Building bridges to boost attendance
How districts are engaging with families to get students back in the classroom
6 career moves you can make right now
Use these pro tips to navigate career advancement in school business
Building Futures.
Today’s students are tomorrow’s leaders.
Whether
Athletics Motivating Athletes Labs Igniting Discovery
Cafés Creating Connection
Theaters Engaging Artists
Libraries Developing Minds
Classrooms Inspiring Learning
9 CHECKING IN
Beyond adaptation: Shaping the next chapter in public education
Tatia Davenport 11 BOTTOM LINE
CASBO’s vital advocacy efforts need your support
Eric Dill
13 GUEST FEATURE
What it takes to lead through an era of exponential change
Aneel Chima and Ron Gutman
19 IN FOCUS MEMBER
Mark Schiel 21 IN FOCUS ASSOCIATE
Teault Marcille 24
Michelle Poler
This fear-facer guides leaders in overcoming angst and uncertainty
Julie Phillips Randles 32
Building
How districts are engaging with familes to get students back in the classroom
Jennifer
Use these pro tips to navigate career advancement in school business
Jennifer Fink
ABOUT CASBO
The California Association of School Business Officials is the premier resource for professional development in all aspects of school business. Founded in 1928, CASBO serves more than 30,000 members by providing certifications and training, promoting business best practices, and creating opportunities for professional collaboration. CASBO members represent every facet of school business management and operations. The association offers public school leaders an entire career’s worth of growth opportunities.
CASBO MISSION
As the recognized authority in California school business, CASBO is a member-driven association that promotes ethical values; develops exceptional leaders; advocates for, and supports the needs of, members; and sets the standard for excellence through top-quality professional development and mentorship, meaningful collaboration and communication, and unparalleled innovation.
CASBO BY DESIGN
For the past 16 years, CASBO has been dedicated to the organizational planning discipline as a method for guiding the association into a successful future. Last year, the association completed its sixth such plan, CASBO by Design 2.0, a living, breathing document that guided the association in its long-term planning process, which is grassroots in nature, invigorating in procedure and motivating in outcome. Work on our next strategic plan began in 2021.
CASBO has long been committed to organizational planning because the approach has consistently helped the association envision its future and determine the clear steps to get there. The road map that strategic planning provides has allowed CASBO to remain focused on its unique mission, goals and objectives and to respond effectively to a continually changing environment.
For more information on CASBO by Design, visit casbo.org > CASBO + You > About > CASBO By Design.
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Publisher Tatia Davenport
Features editor
Julie Phillips Randles
Contributors
Jennifer Fink
Jennifer Snelling
Art director
Sharon Adlis
Ad production
Tracy Brown
Advertising sales manager Cici Trino Association Outsource Services, Inc. P.O. Box 39 Fair Oaks, CA 95628 (916) 961-9999
CASBO OFFICERS
President
Eric Dill
Carlsbad Unified School District
President-elect
Aaron Heinz
Colusa County Office of Education
Vice president
Katie Hylton
San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools
Immediate past president
Tina Douglas
San Dieguito Union
High School District
consent of the publisher.
Published December 2024
Let
Beyond adaptation: Shaping the next chapter in public education
In a world where change is exponential and challenges emerge faster than ever, school leaders hold the unique responsibility of setting a steady course. In this evolving landscape, the business office serves as a pillar of stability, guiding schools through transformation, while keeping our commitment to student success at the forefront.
This issue explores themes that touch every facet of our roles – ensuring student attendance and engagement, supporting career growth, emphasizing advocacy and building resilience within our systems.
As we navigate shifting political and economic landscapes, leadership requires both agility and a long-term vision. Our practices and approach must evolve, moving beyond frameworks established over a century ago when public education first took shape.
Innovation isn’t just about technology or new tools; it’s about proactively rethinking how we serve students, empowering every staff member and building the connections that make our schools stronger.
In times of rapid change, leading with empathy, clarity and courage is essential.
We’ve excelled at adapting to change to meet our students’ needs. Now, it’s time to go a step further and actively shape that change ourselves.
As you read, consider how these elements can strengthen our shared mission, and I invite you to share your thoughts with me and our CASBO community. z z z
Tatia Davenport CEO
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CASBO’s vital advocacy efforts need your support
As Gov. Gavin Newsom’s 2025-26 budget proposal is released and the legislative session begins, the CASBO Governmental Relations team, Legislative Committee and Advocacy Network will shift into high gear. We urge our members to join us in this vital work.
Responding to calls to action, connecting with elected officials and voicing the priorities of California’s public schools are essential to ensuring our message is heard. Your engagement amplifies our collective voice and strengthens our influence as we advocate for policies that support our schools and students.
Advocating for California public schools through the budget process is one of the most impactful ways we can secure the future of education for all students. By championing robust financial support, we help ensure that our schools have the resources needed to provide highquality education, attract and retain outstanding employees, and foster safe and engaging learning environments.
Every dollar allocated is an investment in a future where each student has the tools and opportunities they need to succeed. CASBO uses its collective voice to prioritize and protect the funding that strengthens our schools and communities. Together, we make a difference.
This year, CASBO’s recommendations to the governor are designed to uphold the fiscal stability of California’s schools, enabling them to meet the academic and social-emotional learning needs of the state’s 5.9 million students. Our top priorities for the 2025-26 budget include:
1. Statutory COLA for the LCFF. We advocate for a full statutory Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) for the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) and key programs outside the LCFF, including special education, school nutrition and transitional kindergarten.
2. Increased special education funding. With growing demand, high-cost services and an increase in students with individual education programs (IEPs), we call on the state to allocate additional funds to better support students with disabilities.
3. Facilities funding. California schools face a $3.9 billion backlog in facility improvement requests, with approximately $1.5 billion in new applications each year. We urge the governor to prioritize facility funding annually until a statewide bond can address these needs.
4. Liability insurance relief. Legislation reopening childhood sexual abuse cases places a strain on district budgets, diverting funds from current educational
needs. An estimated 25 cents of every new LCFF dollar for K-12 education in 2024-25 was used for past claims. We urge the governor and Legislature to consider forthcoming recommendations from the Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team (FCMAT) to create sustainable funding mechanisms for judgments and settlements, protecting districts’ fiscal health without denying justice for victims.
As we monitor the budget cycle and track bills as they move to the governor’s desk, CASBO remains steadfast in advocating for policies that support California’s schools. Together, through our advocacy, we’re driving positive change, ensuring that fiscal policies enable local education agencies (LEAs) to deliver high-quality education, and promote the success and well-being of every student. By actively engaging in this process, our members play a key role in protecting and advancing the future. z z z
Eric Dill President
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What is takes to lead through an era of exponential change
By Aneel Chima and Ron Gutman
Originally published in 2020, the concepts in this article hold true today.
To say that 2020 is a year of disruption and change is to understate the obvious. Our daily lives, from educating our kids, managing our health and working from home, to simple social rituals like dinner with friends, underwent rapid multi-dimensional change. Nascent trends – virtualization of the workspace, online learning, virtual health and e-commerce – accelerated exponentially. Changes anticipated to take years occurred in months and, in some cases,
weeks and even days. Understandably, leaders have struggled mightily to address these overlapping changes simultaneously, dealing with economic, health and logistical crises that have unfolded at top speed.
