Magnum Trainings: Fiscal Workshop
Fiscal Navigation for Superintendents (online)
– including fiscal strategies and long range planning
Schedule, Registration, and Payment [HERE]
Five 3-hour sessions, on non-consecutive days, via ZOOM with video
This is an important foundation workshop for Superintendents of Schools, Business Administrators, and school administrators seeking to strengthen their fiscal understanding and skills. Superintendent-Business Administrator teams find this workshop useful. The workshop focus is on the strategies needed to build and maintain fiscal health and stability in your local school district. Time is spent on fund balance strategies and taxation strategies. Over the past 26 years more than 1,600 superintendents of schools, aspiring superintendents, and business officials have completed this training.
Notes
1: Five, 3- hour sessions, on ZOOM, interactive, audio and video ON
2: This is the foundation fiscal workshop for school district Superintendents and administrators.
3: Superintendent/Business Administrator teams are welcome and encouraged.
4: Assistant or Associate Superintendents and Principals may want to attend these sessions as part of their growth plan or district succession planning.
5: Business Administrators/ Managers may attend these sessions.
6: Aspiring Superintendents may attend these sessions.
Audience
For Superintendents of Schools, Business Administrators, and school administrators seeking to strengthen their fiscal understanding and skills.
Why This Workshop is Important
The responsibility for fiscal integrity, oversight, and the safety of school district money rests with the Board of Education, superintendent, and school business official. However, in reality, the superintendent has daily fiduciary oversight as both the representative of the Board of Education and the supervisor of the business administrators and business personnel. The superintendent must understand what is happening, what is needed, and what can be done, to meet his/her administrative duties and solving the practical problems of control needed to maintain the fiscal health of his/her school district. The superintendent must act knowledgeably so as not to leave the district open to mismanagement and potential fiscal instability. The reputation of the superintendent and financial health of the school district can ride on good administrative fiscal decisions
Topics
SESSION 1 (3 hours)
i. An overview of the fiscal leadership in a school district
ii. Fiscal responsibilities, duties and attitudes of the superintendent of schools
iii. Areas of fiscal responsibilities
Session 2
i. Superintendent relations with school and community business officials
ii. Roles and responsibilities of business officials and business office staff
iii. Budgeting strategies
Session 3
i. Reserves
ii. Revenue Management
iii. Fund Balance control and strategy
Session 4
i. Fiscal stability and control
ii. The collection and use of fiscal data
iii. Long range plans
iv. Understanding monthly financial reports
Session 5
i. State aid basics
ii. Assessment and equalization
iii. Tax rate calculation and projection
Faculty
Suzanne McLeod, Ed.D., SDA
Sue has over 25 years of school administrative experience – eleven years as superintendent of schools in Union Endicott Central Schools, following 3 years as Assistant Superintendent for Business and Elementary Education, and 15 years as building leader at the elementary and secondary levels and curriculum leader. She is currently an Assistant Professor in the Teaching, Learning and Educational Leadership Program at SUNY Binghamton. At Binghamton she coordinates the Educational Leadership program. Dr. McLeod presents throughout the New York state on a range of leadership topics, including long range fiscal planning, women and finance, and women and negotiations
Kathryn Blackman, CPA, SDBL
Kathy Blackman has 35 years’ experience in New York public school finance. She is currently the Controller of the Broome Tioga BOCES Central Business Office (2013 to present). At the BOCES CBO she oversees the finances of 15 component school districts. Immediately prior to her Controller position Kathryn worked 19 years as the school business official in Chenango Forks Central Schools (1995-2013), and again prior, worked ten years as an external auditor. This unique background and perspective has given her insights how different districts structure their budgets for effectiveness and efficiency. Ms. Blackman presents fiscal issues and considerations to regional Boards of Education. She regularly conducts training sessions for boards of education, business office staff and administrators on school finance topics.
Administration
James (Jim) M. Merrins, Ed.D., SDA, SBA
Jim has 45 years of school administrative experience – 16 years as superintendent of schools in Fredonia and Honeoye, New York. He is currently Executive Program Administrator for the School District Internal Auditing Alliance. He administers and/or teaches numerous statewide fiscal workshops for superintendents and experienced school administrators, including Fiscal Navigation for Superintendents, Claims Auditors Training, and School District Extraclassroom Activity Funds. Jim is NYS certified as a school business administrator. Dr. Merrins has taught school finance and school law at SUNY colleges.
Costs
The cost of the 5 session series is $700 for the first participant; and $600 for the second and subsequent participants from the same school district. The cost for participation in individual 3-hour sessions is $225 per session.
Materials
Each workshop participant will receive workshop-related materials.
Hosted and administered by ESS
James M. Merrins, Ed.D., Executive Program Administrator
ESS Policies, Terms, and Conditions [HERE]
Method of Payment Information
Registration Information
Cancellation Policy
Contact James Merrins, Ed.D.
Comments, corrections, source documents, and questions welcome
Educational Support Services
42 Rosalyn Court, Fredonia, New York 14063
(716) 672-5473, FAX (716) 672-5472, jmerrins@cecomet.net