FiscalShare

The Money Grab

A recent video accuses “special interests” and “school district insiders” of trying to get their hands on money intended for high needs students. Sigh. Let’s stop using charged words when important decisions about the future of education are at stake. The terms “insiders” and “special interests” are derogatory. They imply that teachers and district officials are trying to hoodwink parents. Seemingly, if you

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Governmental Cost Recovery

I have heard the mantra again and again “we don’t make a profit” meaning, if we charge for services it’s only on a cost recovery basis. Yet I just read that Inyo COE charges a flat 7% to its charter schools for providing business services. If a charter school now receives significantly more funding under the Local Control Funding Formula,

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Professional Development: it’s Tricky (Woo)

I recently saw a coaching app that uses the slogan “closing the accountability gap”. It is an app designed to be used by professional athletes and their coaches. This really resonated with me. In education we talk about various types of gaps. Achievement gaps and opportunity gaps are mentioned in terms of what we adults are not providing to

December 22, 2013 Short URLaccountability, Achievement gaps, all creatures great and small, best practice, career development, coaching, corporate training, education, employee engagement, employment, government, hiring, james herriot, professional development, school district, school district business, staff development, training, training program, tricky-woo, work, workshopsCareer Development, Management, Public Schools, School District Jobs

‘Tis the Season for…the 14-15 Budget

The California Budget Project has posted a useful article on the 14-15 budget debate, which begins with the release of the Governor’s budget on or before January 10. Also of interest on the CBP blog is their post on the budget process. And when I say that these links are useful and interesting, I mean that

December 20, 2013 Short URLanalysis, analyst, budget, budget analyst, California, career development, employee engagement, employment, government, governor's budget, hiring, local control funding formula, public education, public school finance, public schools, school district, school district business, school districts, school finance, workFinance, Government, Local Control Funding Formula, Management, Public Schools, School District Jobs

Parallel Structure, or Why the Bullet is Your Friend

So you’re pursuing a job in finance. Question: How much writing will you need to do? Answer: More than you might think. It is a given that you know something about finance, or you would never have been hired in the first place. However, as you progess in your career you will find more of

December 18, 2013 Short URLbullets, e-mail, English, microsoft powerpoint, parallel construction, powerpoint, powerpoint presentation, presentations, resume, writing, writing tipsCareer Development, Management, Public Schools, School District Jobs

Winners, Losers and Political Sausage

When I attended the Edsource Symposium last May, the head of the state board of Education, Michael Kirst, got a bit testy when audience members started asking pointed questions about “winners and losers“. Paraphrasing broadly, he said to forget the past funding formula. It is over. Stop comparing yourselves to others and stop talking about

December 15, 2013 Short URLCalifornia, Edsource Symposium, education, Education Code, government, lcff, local control funding formula, Management, Michael Kirst, public education, public school finance, public schools, school financeLocal Control Funding Formula

The Long and the Short of It

Or, Don’t Use Your Credit Card to Buy Groceries (and Don’t use Bonds to Buy Technology) I was walking by Fort Point in San Francisco (you’ll know the spot from Hitchcock’s “Vertigo”). I fell into conversation with a guy who, by coincidence, was a new customer at the bank where I worked. He went on to

December 6, 2013 Short URLbonds, California, capitalization, capitalized equipment, common core, computers, finance, finance techniques, government, information technology, LA Unified, on-line testing, parcel tax, problem solving, public education, public finance, public school finance, school district business, school districts, school finance, standardized tests, technology iPads, testing, testsGovernment, Management, Public Schools

What Does it Take to Get Fired?

Sometimes, Not Much The article Fatal IT Distractions lists mistakes that will lead to immediate dismissal in the IT world: things like forgetting to back up data nightly or not testing your disaster recovery plan prior to a disaster. This made me ponder. What will get you fired in the world of school finance? I am not talking about obvious offenses

December 5, 2013 Short URLcalculation, conflict of interest, disaster recovery plan, dismissals, employment, Excel, fired, government, hiring, IT mistakes, jobs, Management, revenue calculations, school bonds, school district, school district business, spreadsheets, tax rate, unemploymentCareer Development, Excel, Finance, Management, School District Jobs

School Construction Law:

In Brief Lozano Smith recently posted this video on YouTube, covering changes in California school construction law. Do you need to watch it? Unless you are directly managing school district facilities and construction, probably not. But school finance leaders do need to be aware of new laws that affect their direct reports. So to save you and hour, here’s what

December 5, 2013 Short URLbidding, contractors, DSA, government, prequalification, public education, regulations, school construction, school district, subcontractorsSchool Construction

Schrödinger’s Excel

Or, how to be deadly and awesome at the same time Is Excel good or bad? It is both. Are you good at Excel or bad at it? Probably both. Excel is extraordinary. In the wrong hands it also can be a disaster, Excel is just a tool, like a chisel. It is inspiring in the hands of a skilled carpenter and murderous in

November 25, 2013 Short URLaccounting, analysis, business, candidate, data, Excel, fiscal, Herb Kelleher, hiring, job candidate, Management, Microsoft, Schrodinger, spreadsheet software, testing, workAccounting, Excel, Finance, Government, Management

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