s currently past president of that sec-

tion. “I love the networking,” Smith said of the benefits of CASBO. “I wouldn’t

be where I am without the help of CASBO. Nothing we’re having to do right

now is easy, but at least we’re all in this together.”

In addition to serving CASBO, Smith is also dedicated to his “hobby” of 15

years – teaching early to late American history at Los Angeles Harbor College.

“It’s a nice break from what I do every day,” he said.

At the same time, Smith noted that now is not the time to take a break from

the association: “It’s really important that districts support CASBO events,”

he said, adding, “now is the time when people need it most.”

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By Julie Phillips Randles

interview

Public education expert weighs in on school governance, reform issuesDiane Ravitch talks to casbo

about role of school business leaders, direction of public education

Diane Ravitch is an education historian and a

former assistant secretary of education who

specializes in education policy issues including

curriculum standards, testing and governance.

Also a professor and author, her recent book, “The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education,” has been called “important,” “controversial” and “compelling.”

Ravitch is currently a research professor of education at New York University and a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington, d.c. She shares a blog called “Bridging Differences” with fellow education scholar Deborah Meier that is hosted by Education Week. She also blogs for politico.com/arena and Huffingtonpost.com.

From 1991 to 1993, she was assistant secretary of education and counselor to Secretary of Education Lamar Alexander in the administration of President George H.W. Bush. She was respon-sible for the Office of Educational Research and Improvement in the u.s. Department of Education. As assistant secretary, she led the federal effort to promote the creation of voluntary state and national academic standards.

From 1997 to 2004, she was a member of the National Assessment Governing Board which oversees the National As-sessment of Educational Progress, the federal testing program. She was appointed by the Clinton administration’s Secretary of Education Richard Riley in 1997 and reappointed in 2001. From 1995 until 2005, she held the Brown Chair in Education Studies at the Brookings Institution and edited Brookings Papers on Education Policy. Before entering government service, she was adjunct professor of history and education at Teachers College, Columbia University.

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continued on page 20

In addition to her most recent book, Ravitch is the author of nine other titles including: “Edspeak: A Glossary of Education Terms, Phrases, Buzzwords and Jargon,” “The Language Police: How Pressure Groups Restrict What Students Learn,” “Left Back: A Century of Battles Over School Reform” and “National Standards in American Education: A Citizen’s Guide.”

She has also edited 14 education-related books and written more than 500 articles and reviews for various publications.

Ravitch is a popular lecturer and has spoken in Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania, the former Soviet Union, Hun-gary, the former Yugoslavia, Germany, Japan, Nicaragua, and throughout the United States.

She serves on the board of the Core Knowledge Founda-tion, the Albert Shanker Institute of the American Federation of Teachers and Common Good. She is an honorary life trustee of the New York Public Library and a former Guggenheim Fellow.

She was selected as a Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholar in 1984-85, the first person chosen from the field of educa-tion studies. She was awarded the Henry Allen Moe prize in humanities by the American Philosophical Society in 1986. She was honored as a Literary Lion by the New York Public Library in 1992. In 2005, she received the John Dewey award from the United Federation of Teachers of New York City; the Gaudium Award of the Breukelein Institute; and the Un-common Book Award from the Hoover Institution. In 2006, the Kenneth J. Bialkin/Citigroup Public Service Award was conferred on her.

A native of Houston, she is a graduate of Houston public schools. She received a bachelor’s degree from Wellesley College in 1960 and a doctorate in history from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences in 1975.

Ravitch recently answered casbo’s questions about her views, her experiences with public education and her new book.

CSB: What is the last book you read?Ravitch: “Small Change: Why Business Won’t Save the World,” by Michael Edwards.

CSB: What is the best advice you’ve ever received? From whom?Ravitch: When I first started working almost 50 years ago, I was an editorial assistant for a small political magazine. I always wanted to be a writer, so I began writing book reviews and articles on assorted topics. I guess I did a pretty fair job, but at one point the editor pulled me aside and told me, “If you really want to be a writer, find a subject and become an expert. Don’t be a jack-of-all-trades and a master of none.” That was great advice, and I took it to heart. I eventually got my Ph.D. in history

of American education and have been focused on that subject ever since.

CSB: In the first chapter of your recent book, you discuss having gone through an intellectual crisis that led to the creation of the book. Can you describe that crisis and the impact it had on your life?Ravitch: My problem was that I had been closely involved with conservative think tanks for almost two decades. Many of my friends were part of those groups. Like them, I had long been a proponent of testing and accountability, also charters and school choice and other top-down approaches.

Around 2004, however, I began to feel that these strategies were not working. I began to reassess my views. I wrote articles and blogged at Education Week as my views evolved. By the end of 2006/beginning of 2007, I had resolved to write a book to reassess what I believed and why I rejected positions I previ-ously advocated.

CSB: What is your opinion of the role of local school boards and state boards of education today?Ravitch: I believe in the importance of citizen involvement. I believe that policy proposals must be openly discussed and debated. I believe in checks and balances. I believe that these boards are democratic institutions that are necessary for the deliberation that is required in shaping public policy, not quickly but wisely.

CSB: You describe schools as a public good, rather than a business. Many casbo members are business people charged with using what resources they have wisely. What words of advice can you give our readers who are school business leaders?Ravitch: The business of schools is big business. Budgeting, purchasing, capital planning, human resources, construction and repairs should be efficient and should save money that can be allocated to the central goal of schooling, which is the education of young people. But the central goals of education cannot be determined in accordance with business principles of profit and loss, incentives and sanctions. When this happens, education becomes devalued and turned into just another commodity.

Educational goals cannot be reduced to test scores or to data. Sometimes education requires a commitment to values that have no monetary payoff, that have value solely in terms of non-measurables, such as creativity, imagination, the joy of learning. Unlike business, the non-measurables may be more important to learning than the data.

Diane RavitchPublic education expert weighs in on school governance, reform issues

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continued from page 18

CSB: In your latest book, you describe nclb and Race to the Top as disasters. What do you find to be so terrible about Race to the Top if the bottom line is that it brings money to states for education? Ravitch: This is a misconception about Race to the Top (rttt). Legislatures are revising state laws in their eagerness to close budget gaps, but rttt money can’t be used for anything but specified purposes, such as promoting charter schools, creating and administering assessments, evaluating teachers by test scores, data analysis, and a host of other very targeted uses. In short, the rttt money won’t help any state reduce its deficit.