Much as we might like to think of 2020 as an anomaly, it may not be. Conditions for accelerating change have been building for years. Advancements in information technology, automation, human interconnectivity, artificial intelligence, and the network effects among them, created a new reality where change is much more rapid, continual and ubiq-
uitous. COVID-19 and its derivatives laid bare a “new normal” of change, marked by three dimensions:
• It’s perpetual - occurring all the time in an ongoing way.
• It’s pervasive - unfolding in multiple areas of life at once.
• It’s exponential - accelerating at an increasingly rapid rate.
This three-dimensional (3D) change is defining our emerging future and, as a consequence, effective leadership will be defined by the ability to navigate this new reality.
What is takes to lead through an era of exponential change
The problem is, our models for leadership weren’t built for this kind of 3D change. Human minds evolved for thinking linearly and locally in the face of challenge, not exponentially and systemically. Noted futurist Ray Kurzweil asserted, “The future is widely misunderstood. Our forebears expected it to be pretty much like their present, which had been pretty much like their past.” But, projecting our pasts onto our futures exposes a fundamental error: Linear thinking can never catch-up and adapt to the perpetual, pervasive, and exponential change occurring around us – it’s simply too fast and too complex.
We need a new form of leadership, better equipped to navigate this unprecedented kind of change. For this purpose, we gathered, under the Stanford University umbrella, world-class luminaries –leaders who generate impact and change at a global scale – for conversations on the future of leadership and change-making. What emerged was a new vision of leadership, which we call Sapient Leadership. A Sapient Leader is characterized by being wise, sagacious and discerning in navigating change, while also being humane in the face of change that can often feel alien. This kind of leadership emphasizes – counterintuitively – an antiheroic leader. Sapient Leaders exhibit authenticity, humility and vulnerability, inspiring the necessary trust and psychological safety that drives shared learning and intelligence, resulting in enhanced collective performance and leading to a better future for all.
Limits of linear thinking in an era of 3D change
In a world that’s relatively stable and mostly predictable, where change is incremental, punctuated by relatively few bursts of large change – what’s
often called “disruption” – a model of leadership that relies on linear, local thinking can be useful. Much of the leadership literature focuses on the qualities, skills, abilities of the leader as an individual, and the linear and local maps they use to navigate the world. However, 3D change presents a “high seas” environment where the leader navigates multiple domains –the waves and ever-evolving weather – of change simultaneously. In this environment, linear and local thinking can never adapt fast enough, leaving us increasingly ill-equipped to manage our rapidly changing business and work environments, our physical and mental health and well-being, and the major trends that shape our societies and cultures.
Change, by its nature, leaves people and organizations feeling confused, vulnerable and fractured at a time when resilience, cohesion and collaboration are necessary to perform at the highest levels. An emerging body of literature points to psychological safety, shared purpose and distributed cognition as powerful drivers of leadership, team and organizational performance, particularly in rapidly changing environments. The days of “leader as hero” – the solo, individualistic leader who inspires certainty in a deterministic way forward – are over. This evolution in how we think about change and leadership has only accelerated in the past year.
Fortuitously, our spring course at Stanford University, LEAD 111 “Luminaries: Life Lessons from Leaders and Change-makers” became a study of how top-tier leaders embodied this emerging approach to leadership. Finalized one week before the COVID-19 pandemic struck the West Coast, our original plan was to create a new framework of leadership suitable for a time of disruption,
accelerating change, and a highly polarized political and social environment, and we designed the course to engage leaders and change-makers in conversations across sectors, generations and the political spectrum. We wanted to know how change-oriented leaders operate. As the pandemic unfolded, however, we expanded the course to create a new model of leadership. And recognizing that these questions were of immediate and broad interest, we invited more leaders within and beyond the Stanford community to weigh in on how they were navigating this 3D change.
We engaged leaders across sectors to analyze, in real time, how they adapted: captains of industry, such as Doug McMillon, president and CEO of Walmart and chairman of the Business Roundtable; innovators in health care such as Toby Cosgrove, former CEO of the Cleveland Clinic, heart surgeon, and White House adviser; global social change-makers such as Halla Tómasdóttir, CEO of The B Team, investor, co-founder of Reykjavik University, and runner-up in Iceland’s 2016 presidential elections; leading-edge technologists and innovators such as Bret Taylor, president and COO of Salesforce, co-creator of Google Maps and the “Like” button, and board member of Twitter.
The essential question we had was this: If leadership is significantly defined by the ability to skillfully navigate 3D change, what type of leadership is most effective for our emerging future, one defined by perpetual, pervasive and exponential change? The answers that emerged formed the basis for Sapient Leadership.
How to practice sapient leadership
The four pillars of Sapient Leadership emerged out of the discussions with our
luminaries as they were navigating 3D change in real-time – each leader, in some capacity, articulated a version of these ideas. Leader humility, authenticity and openness instills trust and psychological safety. In turn, trust and psychological safety empower individuals and teams to perform at their highest capabilities. Additionally, continuously learning teams are essential for keeping pace with and effectively navigating 3D change. Finally, shared purpose and common values enhance focus, cohesion and resilience in the midst of 3D change.
1. Leader humility, authenticity and openness instills trust and psychological safety. In times of uncertainty, leaders often posture themselves, maximizing
perception of power and control. In contrast, Halla Tómasdóttir modeled authenticity and humility when she reflected on her challenges as a candidate during the Icelandic presidential election. She, along with many of our luminaries, openly questioned the traditional paradigm of a leader as an individualistic hero. Instead, she highlighted the need to build trust through openness, saying, “What this crisis has shown us is that the leadership style of ‘I know it all’ is not a good leadership style for this moment or any other challenge we are going to continue to face and need to deal with collectively, collaboratively, with compassion, and with care.”
In a world of 3D change, leaders need to continuously evolve themselves in
order for their organization to evolve and grow. Rather than bending the organization to the will of the leader, a leader must be willing to instead exhibit humility and flexibility, and change according to what the organization and circumstances require. Tómasdóttir exemplified this notion in her personal philosophy: “Leadership is not given to the few – it’s inside of all of us, and life is all about unleashing that leadership.” This leadership style, which engenders trust and psychological safety within teams and organizations, animates much of her work with the B Team members that she’s leading – Sir Richard Branson, Arianna Huffington, Ajay Banga, Mary Robinson and Marc Benioff, among others.
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What is takes to lead through an era of exponential change
Our other luminaries echoed Tómasdóttir’s message about Sapient Leadership in the context of 3D change. Doug McMillon said: “I don’t run Walmart, I help lead Walmart,” asserting that leadership of this sort needs to go beyond words. Leaders, he said, “have to live it. It has to be authentic. It has to be habitual.”
