businessnews california school
April 12, 2022
Start your own path to a CASBO CBO Certification p. 7
CASBO Honors Immediate Past President Richard De Nava Assistant Superintendent, Business Services - San Bernardino CSS p. 9
California Association of School Business Officials The Foremost Authority on School Business
SCHOOLbusiness news NEARLY HALF OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS EXPERIENCING SHORTAGES, RESIGNATIONS CBO / HUMAN RESOURCES Almost half, or 44%, of public schools report having full- or parttime teacher vacancies, according to a national survey of 670 public schools conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). More than half of schools (57%) with one or more vacancies said they increasingly needed to use teachers for work beyond their job descriptions. Schools with at least one vacancy also said special education had the highest teaching vacancies (45%), followed by general elementary teaching positions (31%) and substitute teachers (20%). Of public schools that reported at least one vacancy, 61% cited the COVID-19 pandemic as a cause of increased teaching and non-teaching staff vacancies. The leading cause of vacancies for 51% of schools was resignation rather than retirement. The survey is the first of its kind from the U.S. Education Department since the start of the pandemic, and confirms predictions from researchers and anecdotal evidence from administrators of a mass exodus of teachers from their jobs as a result of the health crisis, according to a report by K-12 Dive. To circumvent the shortages, schools in some cases have had to use more teaching and nonteaching staff outside of their intended duties, increase class sizes, share teachers and staff among schools, and limit student transportation. Shortages extend beyond the classroom. The NCES survey, for example, shows 49% of public schools reporting at least one non-teaching staff vacancy as of January 2022, including custodial, nutrition and transportation staff. To address the various shortages, states like New Mexico and Massachusetts resorted to using the National Guard to fill gaps in classrooms and on school buses. In a separate survey conducted and released in late 2021 by the National Association of Secondary School Principals, 68% of principals reported being concerned about the teacher shortage in the 2021-22 school year and about teacher burnout. 1
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April 12, 2022 Principals also listed “providing guidance and mental health support” to teachers and staff as one of the top three challenges during the pandemic. Late last year, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona urged schools to consider shortterm and long-term investments to curb teacher shortages, including increasing teacher wages, supporting teachers’ well-being and providing enough substitutes. Cardona reiterated his support for districts using American Rescue Plan funds to address teaching shortages in response to the new NCES data. He also suggested hiring tutors, school counselors, classroom aides and other staff to help prevent burnout. Some school finance experts, however, have warned against using short-term funds for longterm teaching positions. Long-term commitments like pay raises and financing new positions, they say, could be difficult to maintain once federal relief funding dries up.
New Budgeting Episode for Educational Equity Key Ingredients for Making Good Decisions –
Especially When You’re in the Pressure Cooker School business leaders continue to confront a full plate of difficult and time-sensitive decisions, begging the question,
“How can we reflect on and improve our decision-making to better serve our students?” Listen in as WestEd Senior Research Associate Alex Jacobson discusses how good decisions that lead to successful outcomes for students are, in part, contingent on the ways in which people make those decisions.
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SCHOOLbusiness news EPA AWARDING $17 MILLION TO FUND ELECTRIC SCHOOL BUSES CBO / PURCHASING / TRANSPORTATION Vice President Kamala Harris has announced federal actions that will expand clean public transit and school buses as part of an effort to modernize public transit that connects people to their jobs and schools. As part of the program, The Environmental Protection Agency is awarding $17 million to fund electric zero-emission and low-emission school buses. Through the American Rescue Plan, $7 million is being awarded to replace old diesel school buses in underserved communities with new, zero-emission electric buses. In addition, $10 million is being awarded to replace old diesel school buses with new cleaner buses through the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act School Bus Rebate Program. This funding complements the $5 billion in funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for clean school buses, the first portion of which will become available in the coming months. The actions leverage investments from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and American Rescue Plan investments, as well as a new proposed rule that would set heavy-duty vehicle emissions standards. According to a briefing fact sheet, “These actions are designed to deliver better transportation for the American people, while reducing air pollution that has long overburdened low-income communities and communities of color. They also boost American leadership on the zeroemissions transit, trucking, and port technologies of the future — to create good-paying, union jobs, improve public health, and confront climate change.”