As I explain in my book, charters in aggregate don’t get bet-ter outcomes than regular public schools, so I see no reason to push states to create more of them; I also show that evaluating teachers by test scores will lead to perverse consequences (cheat-ing, gaming the system, narrowing the curriculum, etc.). So the overall effect of Race to the Top is not likely to improve educa-tion, and may well undermine it by stressing high-stakes testing.

CSB: What about the age-old funding versus reform debate? How do you launch any kind of education reform without money?Ravitch: I believe that education reform requires money. It is expensive to reduce class size or to lengthen the school day or to provide after-school programs. But Race to the Top doesn’t provide money for these reforms. It does not provide money for the reforms that states want to do. It only provides money for the questionable reforms that the Obama administration prefers. So, yes, states and districts need to make sure that there is enough money for the proper operation of their schools and for continual improvements of valid approaches. But that money will not come from Race to the Top.

CSB: On the one hand you discuss the challenges of educating students from various geographic areas that come to school with economic and cultural/language differences, yet you also support national curriculum. Those two ideas seem to be in direct contrast. Can you explain your approach? Ravitch: The more diverse we are as a nation, the more we need a common curriculum. We need to be able to talk with one another. We need to have a base of knowledge so that we can debate our ideas and policies. We need a citizenry that is knowledgeable about history and civics. We need a citizenry that is educated about the issues and terminology in science. We need a citizenry that cares about the arts and has experienced them.

I am not naive about the problems of forging a national cur-riculum. It might happen one day, or not. But in the meanwhile, every state should have a curriculum that is strong in history, ge-ography, the arts, sciences, civics, economics, foreign languages

and physical education. Every child should be in a school where those studies are part of his/her program and where there are qualified teachers.

CSB: What do you think is the single biggest misconception regarding the effective education of children?Ravitch: The biggest misconception at present is the belief that testing of basic skills is the be-all and end-all of education. The more there are high stakes attached to testing (incentives and sanctions, like merit pay and school closings), the more the tests are corrupted by cheating, gaming the system and narrowing the curriculum. The infatuation with high-stakes testing that became federal policy in No Child Left Behind and that continues in Race to the Top is dumbing down American education.

CSB: Can you explain to our readers who serve public schools why you believe there is a movement to eliminate public education? Ravitch: I don’t think there is a movement to eliminate public education. I think there is a movement to privatize large portions of public education, especially in big cities. That movement consists of charters and, to a lesser extent, vouchers. As I show in “The Death and Life of the Great American School System” in chapter 7, these approaches take students away from public schools but do not produce better results. Charters are the fad of the moment, and there is a very wealthy, very powerful group of people promoting charters. Yet in aggregate, they don’t produce better results than regular public schools.

Nonetheless, the u.s. Department of Education – through the Race to the Top fund – is now encouraging states to create more privately managed charters to compete with regular public schools. This movement toward deregulation and privatization is problematic, and it puts public education itself at risk. This is a dubious, untested strategy for our nation. I don’t know of any high-performing nation in the world that is pursuing this path. 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 kevins@casbo.org.All letters are edited for content, space and style considerations.

Diane RavitchPublic education expert weighs in on school governance, reform issues

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feature

By Linda A. Estep

The good news is that of the five revenue streams flowing into california’s public

education funding pool, one of those tributaries appears to have a rising tide. The bad news is it is still just a trickle, accounting for less than 2 percent of all money spent on schools.

California’s school finance system is made up of funds from federal (10 percent), state (60 percent), property tax (less than 23 percent), lottery (less than 2 percent) and miscellaneous local sources such as special elections for parcel taxes, foundations, businesses and individuals, food service sales and interest on investments (6 percent), according to EdSource, an independent, nonprofit organization which seeks to clarify complex education issues and promote thoughtful policy decisions about public school improvement.

Lottery lowdownLottery may be a drop in the bucket

when every drop counts

24 | California School Business

Of those sources, lottery sales for the fiscal year 2009-10 increased 3 percent, or up to $55 million more than last year to public schools. For the first time in four years, lottery sales have risen. Some might claim it is a mere drop in the bucket, and they would be right; while others will counter that a drop is a drop, and all drops matter when it’s your bucket.

Bill Ainsworth is the California Lottery deputy director for corporate communications and acknowledges the limited impact of lottery money for schools.

“We feel it is important for people to know that lottery money is a small amount (of the total education budget). We certainly don’t want people to believe it is more than it actually is,” Ainsworth said.

According to lottery officials, state schools and colleges have received more than $1 billion annually for 10 years straight, and a total of $22 billion since the first lottery ticket was sold in October 1985.

MISTAKEN IDENTITY

Often mistaken by the general public as a windfall for schools, the California Lottery has never provided more than 4.6 percent of public education funds in its 25-year history, and the percentage has been declining almost steadily ever since. Still, the lottery money distributed to state education offers some bit of moisture in an otherwise arid budget environment. EdSource reports that lottery money amounts to approximately $150 per student.

What many people do not realize is that lottery profits are not restricted to k-12 students. Distributions also go to com-munity colleges, the University of California and California State University systems, adult education and even schools at the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (Division of Juvenile Justice).

Since 1985, the cumulative distribution of lottery funding has been: k-12, 80.54 percent; community colleges, 13.31 percent; California state universities, 3.74 percent; University of California schools, 2.20 percent; and other educational entities, 0.21 percent, according to the data provided by the California Lottery.

LOTTERY ACT OF 1984

Voter approval of Proposition 37 in 1984 authorized the creation of the California Lottery with profits dedicated to public education. A commission of up to five members appointed by the governor oversees the operation. Originally, 50 percent of the lottery funds generated by sales were required to be paid

Lottery lowdown

to players as prizes. Operating expenses were capped at 16 percent and payment to educational institutions was mandated to be at least 34 percent of funds generated from lottery sales. The Lottery Act specified education contributions can be used only for instructional purposes and not for property acquisition, construction or research.

Legislation signed by the governor in April 2010 authorized changes that lottery officials believe will enhance sales and con-sequently increase money going to schools. Assembly Bill 142 permits more flexibility in prize payouts, allowing the lottery commission to set prize payouts above 50 percent of lottery sales, generating more player interest and, in turn, more ticket sales. The level of prize payout must factor in what the maximum amount of profits can be for educational entities each year. Op-erating expenses under the new legislation can be no more than 13 percent, down from the original 16 percent. The bill removes the specific reference that schools will receive 34 percent of sales in hopes of allowing the lottery commission to steer more money to prizes, which will increase sales and thus increase the total payout to schools.