2. Trust and psychological safety empower individuals and teams. 3D change amplifies our innate and evolved human tendencies to skew toward threat perception, anxiety and divisiveness when experiencing stress and encountering ambiguity. As such, psychological safety is even more important during these times change. Individuals and the teams they comprise thrive in environments where trust and psychological safety are present. In a recent extensive study at Google, code-named Project Aristotle – for the maxim frequently attributed to him, “The whole is greater than the sum of the parts” – researchers found that the most important factor associated with the highest performing teams was psychological safety. When team members feel safe to be vulnerable in front of one and to take risks, they perform at their best.
A consistent theme running throughout conversations with all of our luminaries was the essential nature of empowering teams and individuals to perform at their highest capabilities, especially now. “Change is not a solo sport,” said Bret Taylor, president and COO of Salesforce. “All great change has been done by great teams, great communities and great networks.” When recalling times of rapid change throughout his career – from the creation of Google Maps to inventing the “like” button to scaling rapidly worldwide during the early days of Facebook –
Taylor asserted the importance of leadership that motivates strong relationships, fluid communication, and a foundation of trust to driving exceptional team performance.
3. Continuously learning teams enable effective navigation of 3D change. In a world where change is perpetual, pervasive and exponential, Sapient Leaders, their teams and their organizations must continually learn, update mental-maps, deploy new tools and course-correct based on the best ideas and practices. “If you want to make a change in something you have to get into it deep,” said Toby Cosgrove, describing his openness to learning transformative ideas from anywhere he could. When he was the CEO of the Cleveland Clinic, he regularly immersed himself in contexts where he could learn a better way. “If I heard somebody was doing something someplace in the world, I would pick up my pencil and paper and I would go and watch them do it,” he said. “I traveled someplace, learned something and tried to bring it back and incorporate it.” What he was doing as a leader was both modeling leadership as a process of continual learning so others would replicate in their way, as well as disseminating what he learned throughout the organization in order to improve on existing processes and innovate new ones.
In a world of 3D change, no one person or organization can master all knowledge across all domains, no single person or organization can master enough skills in breadth, depth or pace to keep up. Instead, learning must be inspired by leadership, reinforced by culture, occur across a variety of domains, coordinated through the whole and shared openly and actionably to create the broader picture. The analogy here is to mosaic vision, or the compound eye,
where thousands of specific receptor units, oriented in different directions, work in coordination to create a composite perspective with a very wide angle of view, continually updating in real time as the organism moves through time and space. Without data and input to synthesize into understanding and action, a team or organization will be perpetually impoverished. To keep pace with 3D change, Sapient Leaders need to enhance the breadth, depth and pace of learning in their organizations to meet the extent and velocity of change.
4. Shared purpose and values enhance focus, cohesion and resilience during 3D change. Professor Bill Damon, our esteemed colleague at Stanford University and one of the world’s leading purpose researchers, defines purpose as a stable intention to accomplish something that is both personally meaningful and serves the world larger than the self. Purpose, necessarily informed by our values and arising from a sense of personal meaning, unites our inner world with our actions in the world around us in a unique and powerful way in service of a vision larger than ourselves.
In times of 3D change, which by its nature amplifies uncertainty and ambiguity, shared purpose and values increase organizational focus, enhance team cohesion, and amplify personal and collective resilience. They can also powerfully mobilize large numbers of people to solve complex problems together.
Doug McMillon, CEO of Walmart and chairman of the Business Roundtable, recounted Walmart’s Five Guiding Principles, which provided the organization focus, resilience and a basis for cohesive action during the early challenging stages of the pandemic.
• Start with the people: “Support our associates financial health, physical
health, and emotional health and wellbeing. They are on the front line.”
• Focus on the fundamentals and first principles: “Serve our customers – we had to keep the food supply chain going to avoid chaos.”
• Make sure our own home is in order: “Managing the business through the crisis – making sure inventory is under control, making sure we have cash flow, etc.”
• Keep building for the future, not for the past: “Continue assertively into online e-commerce, grocery delivery, leverage what’s already been put into play that customers want.”
• We’re all in this together: “What can we do to help other people through this crisis that does good for this company and society?”
McMillon recounted how these principles guided Walmart’s actions during the early turbulence of the COVID-19 pandemic. “We received a call from the White House with a request to open drive-through testing stations throughout the nation in Walmart parking lots,” he recalled. “Although we didn’t know exactly how to do it and didn’t have a way to charge for it, Walmart’s response was fully committed, rapid, at scale and across distributed geographies. Walmart’s ethos during this time: ‘Don’t worry about the short-term financials. Go do what’s right and it will all eventually work out.’”
The shared purpose and values articulated in Walmart’s Five Guiding Principles allowed collective action that was focused, cohesive and resilient by many people across multiple geographies in the early times of 3D change. Focus and cohesion allowed rapid learning of new skills, it allowed decisiveness during uncertainty, and it promoted working together toward a shared goal bigger than any individual or the compa-
ny. Further, resilience allowed the courage to try something new and execute quickly, without giving up, in the face of ongoing change and challenge.
The future of leadership
Along with the myriad challenges it brought, the singular realization of 2020 is that 3D change is the new normal. Navigating perpetual, pervasive and exponential change is the quintessential test of effective leadership in this era. Leaders, teams and organizations that don’t skillfully navigate change will fail. Mastering this new reality requires fundamental enhancements to our collective capabilities. Sapient Leadership enables the creation of perpetual, pervasive and exponential capacity building necessary for handling 3D change effectively. In addition, our recent conversations with Sapient Leaders have uncovered new ways in which exponential and transformative technologies can further enhance and amplify human capabilities. This topic is the basis for a future article we are preparing.
The key of Sapient Leadership is that it fits into the long history of the evolution of our species. Sapient, in its definition, refers to the nature of humans – it is in our nature to adapt or risk perishing. The challenge of 3D change is that it amplifies the pressures on leaders, teams and organizations to evolve and adapt faster, or become irrelevant. Change that used to take place over years and decades is now taking place in weeks or days. We, as a species, have never confronted change of this magnitude or at this pace. Sapient Leadership is a framework that enables accelerated adaptation in a wise and humane way. It builds into its structure the imperative for leaders, teams and organizations to continuously evolve in
order to overcome the challenges of 3D change. Sapient Leaders and their successful organizations change with change itself. z z z
Aneel Chima , Ph.D., is the Director of Health and Human Performance and of the Stanford Flourishing Project. Outside of academia, he is co-founder and managing partner of AT THE CORE, a consulting boutique specializing in facilitating transformative change through enhancing the emotional, social and neurophysiological drivers of team and leadership thriving.
Ron Gutman is an inventor (HOPES Health Operating System, Dr. AI), a serial technology/healthcare entrepreneur (his companies have served more than 500 million users worldwide), an investor, an author (of the popular TED Book and talk on the Powers of Smiling, and other publications on innovation, technology, and leadership), and a Stanford lecturer.
A version of this article appeared in the October 29, 2020 issue of Harvard Business Review. Reprinted with permission.
© 2020 Harvard Business School Publishing Corp.
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A Joint Powers Authority administered by the Kern County Superintendent of Schools Office, John G Mendiburu, Superintendent
Mark Schiel
He finds joy in school business leadership and seeks to inspire that joy in others
By Julie Phillips Randles
Mark Schiel saw himself as a numbers guy when he entered the school business profession in 2003. It didn’t take long for him to realize there was so much more to the job – and so many ways to make an impact.
