Today, being sustainable means living smart. But to live smart, we need to change our behavior. This article shows how schools and school districts offer great opportunities for teaching students and staff how to live smart, therefore sustainably, all while generating savings that can be used for other, more strategic investments within the school…

Today's school administrators may find valuable lessons in the famous Abbott and Costello "Who's on First" slapstick shtick as they consider the significant legal, personnel, and public relations issues that may arise should they take serious action, such as the termination of a tenured employee. The key is to know where the players are…

District consolidation is a highly emotional process. One key to success is sticking to the facts. In Iowa, school districts facing financial difficulties or enrollment concerns do not have to move directly to consolidation. In many cases, districts begin by developing sharing agreements. These sharing agreements may start with simple sharing of…

The modern student information systems (SIS) is a powerful administrative tool with robust functionality. As such, it is essential that school and district administrators consider the top trends in modern student information systems before going forward with system upgrades or new purchases. These trends, described herein, are: (1) Support for…

Many districts continue to face budget challenges of historic proportions. Decisions made in the coming months will carry significant repercussions for years to come. The path of least resistance is to slash budgets in ways that erode schooling. In this scenario, important reforms are left behind, overall services are diminished, innovations are…

As school districts continue to seek administrative efficiencies and cost reductions in the wake of severe budget pressures, the resources they devote to creating or expanding retirement plan consortia is increasing. Understanding how to structure a retirement plan consortium is paramount to successfully achieving the many objectives of…

There's not a school business official in the country who isn't dealing with budget cuts and trying to do more with less. This article shares some proven strategies to help school districts reduce spending and address personnel issues associated with retirement plans. Because public education employers are exempt from the Employee Retirement…

Managing the risks inherent in a building project presents a challenge and opportunities not often encountered in the ordinary affairs of a school district. A building project brings the district, its staff, and students, as well as the community, in close contact with architects and engineers and a number of contractors for a period of time often…

Thanks to intelligent solutions, schools, colleges, and universities no longer need to manage user account life cycles by using scripts or tedious manual procedures. The solutions house the scripts and manual procedures. Accounts can be automatically created, modified, or deleted in all applications within the school. This article describes how an…

Tornados, shootings, fires--these are emergencies that require fast action by school district personnel, but they are not the only incidents that require risk management. The authors have introduced the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and the Incident Command System (ICS) and assured that these systems can help educators plan for and…

Even in the best of economic conditions, school district leaders look for ways to operate more efficiently and provide enhanced or improved services to employees. In today's economy, this search has become a necessity, and providing services to existing employees, as well as prospective employees and retirees, can be a challenge. Technology can…

Preserving existing revenues is an essential component of the work of school business officials. The broad ranges of activities that can affect school district revenues make identifying potential threats difficult. By understanding the issues that affect school district revenue, school business officials are better able to diminish its erosion--a…

Superintendents and boards of education more often than not choose "books over bricks" and their repair and maintenance budgets usually are lower than what they need. However, they all recognize the importance of healthy schools for students and staff. Is there a way to improve the condition of one's school buildings without spending a lot of…

In February 2009, the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) issued Statement No. 54, "Find Balance Reporting and Governmental Fund Type Definitions." This statement changes how a fund balance is classified on the face of the government fund financial statements and refines the definitions for government fund types. The statement's…

How much were school business officials being paid during the 2009-2010 school year? How do their salaries compare with those of other administrators, with those of classroom teachers, and with increases in the cost of living? In this article, the authors provide school business officials with information to address these and related questions.…