This amendment to the original Lottery Act of 1984 mirrors the practices of other large state lottery systems such as Texas, North Carolina and Florida, all of which showed an increase in revenue after making similar changes.

HOW THEY SPEND IT

All segments of public schools receive the same per-pupil funding level from the lottery based on average daily attendance. The funds are applied to areas of need determined by school administration and vary by size of the institution. For instance, lottery money for the College School District in Santa Ynez is used primarily for instructional supplies. Total enrollment for that district is just over 400 students.

We feel it is important for people to know that lottery money is a small amount (of the total education budget). We certainly don’t want people to believeit is more than it actually is.

continued on page 26

Fall 2010 | 25

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26 | California School Business

Debbie Breck, business manager at College School District, confirms that she has heard the lottery distribution will be higher in the coming year, but is not counting on a big increase. Currently, lottery money amounts to 0.8 percent of her district’s total budget.

Fresno Unified School District, the fourth largest district in the state with approximately 73,000 students and an institu-tional member of casbo, applies $11 million of its lottery money toward k-3 class size reduction.

The California Lottery is operating under a new three-year plan designed to streamline business operations, implement tar-geted advertising campaigns and concentrate on strategies that maximize revenues for schools. Officials predict that increased sales over the three years will amount to an additional $780 mil-lion for state public education.

“We’re all about making money for education,” Ainsworth claimed. “People here are inspired.”

Not everyone strikes an optimistic note about the lottery, John Mockler among them. Mockler has a deep resume in California education, both in the public and private sector. Currently, he is president of John B. Mockler and Associates, a consulting firm specializing in education policy and finance. He also has served as executive director of the California State Board of Education during Gov. Gray Davis’ administration. He has been an interim state secretary of education and was instrumental in crafting Proposition 98.

BAKE SALE SAVIOR

Mockler believes the lottery “fulfilled the intent of its providers – it made money for them,” referring to the company that has been the source of gaming technology for the lottery since 1986 and recently received a five-year extension contract. “The lottery is like a series of bake sales,” Mockler said. “People believe the lottery has saved public education. It has been more of a negative than a positive.”

Mockler noted that, in the early days of the lottery, even legislators on both sides of the aisle who should have known

better would recite the mantra “use lottery money” when issues of funding education arose. Others worried that school districts would have a harder time passing bonds if the public saw the lottery as the cure-all for fund shortages.

The California Lottery has grown over 25 years from a one-ticket game to a variety of 30 different tickets, and from a handful of retailers to 22,000 outlets selling the tickets. It now works with the Department of Education to help sponsor Teacher of the Year and Distinguished Schools programs using lottery administra-tive funds. This year, the California Lottery sent 13 spelling bee winners to the final competition in Washington, d.c.

GETTING SOCIAL

Social media fans can follow the lottery at its official website, www.calottery.com, and on Facebook and Twitter. There is even an official California Lottery YouTube channel where winners and programs are featured on video.

“We feel we can connect with our lottery clients this way and provide information they want,” Ainsworth explained. He noted that television commercials will increase in coming months as well.

Everyone loves a winner and the California Lottery wants everyone to know the story about theirs. It had to have been a public relations dream come true for lottery officials when 15 teachers at Shasta Lake School came forward with the winning Super Lotto Plus ticket worth $76 million in February 2009. The group had been pooling money to purchase the lottery ticket using the same numbers every time for seven years. And they purchased the winning ticket on Friday the 13th.

Several of the Shasta Lake School employees remain in their jobs or offices a year later, and have donated technology to their school classrooms in a gesture of sharing part of their wealth. Naturally this story is showcased on the YouTube channel as an inspirational true story about the good fortune that comes to some of those who play the lottery, and how schools benefit.

PROMISING POTENTIAL

Components of the legislation signed into law in April were reviewed by the Legislative Analyst Office and its conclusions are enough to generate smiles, whether from lottery officials, lottery players or lottery fund recipients. Even though the stream of revenue to schools will remain a fraction of the full education budget for public schools, it is expected to grow. The lao notes that based on the evidence from other states that have similar provisions, sales and profits could grow significantly compared

The lottery is like a series of bake sales. People believe the lottery has saved public education. It has been more of a negative thana positive.

Lottery lowdowncontinued from page 24

Fall 2010 | 27

to how much they would grow under the original law. It estimates that an increase of several hundred million dollars per year could come to public education under the new provisions.

How the California Lottery markets its products and in-creases public awareness about larger prize payouts will have a direct effect on those sales and profits. How lottery ticket retail-ers promote sales will also influence growth.

In a year where there are few smiles about money issues in California, the lottery officials march to a different tune, opti-mistically forecasting an additional $750 million for schools and colleges over the next three years if they can entice more sales in a game of chance.

According to the lao, each Californian spends on average $83 each year on lottery tickets. That average is below other states with a lottery, and could be attributed to the fact that California offers other gaming opportunities and entertainment. States that pay higher percentage prizes have higher sales.

It is clear that the California Lottery, with its restructured plan of operations and newly authorized higher prize payout, is working to increase its flow into the education funding pool. Over 25 years, that trickle has poured $22 billion into the pool. For the 10th year in a row, $1 billion will be deposited for educa-tion in 2010.

“The only reason we exist is for education, so we get real excited when we’re able to increase the amount we contribute to schools,” Ainsworth said.

Fittingly, for fiscal 2010-11, lottery officials project a 16-per-cent increase in sales. That would generate approximately $1.1

billion to schools and colleges, according to Ainsworth. It might still be a trickle, but the flow is not drying up, it’s picking up. z z z

Linda A. Estep is a freelance writer based in Fresno, Calif.

Do you have an opinion or a comment on this article? CaliforniaSchoolBusinessmagazinewelcomes “Letters to the Editor.” Please send your letters to kevins@casbo.org.All letters are edited for content, space and style considerations.

The only reason we exist is for education, so we get real excited when we’re able to increase the amount we contribute to schools.

28 | California School Business

Fall 2010 | 29

cover

By Steve Wiegand

On an unseasonably cool and drizzly thursday

morning last april, teachers in the Capistrano Unified School District arrived at the Orange County district’s 56

campuses as usual.Only this Thursday morning, most of them weren’t there

to teach.Armed with slogan-bearing signs that ranged from, “Will-

ing to fight for our kids” to “Board of Tyrants,” and chanting, “We just know what we’ve been told, we’re not worth our weight in gold,” the district’s teachers were there to strike.