Schiel, deputy superintendent of operations and chief business official (CBO) for Santa Clara Unified School District (SCUSD), began his career in Ohio as an intern in the state auditors’ office, working with government agencies and school districts. This initial exposure to school finance made him think this could be his life’s path.
After graduating from Malone University, he spent several years with the state auditor’s office doing financial and performance audits before becoming an accountant, and then assistant treasurer, for Hamilton City School District. Schiel’s next role was as the treasurer and chief financial officer for Miamisburg City School District.
In 2010, he came to California to serve as the controller for Montebello Unified School District. From there, he took roles as assistant superintendent of administrative services for Ocean View School District, assistant superintendent of business services for Centralia School District, and assistant superintendent of business services for San Marcos Unified School District.
In 2020, Schiel became the CBO at SCUSD. Deputy superintendent was added to his title in 2022.
Schiel’s list of goals for SCUSD is as long and impressive as his resume. In addition to the day-to-day duties of a CBO, Schiel is currently implementing a $720 million bond measure. So far, three new schools have been completed and one more is underway; two high school pools will be renovated; three elementary schools are being updated; and planning for a new alternative high school has begun.
“Yes, I’m busy. But nothing would be possible without my amazing team,” Schiel explains. “Our team is like-minded about fully supporting our students. We’re thinking differently, bringing an equity mindset and doing things not just for the sake of doing them, but to impact this and future generations.”
Schiel applies that thinking to every aspect of his responsibilities, noting that the CBO role is a critical, but sometimes overlooked, aspect of school operations. “We aren’t here only to manage the business of the organization. It’s also about supporting students, staff and the community, because everything we do has a direct or indirect impact on our students.”
Schiel has been a CASBO member since he arrived in California, and he’s been giving back through the association ever since. “When I came to California from Ohio, so many people from CASBO took me under their wings to help me transition,” Schiel shares.
He currently serves as the CASBO South Bay Section State Director, chair of the Legislative Committee and assistant chair of the Education Advocacy Foundation Board of Trustees. He also volunteers as the facilitator for CASBO’s Business Executives Leadership Program and teaches two courses.
“It’s been a journey of love to be involved with CASBO, and I’ve had so many great mentors who wrapped their arms around me along the way,” Schiel says. “With CASBO, it’s not only about being the foremost authority on school business, it’s also about guiding school business leaders, no matter what their role is, to ensure they’re successful” – and maybe even experience the passion Schiel feels.
“I hope others find the same joy in this career,” he says. z z z
Photography by Hope Harris
Teault Marcille
He helps schools make the most of their facilities, and earn money doing it
By Julie Phillips Randles
Nearly a decade ago, Teault Marcille was an intern at a startup with a big idea: Improve the way school districts share buildings and grounds with their communities. Even more aspirational, Facilitron, a facilities management platform, wanted to show school districts how to put the money they earned from facilities rentals back into their schools.
Marcille, now the senior director of accounts for Facilitron, has been on board since the platform was in development. Excited by the vision and the benefits to schools, he joined the company after graduating from Chapman University with a degree in business administration and finance.
It’s been an amazing ride ever since!
As the senior director of accounts, Marcille oversees Faciltron’s account management team. Every district who uses Facilitron has a dedicated account manager who helps staff tackle issues, write policies, create work orders and more. Plus, Facilitron handles the collection of fees, freeing up busy school business leaders to focus on other things.
Marcille enjoys ensuring clients are getting all the support they need, and he
really appreciates seeing districts’ general funds being supplemented by facility rental fees.
“I love the interaction with our clients. We work very closely with school business leaders every day, and I’m thrilled to help them realize the value of their assets and help put money back into schools,” Marcille explains.
This can look like renting school gyms to sports groups, churches or community groups; renting school sites to film production companies; or even renting out parking lots.
What’s the most exciting use of a school facility Marcille has experienced? Likely when NBA star Steph Curry filmed an Under Armour commercial in a northern California high school gym.
Marcille is honored to be part of what started as a humble initiative and has now grown into the world’s largest public spaces rental marketplace, partnering not only with K-12 school districts, but colleges, churches, cities and private facility owners nationwide. Faciltron Founder and CEO Jeff Benjamin says he’s proud of Facilitron’s innovative business model that protects school district budgets by charging no out-
of-pocket costs and providing long-term, data-driven partnerships.
While Facilitron has been an exhibitor at the California School Business Expo at the CASBO Annual Conference for several years, it recently took the next step – becoming a CASBO Premier Partner.
Marcille says he can’t wait to get more involved in CASBO through the CBO Symposium, and by hosting informational webinars and conference sessions. “We’ve seen the strong presence CASBO has with California schools, and we’re excited to be more deeply involved,” Marcille says.
When he’s not helping districts boost their bottom lines, Marcille enjoys traveling and spending time at the beach near his home in San Diego. z z z
Photography by Ryan Kelly
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Michelle Poler
This fear-facer guides leaders in overcoming angst and uncertainty
By Julie Phillips Randles
Michelle Poler embraces something most of us avoid at all costs – facing her fears. And publicly, no less.
That’s a surprising career twist for a former branding strategist who’s worked for Hershey’s, Wendy’s, AT&T and Revlon, and also found success as a keynote speaker. But Poler hasn’t taken the usual path through her career. Nor would you expect that from the author of Hello Fears: Crush Your Comfort Zone and Become Who You’re Meant to Be.
From the time she was a little girl, Poler says she was afraid of the world: dogs, pain, driving at night. She was studying for a master’s degree in branding at the School of Visual Arts in New York City when, through a class project, she stumbled onto one of life’s great
truths: The enemy of success is not failure, it’s comfort. And her hang-ups meant she was missing out on the joys of her new city.
“Trying to control New York has been a nightmare,” she wrote at the time, “but what really pushed me to pursue this project was not the controlled lifestyle I left behind – it is the frustration of not enjoying this city and life in general to the fullest.”
Thus a passion project was born: Hello Fears, where she challenged herself to face and document one new fear every day for 100 days.
Those fears included everything from speaking at TEDxHouston (what if she wasn’t inspiring enough?) to starting a community (what if not enough people
were willing to participate and she went broke and disappointed the ones who did sign up?) to ziplining (what if she fell to her death?) to crashing a wedding (how bad would the public humiliation be if Poler got caught – which she did).
But as a result of her dive into the unknown, she’s now a spokesperson for people across the globe who want to shed the beliefs and self-imposed consequences holding them back. Today, she is happy to hold audiences’ hands to dig into tough topics like embracing change, leading with accountability, the difference between fearless leaders and brave leaders, and the journey from being one more to becoming one of a kind.
Her Hello Fears social movement has reached more than 70 million people
Michelle Poler
worldwide. It’s a result the young girl growing up in Caracas, Venezuela, couldn’t have imagined.