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Improve Emergency Management in K-12 Education Help the California Department of Education as they conduct survey efforts aimed at improving emergency management in K-12 education within California! Results will aid in identifying best practices for establishing emergency management contacts and developing an operational response structure.
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SCHOOLbusiness news ARE STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH DAYS THE ANSWER TO LEARNING DISRUPTIONS? CBO / RISK MANAGEMENT Pandemic-related learning disruptions have wreaked havoc on children’s well-being, with symptoms of mental and behavioral disorders steadily rising over the course of the last two years. Now, some states are embracing a new remedy: allowing students to take time off from school to cope with mental health problems. The approach has been championed by students and some clinicians who argue that anxious or depressed kids can’t focus in the classroom, according to a report by The 74. But others wonder if extra time away from school is the right answer, especially given the potential harm to academic and social development. The idea of “mental health days,” which started catching on even before the pandemic began, has already been enacted in nine states. Lawmakers in several others, including Kentucky and Maryland, are considering similar proposals. Some educators and therapists have signaled their approval, arguing that the freedom to stay home from classes could allow kids to restore their energy and come back ready to learn. But other experts warn that absence from an academic setting may not be a useful tool to address the issues facing troubled young people. The prospect of time off might also prod some students to miss class who otherwise wouldn’t. The push for student mental health days began in 2019, when Oregon Gov. Kate Brown signed a bill expanding the state’s category of excused absences to include those related to mental as well as physical health. The reform was drafted by a group of high schoolers known as Students for a Healthy Oregon, which recommended it as a salve for the long-running deterioration in teen mental health that has become undeniable in school districts around the country. An economist studying absenteeism at the University of Pennsylvania has said it’s likely that some families are already keeping their children home multiple days each year as a result of emotional issues they experience at school. Adopting an Oregon-style policy — a few states have specified the number of absences students can take, while others simply direct districts to accept mental health as a valid reason to be absent — wouldn’t necessarily change the behavior of those families, but it could prevent them from being thrust into state truancy 5
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April 12, 2022 systems. But while the evidence of the pandemic’s harmful effects on child well-being is clear, some experts wonder, if the harms are due to the disruption of school, why would the answer be to offer students more time away? Now that several large states are implementing K-12 mental health days, experts will be able to gather data on that very question, as well as whether mental health days are effective in reducing academic and interpersonal stress. They’ll also learn more about their effect on school attendance and whether they induce more students to miss time in school. One thing already known is that the switch to online learning proved disastrous for efforts to improve attendance, particularly among disadvantaged or low-performing students. In fact, California data shows chronic absenteeism surging as much as 200%, with Black, Hispanic, disabled and English learner students disproportionately missing school over the last year.
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Learn More Apply Now Start on your path to the CASBO CBO Certification. Space is limited. Apply today. 7
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Northern California Begins August 26, 2022 Twin Rivers USD Sacramento, CA
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CASBOinsights CASBO HONORS 2021-22 PRESIDENT RICHARD DE NAVA STATE LEADERSHIP If ever there was a year that could showcase a fearless leader’s true colors, 2021-22 would certainly be it. After returning to our first in-person Annual Conference held since 2019, none of us could forecast just how it would play out … despite the fact that your CASBO leadership and staff did everything in our power to make it successful. Would people attend? Check! You turned out in droves! Would they balk at vaccination screening? Not one bit! (And thank you for that — we suspected you’d be all about helping your fellow conference-goers feel welcome and comfortable!) Would there be performance hitches in any of the programs? Well …, ok, so we had a few technical difficulties here and there — after all, our conference partners are returning to the stage for the first time in a couple years themselves — but nothing we couldn’t handle! And why was that? Because we did it all under the experienced leadership of our president, Richard De Nava, of the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools! Turns out our event in Sacramento two weeks ago — and indeed our entire year — proved to be an excellent example of three pivotal words that Rich swears by and that we've been following all along:
Flexibility. Grit. Perseverance. In a long and storied career, first in the U.S. Army and then in school business, Rich not only understands these concepts, he has lived them.