The strike, which ended the following Tuesday, was the only one of its kind in California during the 2009-10 school year. (Teachers in the Oakland Unified School District struck for one day in late April, but the action, which had been announced beforehand as a one-day-only event, was designed more to send “a message of outrage” than instigate more intense negotiations between teachers and the district.)

The economics are real

But if the Capistrano strike was unique, its underlying causes – and its ultimate outcome – were reflected up and down the state. Reduced to simplest terms, most of California’s 1,000-plus school districts are financially starved, and most education-related unions are having to push away from the bargaining tables still hungry.

“It’s all about concessions now,” said Ron Bennett, presi-dent and ceo of School Services of California, a 35-year-old

Same table,new atmosphereTough times mean morecollaboration at bargaining table

Sacramento firm that provides lobbying, financial consulting and negotiating services to districts throughout the state, and is a casbo platinum associate member.

“I think they (the unions) recognize the economics are real and the inevitable direction is in making cuts. Stonewalling, stalling for months, used to be a fairly reliable tactic for the unions, and now it doesn’t work as well.”

California’s state budget situation has been bleaker in the past three years than at any point since the Great Depression. The 2009-10 budget featured the lowest per-capita spending level in a decade, and a staggering 17-percent drop in general fund spending from just two years before.

Education financing has sagged as badly. A February analy-sis by the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office reported that state spending on schools had been sliced by more than $16 billion over the past two years. Although districts had managed to backfill some of the cuts with $6.6 billion in one-time-only federal money, and by shifting funds from other sources, the lao predicted districts would have 11 percent less money in 2010-11 than they did in 2007-08.

That means cuts on top of cuts. A survey by the state De-partment of Education of local educational agencies released in June found that two-thirds of the respondents had already sliced spending on facilities maintenance, 58 percent had cut district administration and instructional materials, and nearly half had reduced compensation to both classified and certificated staff.

Many districts have taken advantage of a state law allow-ing them to reduce the school year from 180 days of instruction

30 | California School Business

to 175, while still receiving funding for 180 days. According to School Services’ Bennett, that saves about 2.7 percent per teacher in salaries.

“Where it gets really sticky is when districts reduce the year and still need to cut another 4 to 5 percent,” he said in June. “As a result, a lot more districts are failing to work out deals with-out outside help in the form of fact finding and even going to impasse ... we’re usually involved in about 20 fact-finding situ-ations a year. This year we’ve done 35 to 40.”

“Fact finding” is one of several stages in California’s often complex and protracted process of striking contractual bargains between districts and unions. It’s a process that has evolved from a 35-year-old law whose supporters hoped it would pacify what had become increasingly contentious relations between educa-tion labor and management.

A workable system?

The law, known as the “Rodda Act” after its author, the late state Sen. Al Rodda of Sacramento (and signed by then-Gov. Jerry Brown), established a collective bargaining system for school employees and established what has become the Public Employment Relations Board (perb).

“No one likes to see education of children interrupted by strikes, and in my judgment the bill gives us a chance to create a workable system for settling disputes before the matters reach the strike stage,” said then state schools chief Wilson Riles after legislators passed the act in September 1975.

How well the system has worked is certainly arguable. Cali-fornia is one of just 13 states that do not prohibit teacher strikes, and even the California Teachers Association has estimated there have been more than 170 strikes and other forms of work stop-pages since 1975.

Same table, new atmosphere

I think they (the unions) recognize the economics are real and the inevitable direction is in making cuts. Stonewalling, stalling for months, used tobe a fairly reliable tactic forthe unions, and now itdoesn’t work as well.

While “unfair practices” charges related to the Rodda Act and filed with perb have been steady the last few fiscal years (313 in 2007-08; 303 in 2008-09; 305 through June 22 of the 2009-10 fiscal year), as many as 100 districts were in stalemated negotiations through the end of the school year, about five times the normal number.

Examples abound in California newspaper headlines:• “District, teachers union negotiations break down” (Hesperia Star, June 18)• “School district employee negotiations stalled” (Turlock Journal, May 25)• “District, teachers deadlock on salaries” (The Desert Sun, June 17)

But a strike – and even the threat of strikes – has been a rarely brandished weapon in the current economic malaise. In both the Capistrano and Oakland cases, district officials and union members had been at odds over a host of issues for months before the actual strikes.

“I’d say those districts were definitely on the fringe, they were outliers,” said Bennett. “The atmosphere generally isn’t real conducive to strikes. We are seeing a more moderate ap-proach, I think the union leadership generally recognizes the state of the economy and that there is not a lot of sympathy (for strikes) in the community.”

Choosing what, and who, to protect

Unions are also faced with a dilemma undreamed of in better economic times: “Are they going to protect their compensation, which they worked years to build up, or are they going to protect jobs and their workloads, since fewer teachers means larger classrooms,” said Neil Bodine, a senior partner with the Northern California law firm Beeson, Tayer & Bodine, who often acts as a neutral “interest-based bargaining” advisor in district-union negotiations.

Both Bodine and Bennett agreed that in past years, teacher unions have favored protecting senior members, particularly since union leadership tends to be dominated by senior teachers.

“Most of the time, 90 percent of the jobs are safe in a district. So would they vote to cut salaries or lay off 10 percent?” Bennett said. “Most of the time they have voted their pocket books.”

This year, however, as the layoffs have crept into the ranks of teachers with eight or nine years experience, furloughs, pay cuts and deferred benefit enhancements have become more ac-ceptable – and more accepted.

Fall 2010 | 31

continued on page 33

In the San Diego Unified School District, teachers accepted five furlough days in the next two years in return for protecting nurse and counseling positions and a 7-percent raise in the third year of the contract.

In the Los Angeles Unified School District, union members traded a cut of 12 school days over the next two years for the preservation of 1,200 jobs.

In the Elk Grove Unified School District, near Sacramento, union members agreed to a pay cut, furlough days and higher health care co-payments. In exchange, district officials dropped plans to lay off more than 200 teachers, librarians and counselors.

The paradox

Increases in negotiating impasses and the use of outside mediators, and at the same time more and more settlements without work stoppages and bitter public wrangling, would seem to be a bit of a paradox. But some experts think the answer lies in more realistic negotiating by both sides.

“The relatively low number of job actions is a tribute to all groups involved,” noted Molly McGee Hewitt, executive direc-tor of casbo. “People have come to understand that in current times, there are no slush funds, no hidden income for districts. Those involved know that districts are truly financially strapped. Union leaders seem to be stepping away from the table and tell-ing members their truly is no money for which to vie.”