“The way I was raised put a glass ceiling on top of my head,” she told Forbes in 2018. “People around me expected me to marry young, have children and take care of the house. I married young, because of love, not expectations, and then we invested in our future so one
day, we can set a better standard for our kids, with no glass ceiling. I’m proud of other Latinas who also defied the status quo and are crushing it in the states and all over the world.”
Poler, a keynote speaker at the 2024 CASBO Annual Conference & California School Business Expo, sat down with CASBO to unpack her top tips for helping leaders navigate their fears – and thrive.
What’s something you thought you knew that you found out you were wrong about?
For a long time, I believed it was my intuition guiding me, advising me to remain within the confines of my comfort zone whenever I encountered a challenge, faced a risk or found myself in an uncomfortable situation.
This voice, which I thought was my inner wisdom protecting me, urging caution and prudence, was actually something quite different. It wasn’t my intuition at all. It was my fear, masquerading as sensible advice, holding me back from growth and new experiences.
It was fear that kept me from taking those necessary leaps, disguising itself as a protective instinct, when in reality, it was a barrier preventing me from reaching my full potential.
Ask yourself always: What is holding you back – your fears or your intuition?
Many leaders, particularly those new to their roles, suffer from imposter syndrome. What’s your strategy for dealing with this thinking?
To overcome the imposter syndrome I remind myself of these three things: 1. I may not know it all, I may not be the best, but: Do I know more than other people about my topic? If the answer is yes, that means that there are at least a few dozen people out there who can learn from you. And
where there are a dozen people, there are hundreds as well, and thousands – why not? I would’ve loved to know five years ago what I know now. Which means others would love to know that, too!
2. Many people can do the same job, but it is up to us to become irreplaceable. How? By integrating our story, our values and our tone into everything we do. Many people can do your job, but no one can do it like you do if you choose to be intentional about it and bring your authentic self to work.
3. Instead of asking myself, “Why me?” when considering a new role or leadership position, I switch the question around to,“Why NOT me?” I remind myself of the qualities I possess that make me capable of anything.
You’ve created a movement focused on empowering people to step outside of their comfort zones to realize their full potential. What is the first step leaders should take to begin navigating their fears?
The first step is to be clear about where we want to go in life. Without this clarity, we risk facing the wrong fears, pursuing goals that ultimately won’t fulfill us. Too often, we focus on checking boxes that align with societal expectations, driven by a need to impress others, gain approval or fit in. In this process, we neglect to ask ourselves the crucial question: What do we truly want?
It’s daunting to make choices based solely on our own happiness and fulfillment because these choices may not align with what others expect from us. Choosing a path that diverges from conventional norms or the aspirations imposed by family, co-workers, friends or society can be intimidating. It challenges
the fear of judgment, rejection and the unknown.
However, achieving this clarity on our own desires and ambitions is essential. It allows us to discern which risks are worth taking and which ones we should avoid.
You’ve described three categories of fears we all face. Can you describe those for our readers?
Universal Fears: Regardless of where you’re from or how old you are, we all share certain universal fears. These fears are innate and serve to keep us safe and alive. Common examples include fear of spiders, snakes, heights and needles – anything that can genuinely threaten our well-being falls into this category. I don’t focus much on these fears because they are generally healthy and protective. However, if they start preventing you from achieving your goals, it might be worth addressing them.
Cultural Fears: As we grow, we develop cultural fears shaped by our need to belong and fit in. These fears can significantly impact our lives. Every culture has its own set of rules and societal expectations, creating fears that mold our personalities to conform to these standards. The fear of not being loved or not fitting in often dictates many of our life decisions because we care too much about what others think of us. In order to address this fear, we need to stop comparing ourselves to others and, instead, contrast. By contrast I mean do what feels genuine and aligned to your values and principles, instead of what the rest of the world is doing. This will lead you from being “one more” to becoming “one of a kind.”
Personal Fears: These fears are designed to protect our ego from being hurt. We fear being held accountable for failure, so we avoid risks and hold ourselves back from success altogether.
Ask yourself always: What is holding you back – your fears or your intuition?
Michelle Poler
To stay ahead in life, we need to avoid the comfort zone, not failure.
What I discovered in my research is that the true enemy of success is not failure, but comfort. To stay ahead in life, we need to avoid the comfort zone, not failure. Embracing discomfort and taking risks is essential for growth and success.
When you began facing your own fears, something you’ve been very public about, you discovered that you relied on the same six-stage process. Can you explain that process to readers?
1. Discovery Stage: When you realize that something you’ve never considered before is outside of your comfort zone
2. Denial Stage: Discomfort kicks in, telling us why we shouldn’t take that risk we just considered.
3. Determination Stage: We convince ourselves the risk is worth taking, and we set up a plan to face it.
4. What The Heck Am I Doing? Stage: We deeply regret our decision to face that fear because fear kicks in hard core! We consider getting ourselves out of that situation.
5. Action Stage: We focus on the rewards instead of the risks and we go for it! We take action toward our brave life.
6. Celebratory Stage: We experience what feeling proud of ourselves truly feels like!
The one question that will lead you to take action is: What’s the best that can happen? Ask yourself this when you are about to abandon your plan to be brave.
There’s an adage about making your mess your message, or turning your adversity into advocacy. How can embracing our fears and sharing our results help our work colleagues –and even our families and friends? In other words, how does facing fears lead to personal and professional empowerment?
There’s something contagious about fear-facing. We often think we need to appear fearless in order to be respected when there is a way of leading through vulnerability that will gain us deep connection, respect and empathy.
Facing your own fears and being open about it will empower others to face their own insecurities and feel good about it! z z z
Julie Phillips Randles is a freelance writer based in California.
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Enhancing school resilience: Effective insurance strategies for natural disasters
By Bill Clayton
Natural disasters like earthquakes, wildfires and floods threaten the safety of faculty and students, and have a significant fiscal impact on California school districts. Implementing preparedness and prevention strategies can significantly mitigate the fiscal impact of natural disasters. By investing in retrofitting structures, creating defensible spaces and improving flood controls, schools can minimize potential damage and reduce the severity of insurance claims. These proactive measures not only enhance the resilience of school infrastructure but contribute to financial stability by potentially lowering insurance premiums and avoiding costly repairs and interruptions.
Effective insurance strategies are part of a broader framework that includes preparedness, prevention, response and recovery plans. Investing in these strategies before disasters hit can make a tremendous difference in the fiscal impact for districts.
Every school conducts drills and trains staff on disaster response procedures, but often, these are the same drills that have been conducted for years. Preparedness is more than just repeating the same training and drills for staff and students each year. Districts should look to engage with experts that can evaluate the effectiveness and appropriateness of disaster and emergency response trainings and drills to ensure they’re up to date with current best practices.
Similarly, schools should engage with risk management specialists to
assess facilities and identify potential vulnerabilities. This might include retrofitting buildings to withstand earthquakes, creating defensible spaces to reduce wildfire risk and implementing flood control measures. By proactively addressing these risks, schools can reduce the likelihood of severe damage and lower insurance premiums.
Many prevention and response plans are available from property and liability Joint Powers Authorities (JPAs). These pooled insurance solutions leverage comprehensive training and preparedness programs to secure more favorable rates with reinsurers. This benefit trickles down to the districts’ budgets, allowing them to allocate funds more efficiently and enhance their overall financial stability.