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April 12, 2022 In a speech at the First General Session, he shared with us the trials he encountered on his path to becoming a chief business official, explaining his belief that even though challenges are always part of our future, they can serve us well when it counts: “Without flexibility, I would not have been prepared to pivot my career path. “Without grit, I would not have been willing to put the work in, even after experiencing failure and adversity. “Without perseverance, it would have been super easy to back away from my long-term goal of someday becoming a CBO.” As he thanked his family, his boss and co-workers, and his CASBO leadership team, he reminded us that even though part of our future will continue to hold uncertainty resulting from “the Great Resignation” and the pandemic, the spirit of those three words will be what continues to get us through. “That we’ve arrived here is proof of our grit and resilience,” he says, “and it’s what’s at the core of CASBO’s mission to unite all of us working in school business to hone our skills and advance our leadership strengths.” If you talk to Rich, he’ll tell you that it’s those values of integrity, work ethic and determination that will provide our opportunities for success — and ensure them for California’s students, families and communities as well. Not a bad message to close out a term of service that began under the virtual umbrella of last year’s Annual Conference and culminated in near-perfect fashion before almost 3,000 people at the SAFE Credit Union Convention Center in Sacramento! Well done, Rich! While you stated you’ve been honored to be our president, it’s we who are grateful to have worked with you, tirelessly and without regard to what it cost you, to transform the lives of students every single day. And, as we thank you for your service — and give you props for your fantastic western wear at your president’s dinner! — we want you to know that you’re not riding into the sunset on your own just yet. As you transition into your new role as immediate past president, we’ll still be relying on your experienced scouting abilities. Your frontier spirit is alive and well … and your CASBO wagon train is right behind you!
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CASBOinsights CASBO THANKS 2021-22 BOARD, WELCOMES NEW LEADERSHIP STATE LEADERSHIP They say the third time is the charm … Turns out it’s true in our case! Finally, after three l-o-n-g years of wishing and waiting, we were at last able to side-step the pandemic for a few days to hold a normal, education-packed and funfilled Annual Conference IN PERSON! Granted, there were some new twists to our popular event that signaled a change in times — we went through vaccination screening and wore color-coded ribbons to signal our physical distance comfort levels — but other than that, it sure felt like walking through the door of a favorite friend’s home for dinner once again. And just in the nick of time, the state relaxed its mask mandate, so we actually got to SEE the thousands of smiling faces all around us, as well as gather together in the general session halls to say a proper goodbye to our 2021-22 leadership team and welcome in the new one in traditional fashion. Once again, our outgoing president was able to personally pass the gavel to the incoming leader — to see President Richard De Nava do this in person with President-Elect Diane Deshler was a welcome sight. And our awards dinner that always kicks off conference with an acknowledgment of the year in outstanding leadership was warmly awash in a happy spirit of togetherness. Pandemic notwithstanding, we’ve always managed to accomplish this seamless transition of leadership to ensure that the work of our association continues uninterrupted, but we can probably all agree that it was truly just sheer joy to see it return with its customary ceremony once again. Although it’s always bittersweet to say goodbye to our outgoing leadership team, we’re also excited to welcome the new one, and we do so with a new set of possibilities for change and the heroes who will make it happen.
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April 12, 2022 As we soar into that future, remember the words Diane left us with during her conference remarks: “Take pride in your courageous work for California students. Continue to lean into new and existing relationships for support in your job, your quest for knowledge, and in your profession. You are the building blocks for student achievement and success. All of you are Heroes for Change.” In the meantime, for their contributions to the association during another difficult year, we want to honor and thank our 2021-22 CASBO Board of Directors and Education Advocacy Foundation Board of Trustees. We offer all of you our deepest thanks for your service to CASBO, and we are grateful for your guiding presence through yet another year of pandemic challenges. We also congratulate those of you who completed your terms of service this year. You are all outstanding leaders, and we know your successors — the new and existing officers who will govern CASBO in the coming year — will only benefit by your having gone before them. Congratulations to our existing and newly elected officers for 2022-23! We are grateful for your willingness to undertake this commitment, both to CASBO and to our members as we forge ahead. Our association will look to you now to be our guides and heroes — lead on, and we’ll all follow your capes to another outstanding year!