In addition to pledges to get back some of their give-backs as the recession eases, Bodine said unions have been seeking con-cessions on non-economic issues, and a greater role in districts’ economic decisions.

“The (negotiating) atmosphere is still determined by the overall history between the two sides,” Bodine said. “If they were cooperative in good times, they tend to be collaborative in bad. I’ve actually had some districts that have gone beyond the bargaining table and involved the unions in the overall budget process.”

I think the union leadership generally recognizes the state of the economy and that there is not a lot of sympathy (for strikes) in the community.

32 | California School Business

Fall 2010 | 33

continued from page 31

Collaboration is key

Janet Walden thinks it might not take that long. Walden is president and ceo of the Center for Collaborative Solutions, a Sacramento-based nonprofit group that works to develop cooperative approaches to labor-management issues, after-school programs and health care reform.

She also heads the California Education Coalition for Health Care Reform (cechcr), a management-labor partnership (which includes casbo) that is seeking ways to lower health care

Same table, new atmosphere

The (negotiating) atmosphere is still determined by the overall history between the two sides. If they were cooperative in good times, they tend to be collaborative in bad.

A sea change?

Few observers of the bargaining process in California are ready to sign off on the proposition that union/district negotiations have undergone a permanent sea change because of the recession.

For one thing, the unions remain a formidable power under the state Capitol dome. A report released by the Fair Political Practices Commission in March found that the California Teach-ers Association had spent a hefty $200 million on campaign con-tributions and lobbying in the first decade of the century – nearly twice as much as the next highest player.

But in crisis comes opportunity, and there are those who think the recent school budget woes may show both sides there are areas where mutual interests should trump natural antipathy.

“The silver lining may be that those at the bargaining table will have a more realistic view of how to work together,” casbo’s Hewitt said. “We’ll see if that new-found collaboration sticks when funding improves in future years.”

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34 | California School Business

In crisis comes opportunity, and there are those who think the recent school budget woes may show both sides there are areas where mutual interests should trump natural antipathy.

costs and improve quality. The group is training union members and district officials together to be smarter when shopping for health coverage.

“Management and unions looked at each other and said ‘wow, we are really up against it when it comes to health care costs,’” Walden said. “They are working remarkably well to-gether to seek ways to drive costs down.”

The collaboration has been so successful, Walden said, that the possibility of taking the same approach on other issues, such as school safety, is being discussed.

Same table, new atmosphere

“Because when you get below the surface, both sides care about the students and the employees and they want the system to work,” Walden said. “When labor and management collabo-rate, you get so much farther down the road.” z z z

Steve Wiegand is a journalist and history writer who lives in Sacramento. He recently retired from a 35-year newspaper career covering California politics and government for the San Diego Evening Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle and Sacramento Bee. He is the author or co-author of five books, including “U.S. History for Dummies” and “Lessons from the Great Depression.”

Do you have an opinion or a comment on this article? CaliforniaSchoolBusinessmagazinewelcomes “Letters to the Editor.” Please send your letters to kevins@casbo.org.All letters are edited for content, space and style considerations.

Fall 2010 | 35

36 | California School Business

Fall 2010 | 37

feature

Their career paths are unique and varied. The ways they choose to par-ticipate in casbo are diverse. But one thing is for sure – many casbo members continue to give back to the school business industry and the association after they officially retire.

In fact, some casbo members are redefining what retirement looks like – and there aren’t many rocking chairs involved. Instead there are consulting firms, family businesses, wine collections and volunteerism.

We’ve asked four retired casbo members to share the insights they gained during their professional careers, to weigh in on what casbo has meant them, and to provide a glimpse into what modern retirement looks like.

All of these members have one thing in common – they are active, engaged and still giving back. You might call them casbo’s shining stars.

Susan GrinsellSusan Grinsell’s father once told her, “most people have at least three careers in them.” That turned out to be completely accurate for Grinsell who, in addition to a 17-year career in school business, worked for a cpa firm for eight years as an audit supervisor and staff accountant, and

Shining starsCASBO members not sidelined in retirement

By Julie Phillips Randles

spent her 20s working for the u.s. Park Service and Forest Service as a botanist.

Her advice, after a nearly two-de-cade career with the Humboldt County Office of Education, “Find some aspect of the work that feeds you and generates its own energy, then look for opportunities to give back. For me it’s organizational ethics and professional development – I like to keep priming the pump.”

From 1975 to 1984, Grinsell “had another life,” working throughout the western United States identifying and collecting plants and inventorying sensi-tive ecosystems as a botanist. A serendipi-tous conversation with an acquaintance at a cpa firm later led her to complete coursework to become a certified public accountant.

In 1992, she was hired as the coordi-nator for fiscal services at the Humboldt County Office of Education. She retired as the assistant superintendent, business services, for hcoe in February.

As with her varied career, Grinsell’s path of service in casbo is somewhat nontraditional. She has served on the casbo branding committee, made pre-sentations at annual conference, written an article for the magazine, participated in an Adequate School Funding study with the American Institute for Research, was an action team leader for the asso-ciation’s strategic plan and is currentlya member of the strategic planningCommunications and Marketing Imple-mentation Team.

She has also served as a mentor several times through the cbo Mentor Project and is helping to bring a re-gional version of the program her area. She recently completed training to be a facilitator for the Cambridge Model of strategic planning – the model used by casbo.

Grinsell encourages casbo members to take advantage of opportunities as they arise – after all, she says she benefit-ed from a number of exciting opportuni-ties simply because she was asked. “You can find yourself by getting involved,” she explained. “Don’t be intimidated; all

Susan Grinsell

38 | California School Business

you need is some time, the interest and a willingness to participate.”

Despite being retired from her daily career, she has in no way retired as a pro-moter of casbo.

“The strength and value of casbo cannot be overstated because of the time and place we’re in. The association is a way to leverage the collective knowledge and experience of your colleagues which shortens the learning curve when you are getting started. It also helps you be more effective throughout your career,” Grinsell explained.

And when the end of your formal ca-reer approaches, it’s important to prepare for the next phase, she said.

“Retirement is everything it’s cracked up to be. It’s hard to get a sense of what’s next in those last few frenzied months before retirement, but it’s impor-tant, even if all you plan is to set aside a few months to discover what you want to do next. Ask yourself when you felt most comfortable, most fulfilled, and then do that kind of work,” she advised. “Using those questions, giving back to casbo bubbled to the surface for me.”