Working with risk management experts and insurance consultants is crucial for schools aiming to reduce the impact of natural disasters. These professionals have specialized knowledge and experience that enable them to identify potential hazards and implement effective mitigation strategies. By leveraging their expertise, schools can gain a comprehensive understanding of their risk profile and develop tailored solutions to address specific vulnerabilities.
One key advantage of collaborating with risk management consultants is their ability to conduct thorough assessments of school facilities. These assessments can reveal structural weaknesses, outdated systems and other factors that could exacerbate the damage
caused by natural disasters. For instance, consultants might recommend seismic retrofitting for buildings in earthquakeprone areas or the installation of fireresistant materials in regions susceptible to wildfires. Implementing these recommendations not only enhances the physical resilience of school infrastructure but also contributes to a safer environment for students and staff.
Ongoing collaboration with risk management and insurance professionals can lead to continuous improvement in disaster preparedness. These experts can keep schools informed about the latest best practices, technological advancements and regulatory changes that may affect their risk management strategies. By staying proactive and adaptive, schools can maintain a high level of readiness and resilience in the face of evolving threats.
The partnership between schools, risk management efforts and insurance consultants is a critical component of an effective disaster mitigation strategy. This collaboration not only helps to minimize the potential severity of disaster impacts but also ensures the long-term safety and stability of educational institutions. By investing in these relationships, schools can better protect their assets, safeguard their communities and uphold their mission of providing uninterrupted education in times of crisis.
Bill Clayton is the director of loss control for Keenan, a CASBO Premier Plus Partner.
Building bridges to boost attendance
How districts are engaging with families to get students back in the classroom
By Jennifer Snelling
Like many education service districts nationwide, the Colusa County Office of Education (CCOE) and the four districts it oversees saw a massive increase in chronically absent students after the COVID-19 pandemic. These students had missed 10% of school days, putting all four districts in the red for attendance on the state dashboard.
The dire statistics triggered funding to improve absenteeism rates.
CCOE began a comprehensive attendance program that strives to engage students and parents. It dedicates resources to connecting with these families and finding solutions to the various issues causing students to miss school.
“Every student is different,” says Aaron Heinz, deputy superintendent at Colusa County Office of Education.
“We have to have that personal connection with these students and parents to find solutions to help them get back into school.”
Since the program went into effect a little over a year ago, all four CCOE districts have pulled out of the red.
Post-pandemic chronic absenteeism isn’t limited to Colusa County. The percentage of schools with high (20%29% of students) and extreme (30% or more students) levels of chronic absence more than tripled during the pandemic. Schools serving large numbers of socioeconomically disadvantaged students experience greater levels of absenteeism.
California uses average daily attendance (ADA) to determine school funding, meaning when levels of absenteeism are high, schools miss out on
critical funding. Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Superintendent Alberto Carvalho told the Los Angeles Times that for every 1% of improved attendance, the district receives an additional $60 million in state funding. Chronic absenteeism affects not just the absent students but every student in a district.
“No doubt there is a return on investment in services [to encourage attendance],” says Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team’s (FCMAT) Michael Fine. “The question is, is it more than the cost? But there are more than funding reasons to have a kid in school every day. They only learn when they are there.”
Just showing up for school makes a huge difference. Policy Analysis for
Building bridges to boost attendance
Parents or caregivers are the main components of the outreach and intervention prong of the plan.
California Education’s (PACE) report “Unpacking California’s Chronic Absence Crisis Through 2022-23” says chronic absenteeism can affect students reading ability by third grade, as well as graduation rates. Absences can also have a compounding effect, leaving students feeling like they don’t belong within the school community or have a positive relationship with their teacher, causing them to further disconnect.
“For every 1% of daily attendance improvement, particularly for the most fragile students, we see a 9% improvement in academic performance,” LAUSD’s Carvalho told The 74.
So, what’s the best way to get students back into classrooms?
Growing evidence shows that connecting with families and building trust is the most effective method. A
study released by Learning Heroes and The New Teacher Project (TNTP) found that schools with a family engagement score in the 90th percentile pre-pandemic saw an increase in chronic absenteeism that was 6.2% lower than the increases seen by schools with scores in the 10th percentile. A strong connection between schools and families can be the answer to getting kids back into classrooms.
Understanding chronic absenteeism
The reasons for chronic absenteeism are as varied as the students. However, some significant perceptions have changed among families.
The pandemic broke the school routine. Post-pandemic, attending school daily seems less important for many
families than before. During the pandemic, school became optional. That has continued as families assume that since schoolwork is often posted online, their kids can keep up, allowing them to take vacations during off-peak, less expensive times.
Families are also more likely to keep a kid with the sniffles at home out of caution. Mental health days have also become more widely acceptable.
“There was a lot of broken trust through the process of distance learning,” says Jeannie Myung, Ph.D., PACE’s director of policy research. “Families who are marginalized lost a voice or felt like they weren’t supported in distance learning or heard in the school reopening process. Oftentimes, those parents are the ones who may have had a negative experience in their own schooling. There is a lack of trust between families and schools, and we must make a concerted effort to build those bridges,” she says.
While the above situations are fairly easy to manage by educating the parents about the importance of attendance, other root causes are more difficult. These more challenging causes come down to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs: housing, mental health, physical health, lack of food, hygiene or transportation. Causes such as these are not always within a family’s or student’s direct control. Punitive absenteeism policies will not work well with these families because punishment will not change the underlying issues.
Punishment is also often inequitably applied across socioeconomic groups. Any family with a natural apprehension toward the government or law enforcement will likely have a harder time navigating a punishment-based system that eventually involves the court system.
“We focus on the beginning stages to keep them from getting to the late stages,” says Heinz.
In situations like these, collaborating with families to help solve some of these issues can be more helpful in getting their kids back in school. CCOE has an order of operations. It starts with outreach early by asking teachers which students they haven’t seen in a while and if they know why.
During this phase, the Education Services Team intervenes for cases with barriers like transportation or health. The team sends “nudge” letters home and progresses to calls and home visits before escalating to a county hearing.
Building trusting partnerships with families
LAUSD has also dealt with excessive chronic absenteeism. According to The 74 , 45% of Los LAUSD students were chronically absent in 2021-22. The percentage dropped to 36.5% in 2022-23. Preliminary numbers show that number improving again for 2024-25, but still way above historical norms.
LAUSD Superintendent Carvalho prioritized addressing absenteeism with the launching of the iAttend Initiative. The main components of the strategic plan are:
1. Accurate data.
2. Establish an attendance team at every school.
3. Establish a culture of attendance.
4. Outreach and intervention.
5. Ongoing case management and follow up.
6. Community partners.
7. Continuous improvement.
Parents or caregivers are the main components of the outreach and intervention prong of the plan. Attendance teams identify students who are chronically absent. The team first reaches out with a phone call or by trying to catch
There is a lack of trust between families and schools, and we must make a concerted effort to build those bridges.
