IN FOCUS ASSOCIATE MEMBER Matt Phillips

Matt Phillips

For him, teaching about finance begins with learning

By Nicole Krueger

California schools are getting a boon this year: an historic surge of one-time state funding to help students impacted by COVID-19. It’s a blessing for districts that have struggled to meet the financial demands of a pandemic environment – but it also brings its own challenges.

“Because the money is going to run out at some point, the challenge is using the funds judiciously and prudently so schools don’t find themselves with an ongoing commitment they can’t pay for,” says Matt Phillips, who helps districts navigate the red tape and fiscal pitfalls around these one-time dollars.

“I jokingly say we’re in a ‘plandemic.’ Districts have to keep coming up with overlapping plans, and each one getting is attempting to solve the same problem, which is that students have fallen farther and farther behind.”

As the director of management consulting services for School Services of California, a CASBO Strategic Alliance Partner that provides financial and business consulting to school districts, charter schools and county offices of education throughout the state, Phillips draws upon nearly 20 years of experience in school finance to distill complex legal information down to the operational level to help school business leaders understand in practical terms what it means for them.

But that’s just part of his job. He also spends a significant amount of his time helping districts and their employees negotiate salaries, benefits, class sizes and other working conditions.

“I take a look at the finances of the district to see if things are on track or not, and to provide comparative information to help the two parties see eye to eye and agree that the facts are facts,” he says. “It’s hard to come to a settlement when you can’t agree on the facts.”

Phillips, a father of two and CASBO associate member who has completed the CBO Certification Program, would have become a teacher if he hadn’t found his way into the world of finance. Instead, he got a business degree from the California State University, Chico, and began his career auditing school districts for a small Sacramento firm. He then spent time working within a school district before transitioning to School Services.

“I loved my work in the school district, seeing the direct impact of implementing programs and how they benefit the kids,” he says. Although he no longer sees the direct impact of his efforts within a single district, he finds value and happiness in knowing his work indirectly affects children across the state.

“I love the travel aspect of it – getting out there, rolling my sleeves up and working with folks in their environment where they’re most comfortable,” he says, adding that he enjoys spending time in new places and acclimating to the local culture.

“Because I talk to a lot of different people from a lot of walks of life, I try to spend more time listening than talking. Wherever I go, I have to understand what the challenges are in that area. Not all areas are created equal, and not all have the same challenges.

“Anywhere I go, I’m learning as much as I’m teaching.” z z z

Photography by Hope Harris

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A Joint Powers Authority administered by the Kern County Superintendent of Schools Office, Mary C. Barlow, Superintendent