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CASBOinsights NORTHERN, SAN DIEGO/IMPERIAL SECTIONS SEEK NEW BOARD MEMBERS SECTION LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES If you’re a CASBO Northern or San Diego/Imperial Section member who’s interested in becoming more involved in your section leadership this year, you’re in luck because both of these sections are looking for individuals who want to serve! Joining your regional section as a board member is not only personally fulfilling, it can also benefit your career by improving your leadership skills and widening your network of colleagues and business connections. Descriptions of the open positions for each section board appear below, along with resources that can help you learn more about the roles, as well as the benefits that leadership service can provide you and your local education agency. Take a look, and if any of these opportunities appeal to you, please consider applying for a section leadership position in 2022-23. Good luck to all of the applicants! Northern Section 2022-23 Open Board Positions The Northern Section has two positions available: Director II Director III Current individual members* in these categories who are located within the Northern Section are eligible to apply and serve: Organizational Subscriber Employee Members Honorary Life Members Retiree Members To learn more about these roles, you may: Contact a Northern Section board member who served in 2021-22; and/or Consult the Northern Section bylaws. To apply, please complete the application, and send it to Northern Section President Mary Kitchen no later than May 1, 2022, at mkitchen@wccusd.net. If you have any questions about the leadership appointments process, please contact Mary for further assistance. 13
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April 12, 2022 San Diego/Imperial Section 2022-23 Open Board Positions The San Diego/Imperial Section has six positions available: Director III Treasurer Secretary Chair, Risk Management Professional Council Chair, Technology Professional Council Chair, Transportation Professional Council Current individual members* in these categories who are located within the San Diego/Imperial Section are eligible to apply and serve: Organizational Subscriber Employee Members Honorary Life Members Retiree Members To learn more about these roles, you may: Contact a San Diego/Imperial Section board member who served in 2021-22; and/or Consult the San Diego/Imperial Section board position descriptions. To apply, please complete the application, and send it to San Diego/Imperial Section President Barbara Thiss no later than April 29, 2022, at bthiss@sdcoe.net. If you have any questions about the leadership appointments process, please contact Barbara for further assistance.
*Not a CASBO member? Join or renew today!
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LEADERSHIPtrends HOW TO MOTIVATE YOUR TEAM WHEN PEOPLE KEEP QUITTING LEADERSHIP INSIGHT When teammates leave, it can have a ripple effect. How can you help mitigate further attrition and keep everyone motivated and engaged when someone quits? Harvard Business Review’s Rebecca Zucker and Dina Smith offer some good strategies. Create terra firma The human brain was not built for the amount of uncertainty we’re facing in our personal and professional lives, write social psychologist Heidi Grant and EY Americas CEO Tal Goldhamer. With an unclear end to the pandemic and ever-changing shifts in the business landscape, customer and employee expectations, and work arrangements, it can feel like the ground is continually shifting underneath our feet. To counter this, create certainty for your team wherever you can. If you have no plans to leave the organization, make that clear. You might say, “Just so you know, I don’t have any plans to leave. I will be here for you.” Solicit feedback to assess individual and collective capacity Check in with your team members regularly to understand what work they currently have on their plates. This will give you a sense of how you might rebalance some of the work among team members, as well as what your team’s collective capacity is at any given time. Their feedback will also increase your visibility into their workload, which may require you to adjust your expectations about what can realistically be accomplished. And, if necessary, it will help you make a stronger case to your boss for additional resources, given your team goals. Enable autonomy Once you and your team have aligned on collective goals, allow them to decide how, when and where they complete their work. When people feel in control and that they have a choice, they are more motivated and experience higher well-being.
