It seems like I notice how fast time can fly by during the month of January. Obviously we mark the passing of another calendar year, but I also have a December birthday. I don’t really pay close attention to my birthdays, but no matter how indifferent I can be the years seem to pass faster and faster. The last four and a half years have been no different. Not that long ago, I was leaving my position at Haslett Public Schools in July 2004 and coming to MSBO - a step worth taking with great people to work with and great members to serve. I am excited to now step into the leadership role here at MSBO. While it will be tough to follow Tom White, who led MSBO for many years and is a great leader and friend, I look forward to meeting the challenges that the future holds for public education. For with challenges come opportunities.
I would like to thank Tom for his leadership and all he has done for MSBO. I would also like to thank so many of you, our members, for making his send-off in December truly memorable.
But there is nothing like the challenges our schools are currently facing to bring you down to earth. As always, MSBO’s goal is to find ways to provide business solutions to help you be more successful. Whether it is providing facilitation, support and representation on projects like the Federal Stimulus Package or working to provide you with products and services that save you time and money, we want to help you be more successful. BidSync, PaySchools, SafeSchools and the Purchasing Card program are a few examples of those services.
Please help us meet your needs by giving us honest feedback and ideas of any areas that you need support and we will try to offer solutions. We are determined to meet our mission and through your active involvement, we can help you meet the challenges that come your way.
As we enter one of the most difficult budget years in recent times, we need to work together to find ways to collaborate and share successes across districts.
Join me in making this new chapter in MSBO’s history one that builds on the great successes of our past and reaches new pinnacles while meeting the challenges of the future!
The Challenges of Today
As necessary as it is to focus on the future, we also need to focus on today. Every district is facing financial challenges, some more severe than others. We need to take advantage of every opportunity to address the structural budget issues that have plagued K-12 education for years.
The Federal Stimulus Package is one of those opportunities. MSBO is working with both the Michigan Department of Education and the Michigan Department of Treasury to facilitate the information flow between districts and the state. Even though this project seems to change daily, we appreciate you researching and providing the data the state needs. We don’t want any district to miss the chance to help their school and community to share in these funds that should help your local economy and help your district financially in the short term.
We read and hear the calls for every level of government to address the way we operate and to bring our costs in line with private sector. For schools, we often hear that teacher benefits and pensions need to be reviewed. More and more, we hear that non-instructional services need to be consolidated or operated by the private sector. Even our own State Superintendent of Instruction has publicly warned districts and superintendents at State Board of Education meetings that we need to address these issues or “others” will. We need to turn this challenge into an opportunity and should be looking at our operations, both curricular and business, to make sure we are as efficient as we can be. How can we work with other districts and municipalities to address this issue? As business officials, we need to work with all employees in our school community to ensure efficiency. Each of us needs to document our findings, share them with our board and community, and be prepared to defend our findings and positions. If we don’t become more efficient on our own terms, “efficiency” could be forced upon us by the legislature and it would be on their terms.
As we prepare for the upcoming budget and negotiating season, we need to stay vigilant to remain up-to-date on the latest financial information. MSBO will continue to keep you informed by way of our newsletters, e-blasts, workshops and conferences. It is so important that in these times of financial hardship, your district continues to attend conferences and workshops to stay informed and to understand the level of detail that is impossible to pass on otherwise. One example relates to information we learned about next year’s MPSERS rate while attending the recent Financial Strategies Conference. We heard to expect the rate to increase less than one-half of a percentage point - good news. Another example is the presentation on Tough Choices or Tough Times, which gave the audience a look at a very different way to structure our educational system. MSBO workshops provide the information you need to help you consider and discuss new ways for your district to meet the educational needs of your community. As we finalize the plans for the Annual Conference, we are very pleased with the number and quality of the presentations and speakers. Make sure your district doesn’t miss out - take advantage of the Annual Conference and all the latest information the educational sessions have to offer, along with networking with colleagues and vendors from around the state. If you don’t attend, how can you lead your district as effectively as possible?
While you work at the district level, MSBO will continue to work at the state level on issues such as school finance and reform, the Federal Stimulus Package, representing our members with state departments and agencies, and bringing you the information you need.
Let us know how we can help!