Fast facts: 1975-1984: Employed with Forest

Service and Park Service

1984: Audit supervisor and staff

accountant with a CPA firm

1992: Coordinator, fiscal services,

Humboldt County Office of Education

1995: Joined CASBO

2010: Retires from post as assistant

superintendent, business services, HCOE

Patrick KennedyLike the other shining stars of casbo, Patrick Kennedy may technically be retired, but he certainly hasn’t stopped contributing. And the authentic advice he has for those in school business is proof

that he is still connected and hasn’t en-tirely stepped away from the profession.

Today, after 20-plus years in private industry and a nearly two-decade career in school business, Kennedy has succinct advice for those just starting out in their careers: “Become renaissance individu-als. People like to relate to people who have interests similar to them. Actually have a life. Don’t get caught in one nar-row aspect.”

For the first 19 years of his career, Kennedy worked for ibm as a systems analyst and programmer. He went on to work as vice president of operations for a startup venture capital firm in 1989.

Seeking a career in the public sector, Kennedy was hired by Glendale Unified School District as a purchasing agent in 1990. In 1994, he became manager of pur-chasing and stores, and then director of purchasing for gusd. In 2002, he became director of facilities planning, procure-ment and contract services for Glendale and retired from that position in 2006.

“I made it a point every year or two to apply for another job. I wanted to go out and see what people were ex-pecting and what questions were being asked,” Kennedy said of one of his keys to advancement. “If you don’t keep your interview skills honed, if something were

to happen in your district like what’s happening now, you won’t have your act together.”

Kennedy said the “single greatest thing” to understand in order to have a successful career in the public sector is that the better you know and understand the law and its applications, the more valuable you will be to the organization.

That advice was garnered from a colleague in school business and led him to literally sit down and read the public contract code, the education code and the civil code. “The better you know the law, the better you can do your job. When people asked me, I knew the answers and I was defined as the expert.”

On behalf of casbo, Kennedy has been a director for the Southern Section, served on the original Legislative Action Committee and written articles for the association’s magazine. He also peri-odically assists staff by writing various requests for proposals that benefit casbo members. Kennedy was the recipient of the 2005 Unsung Hero Award from casbo’s purchasing subsection.

Since retiring, Kennedy has worked as a consultant for a number of districts including Pasadena Unified School Dis-trict, Montebello Unified School District, Burbank Unified School District and Chaffey College.

Today, in addition to his consultancy business which assists districts with fa-cilities planning, master planning, bids, contracts and procurement, Kennedy is enjoying his home on the 11th green of a golf course in Battleground, Wash. An avid wine collector, he built and meticu-lously stocked his 1,000-bottle cellar and proudly arranges and hosts wine dinners. Fast facts: 1970: Systems analyst and

programmer for IBM

1989: Vice president of operations

Shining stars

Patrick Kennedy

Fall 2010 | 39

with a venture capital firm

1990: Purchasing agent for Glendale

Unified School District

1997: Director of Purchasing, GUSD

2002: Director of facilities, GUSD

2006: Retires from GUSD

Georgene NeherWe’ve all heard tales of people who become leaders by working their way up through the ranks of an organization. Such is certainly the case for Georgene Neher who started her career in schools as a classroom aid, and in July retired as the assistant superintendent for business services for the Tehama County Department of Education.

She’s convinced her career path can be emulated by those new to a career in school business, if they follow a few tips.

“You do have to look for opportuni-ties, but sometimes you don’t recognize them,” Neher said. “You have to just step out there a little bit and maybe take on more than you are ready to, put in a significant effort to learn and then share that learning with other people.”

Neher spent 11 years with the De-partment of Motor Vehicles, starting as a driver’s license examiner and work-ing her way up to manager of the cost-accounting unit. In 1983, she became a classroom aid at Mineral Elementary School District, a two-classroom, k-8 dis-trict with 35 students, two teachers and two aids.

Just nine months later, she was asked by the superintendent at mesd to become the business officer for the district and act as board secretary, all the while continu-ing as an aid.

By 1993, Neher was the business officer for both mesd and nearby Plum Valley School, a role she held for three years while also mentoring a new cbo in a neighboring district.

In 1996, Neher was hired as the fis-cal services coordinator for the Tehama Georgene Neher

40 | California School Business

1993: Becomes business officer at Plum

Valley School, in addition to MESD

1996: Fiscal services coordinator,

Tehama County Department of Education

2003: Becomes CBO at TCDE

2010: Retires from post as assistant

superintendent, business services, TCDE

Dr. Christine WallaceDr. Christine Wallace’s career in school business started in 1968 when she was hired as a clerk typist for the Los Angeles Unified School District. She hasn’t stopped working since, despite allegedly “retiring” in 2002 from the position of assistant superintendent of fiscal services at Moreno Valley Unified School District.

“I knew what I wanted to be even as a clerk typist. My goal was to reach that by taking baby steps. Some people want to jump. I crawled all the way until I reached my goal, and now I have that sat-isfaction,” described Wallace who, since 2002, has taken on several consulting and interim posts at a variety of Southern California school districts.

Wallace says she will actually retire in 2013 when her current contract as interim superintendent of business for

County Department of Education. By 2003, she had moved up to assistant superintendent for business services, the title she held until retiring in July.

Neher is committed to bringing the training from which she benefited as a casbo member to her somewhat iso-lated colleagues in the north state. She reconstituted the association’s subsection in Redding nearly 10 years ago and has since been delivering professional devel-opment on a regional basis.

“I was green, green, green (when starting out) and I needed to learn a lot fast. It turns out that casbo was, and continues to be, that resource,” Neher explained.

She has also served as the casbo rep-resentative for the Redding subsection, and is a Communications and Marketing Implementation Team member for the current strategic plan.

Neher, newly retired, plans to hike, bike and teach herself to play piano again.

She will also continue her second job, operating the Mill Creek Resort – a mountain escape with nine 1930s-era cabins, a campground, a coffee shop and grocery store – located at the base of Lassen Volcanic National Park. She and husband, Terry, have been running the business, “a 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week commitment,” since 1982.

“Schools were my other full-time job. You separate these two lives to make it work,” she described.

Fast facts: 1972: Graduated Cal Poly Pomona with a

degree in social service and social welfare

1972-1983: Worked for the Department

of Motor Vehicles

1983: Classroom aid for Mineral

Elementary School District

1984: Becomes business officer

and board secretary for MESD

Banning Unified School District ends. “Then I’m done,” she claims.

That’s hard to believe from a woman who rises daily at 3:30 a.m. to read the Bible and exercise before heading to Banning usd, where she works 10 days a month.