Building bridges to boost attendance
their home. LAUSD also runs wellness clinics to provide mental and physical health care for families at school sites.
“Many families look to schools for resources,” says Rosado. “If we have everything here, we can meet their needs much better. We can just walk them right over to the clinic, whereas if we expect them to go to a different site and navigate the situation, it’s a little complicated. We want to make sure they feel connected and supported.”
Messaging matters
Families tend to underestimate how much school their kids have missed, so just letting them know can be enough.
whoever is dropping the child off or picking them up. If that is not successful, they make a home visit. Attendance teams, including district staff, go to individual homes to see how we can support them. In addition, pupil services and attendance counselors at each school site have expertise in child welfare, social work, school counseling or school psychology.
“We find it takes time to build those relationships,” says Elsy Rosado, LAUSD’s director of pupil services. “A home visit isn’t necessarily a fix all. It’s an initial step to establish a trusting relationship.”
The 74 reports that data kept by the district show that homeless kids, poor kids and students with disabilities are far more likely to be absent.
Since we know the reasons kids miss school are multifaceted, LAUSD has used relationships with community partners to address needs. For example, transportation has been an issue if parents are working. To address that need, LAUSD started a Transportation for All program, that helps kids who need a ride because the bus doesn’t come close enough to
San Diego Unified invested in a campaign that engaged the Padres baseball players to speak on the importance of attending school. That’s an example of elevating the importance of school in the eyes of students and families.
CCOE understands that making kids feel welcome and rewarded for attending school can make a difference for students who are on the fence. Heinz says that the district gives out attendance awards and pizza parties for improvements.
Families tend to underestimate how much school their kids have missed, so just letting them know can be enough. “Nudge letters” informing parents how often their child was out of school reduced chronic absenteeism by 10%15%. The letters should be easy to read and written in the language spoken at home. The tone should be partnership rather than scolding, and include useful information about resources like food banks.
The messenger also matters. In the past, the SCUSD’s School Attendance Review Board (SARB) was run by the county. The department was short-staffed because officers needed to respond to crime first. The Colusa County Office of Education stepped up to run point on SARB.
The manager of CCOE’s SARB has a background in the classroom and is good with kids. She makes an effort to ensure that the attendance team communicates with families in their own language.
“She’s very empathetic and has lots of feeling toward these families and their hardships,” says Heinz. “There is sincerity when she talks to the families; her responses are real, and the parents
know it. She’s not just ticking boxes; she’s trying to improve chances for their kids’ future.”
Likewise, LAUSD strives to help students catch up rather than interrogate them about why they have been absent. This strategy helps avoid students falling further behind, starting a cycle that makes it even harder for the student to come to school.
Rather than reminding the parents of compulsory attendance, the team asks how they can support getting the student to school.
Building bridges to boost attendance
One thing that doesn’t help –reminding families that the school relies on attendance for funding.
Before LAUSD’s attendance team makes a home visit, the team looks at data to understand if the student always misses the same day of the week. Or to understand if the absenteeism has been a pattern or started recently. Does the student have siblings at home who are also absent?
Rather than reminding the parents of compulsory attendance, the team asks how they can support getting the student to school. The team approaches the conversation from a place of understanding rather than shame. Are they in need of clothing? Is the student experiencing social anxiety? Did a parent lose their job?
Does the student need to stay home and help look after siblings?
“It takes a lot of time and care, being sensitive and empathetic to their needs so the family will know that this person from the school truly cares,” says Rosado. “The chronic absences could be a result of multiple barriers, such as traumatic experiences and financial problems. Once we start building that relationship, it helps.”
One thing that doesn’t help –reminding families that the school relies on attendance for funding.
“Parents need to trust that schools are a place that knows and cares about the student’s well-being and learning,” says
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Building bridges to boost attendance
community partners to address clothing, food or transportation needs.
LAUSD has established attendance coordinators at every school site. These coordinators communicate with families in the languages they speak at home in a culturally competent way. They are responsible for monitoring who is missing school and intervening early to prevent students from falling behind.
Attendance should be addressed in the same way as academic achievement or classroom behavior. If a student is struggling academically, the teacher would contact the parent. The same should happen with attendance. LAUSD provides talking points to discuss attendance and how the school can support families at parent conferences.
Attendance should be addressed in the same way as academic achievement or classroom behavior.
Myung. “That is a motivation to send students to school. But when schools overemphasize the dollar implications of their students presence or absence, it can undermine that core trust families have in the schools’ support and care for their students as learners and individuals.”
Building infrastructure for continued improvement
Frequent progress monitoring is an aspect of both LAUSD and CCOE’s approach. Moving SARB from the county to the school district gives CCOE more insight into its absentee numbers.
CCOE also has a community school, which can provide extra services to help families. In 2021, the California legislature passed the California Community Schools Partnership Act, which supports schools’ efforts to partner with community agencies to improve school outcomes. These partnerships can include on-site wellness clinics to address physical and mental health issues, and
“This is something that is not unique to LAUSD,” says Rosado. “As a nation and society in general, we are trying to figure out how we get back to our prepandemic rates. The chronic absenteeism crisis is a way for students to vote with their feet. They are telling us it’s not a place they want to be,” says Myung. “It challenges those of us in education to rethink how we can do things differently. Now is an opportunity to break the mold. What can the schools of the future look like for students?” z z z
Jennifer Snelling is a freelance writer based in Eugene, Oregon
How is your district working with familites to improve attendance? Let us know at LinkedIn/CASBO.
6 career moves you can make right now
Use these pro tips to navigate career advancement in school business
By Jennifer Fink
Eric Dill didn’t plan for a career in school business.
When he accepted a job as a loss control analyst at San Dieguito Union High School District, he planned to stay a few years before moving on. One question from his then-associate superintendent – Have you ever thought about being a chief business official? – changed the trajectory of his life.
Dill responded: “No, I don’t have a fiscal background.” His associate superintendent, longtime CASBO member Eric Hall, chuckled and said, “Neither do I.”
That was 23 years ago. With Hall’s encouragement, Dill gradually assumed more responsibility and pursued ad -
ditional education. Today, Dill is the assistant superintendent of business services at Carlsbad Unified School District and president of CASBO.
Tina Douglas, CASBO’s immediatepast president, didn’t dream of a career in school business either. But in high school, she took a secretarial training course and worked at the San Diego County Office of Education. Her then-boss also encouraged her potential, and Douglas currently serves as the assistant superintendent of business services at La Mesa-Spring Valley Schools.
“I never would have even imagined, as a student worker in my junior year of high school, that I would one day be in a chief operations position for a
multimillion-dollar school district,” she says.
Opportunities abound in the world of school business. According to a recent CASBO survey, almost 18% of California’s chief business officials (CBOs) plan to retire in three years or less. Nearly 14% plan to retire within four to five years, 30% in the next six to 10 years, and 37.6% in approximately 11 years. That’s why Matt Phillips, CPA, associate vice president at School Services of California, a CASBO Premier Partner, says demand for school business officials has never been greater.