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April 12, 2022 Give your team permission to push back Let your team members know it’s OK to say “no” and question deadlines. Invite them to challenge your assumptions and tell you how much time something that “seems simple” will actually take to accomplish the work requested. Shield your team While good leaders should typically protect their teams from unrealistic or low-priority requests, it’s more essential than ever now, when there are fewer people to bear the same workload. Create connection Tackling big challenges together and knowing others have your back can build morale. Aim to foster a “we’re in it together” ethos where team members pitch in to help each other.
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LEADERSHIPtrends APPLYING THE LAWS OF PHYSICS TO YOUR PSYCHE PERSONAL GROWTH We all want to feel motivated and get unstuck from whatever’s holding us back. The question, of course, is how! At a certain point, rest creates inertia, and it’s here where many can benefit from deploying a psychological concept called “behavioral activation” to get out of that state, says Brad Stulberg for The New York Times. First developed in the 1970s by the clinical psychologist Peter Lewinsohn as a way to help people work through depression, apathy and negative moods, behavioral activation is based on the idea that action can create motivation, especially when you’re in a rut. The challenge with behavioral activation is mustering enough energy to start acting on the things that matter to you: making that phone call, scheduling that walk with friends, writing that email, starting that creative project, etc. This may sound simple, but when you’re languishing, simple does not mean easy! But a mindset shift can be a powerful tool. When you feel down, unmotivated or apathetic, you can give yourself permission to have those feelings … just be sure not to dwell on them or take them as your final destiny. Instead, shift your focus to getting started with your plans, taking your feelings — whatever they may be — along for the ride. Doing so will give you the best chance at improving your mood. It can be helpful to think of this initial oomph as activation energy. Sometimes we need more, and sometimes we need less. For many of us, even the little things require more these days, and that’s OK. It won’t be like this forever. If anything, the more we get going, the easier it will become. Just as rest and languishing can create inertia that builds on itself, action and energy can be self-reinforcing. It just takes some extra work to overcome the initial stasis and friction — it can feel like the laws of physics apply to our psyches, too.
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Leading With Confidence
May 20, 2022 9:00 - 11:00 a.m. Online Learn More & Register Register by May 11
with Keynote Speaker Ginny Clarke ANNUAL CONFERENCE
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LEADERSHIPtrends THREE REASONS WHY INTELLECTUAL HUMILITY IS GOOD FOR YOU THIS WEEK'S LIST Recognizing that some of your beliefs may be inaccurate can help you learn more and build better relationships, according to Tyrone Sgambati for the Greater Good Science Center. The science of intellectual humility is growing rapidly, and researchers are beginning to find that this kind of humility has far-reaching benefits, ranging from how we approach learning and respond to failures to how we perceive, and are perceived by, people who are different from us. Here are just a few ways this mindset can work in your favor. 1. It helps you learn new things. A series of five studies recently published in the journal “Learning and Individual Differences” found a strong association between students’ intellectual humility and mastery behaviors in the classroom. The study authors believe these findings may be explained by one potential driver of intellectual humility: curiosity. Building on prior evidence, they suggest that people who are intellectually humble may be more genuinely curious and interested in learning, so they are more likely to persist in the face of failure and seek out challenges. 2. It makes you more likely to investigate further when confronted with opposing views and false information. A study recently published in “Social Psychological and Personality Science” found that intellectually humble people presented with false headlines about COVID-19, such as “mask wearing can be dangerous and ineffective,” were more likely to spend time fact-checking the headline or reading more about the source of the headline. 3 . It might improve your relationships. The benefits of intellectual humility don’t end with how we approach and evaluate knowledge; they may also improve our relationships. Think of it this way: Would you rather have a conversation with someone who is adamant they’re right, with no regard for the quality of their evidence or their limitations, or have one with someone who takes those things into consideration and is open to the possibility they are wrong? What about engaging with someone who sees no value in your opinions and beliefs? Would you expect them to have your best interests in mind? Although it may not be immediately obvious, the link between the two makes a lot of sense, and research has documented that there is a connection between intellectual humility and “prosocial” qualities like empathy and altruism. 19
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Plan Ahead: Organizational Subscriptions Renew July 1, 2022
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April 12, 2022
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