The secret to the longevity of her career and her success: “I’m motivated and I love a challenge. I get satisfaction by helping someone else,” she explained.

Motivated is a great word to describe Wallace who, after starting her career in the 1960s in a clerk’s post, became an accountant at Bonita Unified School Dis-trict and then East Whittier City School District in the 1970s. By 1980, she was the director of finance for Pomona Unified School District – a job she calls her “big break.” In 1989, she was hired as the busi-ness manager for Moreno Valley Unified School District. She was later promoted to assistant superintendent of fiscal services at mvusd.

Wallace has a bachelor’s degree inaccounting from California State Uni-versity, Los Angeles, a master’s in school management from California State University, Fullerton, and a doctorate in education administration from the Uni-versity of Laverne.

“I knew where I was, where I came from and how I got there. It was earned,” Wallace said of her career.

In October 2002, she began to take on a number of consulting or temporary positions in school business offices in the Los Angeles area. It was not uncommon to be called in for three weeks of work, which would become more than three years, she said.

Often, the short-term positions were based on referrals from her students at the Association of California School Ad-ministrators School Business Managers Academy, for which she is currently the southern director.

Shining stars

Dr. Christine Wallace

Fall 2010 | 41

She’s been a casbo member since 1981 and has held director, secretary, vice president and presidential posts with casbo’s Eastern Section. Once retired, she became the Eastern Section retiree representative. Wallace has also served as chair of the state Retiree Committee, served on the Council for Professional Development and on the Annual Confer-ence Committee.

When, or perhaps if, she actually does retire, Wallace already has plans for her time. “I plan to volunteer at the new hospital in Temecula. I love being around people.”

Fast facts: 1968: Clerk typist at Los Angeles

Unified School District

1976: Accountant at Bonita Unified

School District

1978: Accountant at East Whittier

City School District

1980: Director of Finance for

Pomona Unified School District

1989: Business manager at Moreno

Valley Unified School District

1991: Becomes assistant superintendent,

fiscal services, MVUSD

2002: Retires from MVUSD

Late 2002: Begins consulting/interim

work at various Southern California

school districts

2013: Plans to retire 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? CaliforniaSchoolBusinessmagazine welcomes “Letters to the Editor.” Please send your letters to kevins@casbo.org. All letters are edited for content, space and style considerations.

CASBOannual conference

& school business expo

anaheim, californiaapril 6-9, 2011

SAVE THE DATE!

42 | California School Business

CASBO book club

Learn howto inspireexcellence,drive results

CASBO book club participants can unite

this fall in reading “Everything Counts! 52

Remarkable Ways to Inspire Excellence

and Drive Results,” by Gary Ryan Blair.

The book is described as an “execution

strategy for inspiring excellence and driv-

ing exceptional results.” Throughout the

book, readers are taught why, contrary to

the popular saying, we should be sweating

the small stuff – stuff that if disregarded

negatively impacts your organization and

your stakeholders’ experience.

Blair describes how

organizations can

often become mired

in mediocrity,

focusing attention

on getting the

big things right,

while ignoring

the little things,

the things that

often make a

big difference.

By taking this approach, reputations are

damaged, brands are diluted and loyalty is

lost, he warns.

This selection promises to provide readers

with:

• A proven system for organizing, aligning

and improving your efforts in service

and performance improvement.

• Ways to begin concentrating on the

small things that lead to growth,

productivity, personal success and

business greatness.

• Techniques for motivating your people

and teams to achieve better results on

both the personal and organizational

level.

Join your CASBO colleagues in reading this

terrific selection for fall.

Fall 2010 | 43

sudoku

answers on page 49

4 8 76 3 29 1 53 9 85 2 17 6 42 7 68 5 31 4 9

3 9 14 5 87 2 62 1 48 6 79 3 55 8 31 4 96 7 2 3 5 8

2 6 71 4 98 1 29 3 46 7 54 8 37 9 15 2 6

44 | California School Business

Sehi ComputerProducts, Inc.

half pagebw

Fall 2010 | 45

out&about

Fall 2010 | 45

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 kevins@casbo.org.

CASBO Eastern Section President Katie Kolbly, Annual Conference Committee Chair Jan Brannen, and Annual Conference Committee Assistant Chair Becky Trebizo enjoya reception after the CASBO Board of Directors leadership session in June.

CASBO Immediate Past President Sharon Ketcherside, Sacramento Section Director Ruth Ann Hall, and 2010 Annual Conference Committee Chair Jeannie Goobanoff share a moment at the board reception and dinner.

The Annual ConferenceCommittee held its firstmeeting in May. Picturedare (back row, l-r)Jan Brannen, AnnualConference Committeechair; Renee Hendrick,CASBO president;Pamela Lambert, ChildNutrition chair; TrishaEastburn, Payroll chair;Terri Pritchard, RiskManagement chair; andRon Lebs, Facilities chair. (front row, l-r) BruceColby, Chief BusinessOfficials chair; Joshie Cox, Purchasing chair; Victoria Carreon, Finance chair;and Alicia Schlehuber,Human Resources chair.

Incoming Strategic Planning Facilitator Susan Grinsell joins current Strategic Planning Facilitator Tish Koch at the Strategic Planning Team update session in July.

Strategic Planning Team break-out groups were hard at work identifying area of focus for this year. Pictured are (writing) Molly McGee Hewitt, CASBO executive director; Pearl Iizuka, Southern Section director; Georgene Neher, Communications & Marketing Implementation Team leader; and Tom Barentson, Strategic Planning Team member.

46 | California School Business

CASBO 1/4 page Magazine Ad (3.875”x5”)for Orbach, Huff + Suarez LLP

May 20, 2010

White Background - Note: OH+S to select black or white background

With budget restrictions growing tighter,now is the time to look to PARS for cost-savingretirement plans to achieve fiscal savings while

helping you drive resources back to the classroom.

Contact us today and let us develop one for you!

Drivingresources

to theclassroom

800.540.6369 ext 127www.pars.org

© 2008 Public Agency Retirement Services (PARS). All rights reserved

� Retirement Incentives � CSBA GASB 45 Solutions Program� Alternatives to Social Security

Fall 2010 | 47

The California School Boards Association, in association

with Piper Jaffray & Co., has partnered with the California

Association of School Business Officials, and enhanced the

Certificates of Participation program.