As a result of increased demand, “we find ourselves now in a position where there are a lot of people who, ready or
6 career moves you can make right now
Putting forth your best effort in your current position is a must-do.
not, may be asked to take on additional responsibilities,” Philips says. That’s exciting – and a bit scary. It underscores the need to consistently hone your skill set and prepare for future opportunities. California’s schools need steady leadership to continue to serve California’s families well.
“In an era where superintendents, school boards and our Legislature frequently change, the role of the chief business officer becomes the cornerstone of stability in our educational system,” says CASBO Chief Executive Officer Tatia Davenport. “It’s crucial that CBOs possess not only a high level of skill and adaptable competen-
cies, but also the ability to transfer these capabilities effectively. This ensures sustained stability across our schools, grounding them amid constant change.”
Here are six moves you can make right now:
1. Do a good job.
“Every day is a job interview. If you come in, do good work, are a pleasant person to work with and are willing to take on additional tasks, people will assume you can do more,” Dill says. In contrast, “if you ever say, ‘that’s not my job,’ it never will be.”
Putting forth your best effort in your current position is a must-do. You don’t have to know everything, and you don’t have to work excessive hours and compromise your well-being to succeed. You simply have to show up, demonstrate commitment to your district’s mission and work with your colleagues to get the job done.
Connecting with others is an essential part of doing a good job – and developing relationships with others outside of your department can help you succeed. Dill recommends spending time with directors in the Business Services Department so you can build your skill set, increase your overall understanding of school business and help your district function efficiently.
“You could say, ‘I want to be able to do my job better so that it makes things easier on you. So, can you tell me more about our purchasing rules? Or how you put your budget together?’” Dill says. “Forging those relationships and gaining that inside knowledge from business directors can be helpful.”
It’s also smart to connect with people in other districts who work in school business; they can provide necessary support as you navigate your day-to-day job and your career. In-person activities and events, such as CASBO’s annual conference, symposiums, certifications and social gatherings, are one way to grow your professional network. Online networking events, including CASBO’s professional roundtables, can help you learn from others around the state.
Remember: Every interaction you have with other school business professionals influences their perception of you. The individuals you meet may well be the ones who recommend you (or not!) for future job opportunities.
“People put their best selves forward when they’re at an interview,” Douglas
says. “We don’t do that all the time when we feel comfortable, so I think people are more inclined to believe what they see during some of those more casual encounters.”
2. Step out of your comfort zone.
You won’t grow professionally or personally if you stick to your comfort zone. Although it can be unsettling to tackle tasks beyond your current skill set, doing so can expand your horizons and prepare you for future career opportunities.
“One thing I would certainly recommend is a public speaking course,” Phillips says. The further up you move in school business, the more you’ll have to share information with multiple stakeholders – often, in public settings.
You don’t have to step onto a massive stage to begin. Eric Dill advises people to start with a presentation or workshop at a local CASBO event. “You can share your knowledge with a room full of friendly people who are on your side,” he says.
That’s essentially how Tina Douglas started her public speaking career, albeit unintentionally. “At the time, I was a secretary, and I hated getting in front of groups and talking,” Douglas says. Her boss knew of Douglas’ discomfort, as well as her potential as a leader. So, the day they were scheduled to present a training session, the boss called in sick. “I had to do it,” Douglas says. “I was her right-hand person; I had to do it.” Douglas was 30 minutes into the presentation when she noticed her boss standing at the back of the room.
“She faked calling in sick so I would go up and speak,” Douglas says.
That’s not a particularly advisable tactic, but it taught Douglas that she could indeed manage a presentation,
Connecting with others is an essential part of doing a good job – and developing relationships with others outside of your department can help you succeed.
6 career moves you can make right now
despite her discomfort. Voluntary enrollment in a public speaking course can have the same effect, Phillips says.
your comfort zone. Such work allows you to build your skills, bolster your connections and boost your profile.
Want to get ahead? Tell your boss.
“People tend to have a perception of what they think they’re like when they’re speaking, and the perception is often at a lower level than what we’re actually doing,” he says. Feedback from others may help you realize that you’re more capable than you think.
Volunteering to work on projects outside your current scope of responsibilities is another way to step beyond
3. Discuss future opportunities.
Want to get ahead? Tell your boss. See someone in your department with a lot of potential? Tell them.
The world of school business is bigger and more diverse than most people realize. Early on in their careers, neither Dill nor Douglas saw a future for themselves in school business; other people pointed the way. You can do the same.
Douglas recently met with a kitchen manager in her district who was attending school with the intent of transitioning to a career as a financial adviser. “Because she’s the lead of a kitchen on campus, she thought there was no place else for her to go,” Douglas says. “We’re currently working to develop an internship program for her. We’re going to have her sit with the accountant who works with nutrition services so can learn more on the finance side, and I’m going to have her shadow me in negotiations one day because I think it’ll be good exposure for her.”
4. Build your knowledge base.
Anyone looking to get ahead in school business should have, or be working toward, a bachelor’s degree, Phillips says.
“At this point, a bachelor’s degree is absolutely required if you want to be at the highest levels,” he says. “When we look at the programmatic side of the house – educational services, curriculum and instruction – many of the people who hold those high-level positions have doctorates. We don’t want to fall too far behind and have that gap become too wide.”
Depending on your personal goals and situation, a master’s degree may be a good idea. Some folks also purse CPA licensure. But you don’t have to invest a ton of money or time to build your knowledge base. CASBO and other organizations offer a multitude of professional development opportunities, including the School Business University, the Business Executive Leadership Program and Chief Business Official (CBO) Certification.
Devote some time to developing your leadership skills as well.
“If someone has all this knowledge in their head but is not able to effectively lead people and communicate with them, they will have a really difficult time succeeding in school business,” Phillips says. “It’s important for future leaders to work on their soft skills as well as their technical knowledge.”
5. Teach others.
When we teach, pretend to teach or even prepare to teach things to others, it can
drastically impact and solidify our own learning of the subject or skill we’re teaching. It’s called the protégé effect, and research shows that it strengthens our own learning, knowledge and understanding, while simultaneously helping others to learn and succeed.
The teaching process also helps us rediscover things we already knew or get new insights about things we may not have considered before. In the process, relationships can be strengthened, confidence and communication skills improved, and leadership abilities enhanced.
6. Be ready!
It’s not always easy to know when it’s time to move into a new role. Phillips recommends staying in one position for at least two years before transitioning to another job.
Share your career plans with your current supervisor and ask for input. Dill suggests asking, “What are some things that I can work on now? How can I build
Share your career plans with your current supervisor and ask for input.
6 career
my capacity, so I’m prepared for the next step?”
If you meet resistance, it may be time to look for new employment. “If you’ve got the feeling you’re being pigeonholed and not seen for what you’re worth, move on,” Dill says.
Practice your interview skills, particularly if it’s been a while since you interviewed for a job. Download some common interview questions and think through your answers. Practice in front of a mirror or with a friend. Get comfortable sharing your story.
“Shameless self-promotion is OK when you are interviewing,” Dill says. “Interviewers want to get to know you and they want to know why you’re
the best candidate. Tell them why you deserve the position.” z z z
Jennifer Fink is a freelance writer based in Mayville, Wisconsin.
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