Politics is alive in Albany and not always so well for education. Attend this informative session as Robert Lowry shares his insights and knowledge on school finance issues.
Presenter: Robert Lowry, Deputy Director, New York State Council of School Superintendents
Moderator: Michele Levings, Questar III BOCES

As business officials, we significantly concentrate on planning for the annual budget each year and don’t always look a few years out like we should. This presentation will focus on enrollment projections and space considerations to help with future planning. It’s just not enough to know about collecting the information, but what steps might be taken with the information to go forward for planning a building project, renting out extra space, closing a school, merging with another school, etc. Examples and experiences will be shared.
Presenter: Dr. Paul M. Seversky, Canastota, NY

How do you proceed when your school district receives a tax certiorari? What are the school districts rights? Come to this workshop and be part of the review of tax certiorari proceedings from commencement to conclusion, School District’s rights in tax certiorari proceedings, and explore strategies on steps that school districts should take to protect its real property tax revenue.

Business officials are responsible for keeping their school in compliance with many laws, regulations, and decisions of the Commissioner of Education. Failure to be aware of new decisions can subject the school to legal penalties, fines, judgments, and loss of revenue. Mr. Miller will review recent decisions of the Commissioner of Education and the courts, as well as new state laws and regulations that impact school district operations and areas under the responsibility of the business official.
Presenter: John A. Miller, Esq., Bond, Schoeneck & King, PLLC

Stay abreast of changes affecting the profession, your school district, and education in general. Steven Van Hoesen will provide the most up to date information available on topics of interest and importance to you.
Presenter: Steven Van Hoesen, Director of Governmental Relations and Professional Services, NYSASBO
Moderator: David Gleason, North Tonawanda City SD

Difficult economic conditions, growing property tax fatigue, and an increasingly polarized public create enormous challenges for school leaders. It takes more than a newsletter and press release to build informed-consent for school budgets and bond votes in today’s environment. Learn why communication needs to be front and center in your district’s budget and bond planning efforts, not an afterthought.

This session will cover important information on the new web based BOCES State Aid Management System and COSER approval software.
Presenters: Andrea Hyary, Coordinator, State Aid Unit, New York State Education Department ; Jay O’Connor, Associate in School Finance,
Office of Educational Management Services, New York State Education Department; Dave Fedorchak, Associate, State Aid Office, New York State Education Department
Moderator: James Fregelette, Erie I BOCES

This session will cover important information on ensuring that your district is maximizing aid for students with disabilities. It will also cover strategies and procedures to ensure effective collaboration between the business office and special education staff to accurately collect and report special education services for reimbursement.
Presenters: Patricia Service, State Aid Planning Senior Specialist, Questar III BOCES
Moderator: Herb Chessler, Middle Country CSD

Finding ways to save taxpayers money is becoming increasingly difficult in today’s economy. Many of us implement cost sharing services in our districts and have been doing so for many years. School business officials in Nassau County have been using consortium best practices in the areas of transportation and product bidding for decades but now have been commissioned by other municipalities to share services with local governments to produce greater savings for the county at large. Hear their story in this Shared Services Best Practices session.

Be in the know with the latest information from the NYS Office of the State Comptroller. The session will summarize the findings from the final school audits over the past year as well as school district responses. Additionally, we will take a peak at what the Comptroller’s focus will be going forward. Ideas will be shared to assist the School Business Official in minimizing findings should the Comptroller’s Office visit you.
Presenters: Vincent Cullen, Partner, Cullen & Danowski LLP and Victor Manuel, Assistant Superintendent for Finance, Half Hollow Hills CSD

Business officials responsible for personnel functions must proceed carefully with layoffs of non-instructional staff to preserve their employment and recall rights under Civil Service Law. General knowledge of the subject may reduce time spent by the school attorney in researching the process. Ms. Roach will provide an overview of how layoffs and reductions in non-instructional personnel are governed by Civil Service Law. Areas for discussion include time periods for recall, notification, bumping, and differences from instructional personnel reductions under Education Law.

Stretching your budget dollars is no small task. When is the state contract the best way to provide value for monies spent? How do you navigate the complex Office of General Services (OGS) website? How do you maximize value while remaining compliant? Is it okay to sometimes spend more? These questions and many more will be answered in this session.
Presenter: Mark Coleman, Director of Operations, Orange-Ulster BOCES
Moderator: Dr. Jennifer Bolton-Carls, Otsego/Northern Catskills BOCES

In light of increased funding for Title I, you will have an opportunity to ask questions and learn everything you need to know to effectively implement the use of these funds. This session will cover important information about Title 1 programs and the related reporting requirements. Information will be provided on these topics: allocation or distribution of funds, comparability of services; use of federal funds to supplement, not supplant, non-federal funds; equitable participation of private school students and teachers and other important information.

This session will go beyond the basics of negotiating premium contributions and increasing member cost sharing. This presentation will provide insights into strategies to reduce costs through greater efficiencies and will discuss how to avoid factors which can lead to unnecessary expenses and ultimately higher premium costs.
Presenters: Steve Locey and Marty Cahill, Locey & Cahill LLC
Moderator: Fred Seiler, White Plains City SD

Utility costs make up a significant portion of a district’s annual expenses. There are ways that a district can control energy costs. Attend this session and find out how NYSERDA (New York State Energy Research and Development Authority) can assist you in bringing the Energy Smart Schools program to your school district and how it can positively impact your district’s bottom line. Grants and incentives that apply to schools will also be discussed.
Presenters: Travis Slight, NYSERDA
Moderator: Debra Everson, Morrisville-Eaton CSD

Trust is the foundation of the school board and administrative team relationship. Do you know what your school board expects of you? How do you build credibility with your BOE? What do you need to know to meet your BOE’s expectations? Learn the answers and share your experiences in this session.
Presenter: Timothy Kremer, Executive Director, New York State School Boards Association
Moderator: Donna Clement, NYSASBO

Between the State and Federal governments, changes are occurring on a regular basis in school district business offices. How are you doing with all the changes? How are your co-workers and staff handling the changes? In this session, Robert McClure will share techniques to help all adapt to life the way it is now: change is with us.

This presentation will provide an overview on how to create your own “Personal Disaster Plan” including a review of NYSASBO’s Tool Kit. The presentation will review the warning signs of potential trouble and what you can do to proactively mitigate their impact. Take charge and improve your job security while keeping your professional career on track!
Presenter: Greg Carlson
Moderator: Rick Linden, New Paltz CSD

Be in the know with the latest information from the NYS Office of the State Comptroller. This session will summarize the findings from the final school audits over the past year as well as school district responses. Additionally, we will take a peek at what the Comptroller's focus will be going forward. Ideas will be shared to assist the school business official in minimizing findings should the Comptroller's Office visit you.

Charles Szuberla shared information about the first round of ARRA with us last year. Deborah Cunningham will continue the saga this year, reporting on year two of ARRA and providing update information from the state education department. Plan on attending this session so you can share the information with your district and begin preparing for the new school year.
Presenter: Deborah Cunningham, Associate in Charge, Educational Management Services, NYSED

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