û Fixed and variable interest rate options

û Flexible prepayment provisions

û Capitalized interest

û Flexible repayment schedules

û Low cost of issuance

û Education Code 17406 financings

California School Boards Association 3100 Beacon Blvd. | West Sacramento, CA 95691 | 800.266.3382

48 | California School Business

advertiserindex

Accounting, Auditing and Financial ServicesVavrinek, Trine, Day & Co LLP(909) 466-4410www.vtdcpa.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 & 33

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

Bond CounselJones Hall(415) 391-5780www.joneshall.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Construction ManagementSGI Construction Management(626) 395-7474www.sgicm.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Construction Management/ContractorsBernards(818) 336-3536www.bernards.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Roebbelen(916) 939-4000www.roebbelen.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

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

Consulting ServicesGASB 45 Solutions(916) 371-4691www.csba.orgPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Vavrinek, Trine, Day & Co LLP(909) 466-4410www.vtdcpa.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 & 33

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

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

Emergency 24 Hour ServicesAmerican Technologies, Inc.(800) 400-9353www.amer-tech.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Eye CareVSP(800) 852-7600www.vsp.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Financial and Human Resource SoftwareInfinite Visions/ Windsor Management(888) 654-3293www.infinitevisions.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Smartetools(760) 242-8890www.smartetools.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Financial ServicesPiper Jaffray & Co.(800) 876-1854www.PJC.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

RBC Capital Markets(213) 362-4138www.rbccapitalmarkets.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Stone & Youngberg LLC(800) 447-8663www.syllc.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Fire & Water Damage RestorationAmerican Technologies, Inc.(800) 400-9353www.amer-tech.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

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

Healthcare Services/InsuranceCalifornia’s Valued Trust(559) 437-2960www.cvtrust.orgPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Insurance Benefits/ServicesASCIP(562) 403-4640www.ascip.orgPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

American Fidelity Assurance Co.(866) 523-1857www.afadvantage.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

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

Metlife Resources(760) 930-9375www.metlife.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Schools Excess Liability Fund (SELF)(916) 321-5300www.selfjpa.orgPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Self Insured Schools of CA (SISC)(800) 972-1727www.sisc.kern.orgPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Legal ServicesAtkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo(562) 653-3200www.aalrr.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Dannis Wolver and Kelly(562) 366-8500www.dwkesq.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Fulbright & Jaworski LLP(213) 892-9323www.fulbright.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Jones Hall(415) 391-5780www.joneshall.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Orbach, Huff & Suarez, LLP(310) 788-9200www.Ohslegal.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, LLP(413) 773-5494www.orrick.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

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

Network Solutions & Servers & PC SolutionsSehi Computer Products, Inc.(800) 346-6315www.sehi.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Program ManagementCapital Program Management(916) 553-4400www.capitalpm.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Program/Construction ManagementSeville Construction Services(626) 204-0800www.sevillecs.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Public FinanceRBC Capital Markets(213) 362-4138www.rbccapitalmarkets.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Stone & Youngberg LLC(800) 447-8663www.syllc.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Retirement BenefitsPublic Agency Retirement Service(800) 540-6369 #127www.pars.orgPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Fall 2010 | 49

advertiserindex

4 8 76 3 29 1 53 9 85 2 17 6 42 7 68 5 31 4 9

3 9 14 5 87 2 62 1 48 6 79 3 55 8 31 4 96 7 2 3 5 8

2 6 71 4 98 1 29 3 46 7 54 8 37 9 15 2 6

sudoku from page 43

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C.E. White’s renowned Child Restraint Seat is available as an integral part of the new 3-point Student Safety Seat™. This double-duty design gives you safety and versatility.

• For children 20 to 60 lb. • Exceeds all Federal, State and Canadian safety standards • Standard school bus vinyl and colors, or Kevlar, Prevaill™or ProForm™ fi reblock.

C.E. White’s Basic Design Student Safety Seat™is comfortable, durable and features an integrated 3-point lap and shoulder harness that is easy to use.

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AD PAGE INDEXAmerican Fidelity Assurance Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

American Technologies, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

ASCIP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Bernards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

C.E. White Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

California’s Valued Trust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Capital Program Management. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Creative Bus Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Dannis Wolver and Kelly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

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

Edupoint Educational Systems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Fulbright & Jaworski LLP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

GASB 45 Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Infinite Visions/ Windsor Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Jones Hall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

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

Metlife Resources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

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

Orbach, Huff & Suarez, LLP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, LLP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Piper Jaffray & Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Public Agency Retirement Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Q’straint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

RBC Capital Markets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Roebbelen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

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

Schools Excess Liability Fund (SELF) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Sehi Computer Products, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Self Insured Schools of CA (SISC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Seville Construction Services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

SGI Construction Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34Smartetools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Stone & Youngberg LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

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

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

Tyler Technologies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Vavrinek, Trine, Day & Co LLP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 &33

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

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

VSP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

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

Risk Management ServicesSchools Excess Liability Fund (SELF)(916) 321-5300www.selfjpa.orgPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

School Bus Sales Service & PartsCreative Bus Sales(800) 326-2877www.creativebussales.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

School ConstructionNorthern 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

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

Edupoint Educational Systems(800) 338-7646www.edupoint.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Student Safety SeatsC.E. White Company(239) 218-7078www.cewhite.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

TransportationTyler Technologies(800) 433-5530www.tylertech.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Wheelchair & Occupant Securement SystemsQ’straint(954) 986-6665www.qstraint.comPlease see our ad on page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

50 | California School Business

lastwords

95¢

77%

The secret of joy in

work is contained

in one word —

excellence.

To know how to do

something well is

to enjoy it. ~ Pearl S. Buck

Do you have an inspirational quote or interesting statistic to share with your colleagues? Send your favorites to kevins@casbo.org.

Just when things couldn’t be more challenging for California’s budget, we are discovering that the shortfall in three major public employee pension funds (CalPERS, CalSTRS and the UC Retirement System) is far worse than expected. According to our analysis, these three funds face a $500 billion shortfall, about six times this year’s state budget.

Source: SFgate.com

Management is doing

things right; leadership is

doing the right things. ~ Peter F. Drucker

More than 95 cents of every lottery dollar is returned to the community in the form of contributions to education, prizes and retail commissions.

Source: California Lottery

Seventy-seven percent of lottery funds are used in California’s public schools to attract and retain teachers. Some districts, especially the smaller districts and higher education, have used funds for computer labs, teacher work-shops and science, art and music programs.

Source: California Lottery

$500 billion

Through humor, you can

soften some of the worst blows that

life delivers. And once you find

laughter, no matter how

painful your situation might be,

you can survive it. ~ Bill Cosby

Fall 2010 | 51

52 | California School Business