Goldmines |
Wednesday, 3:00 - 4:30 PM |
Based on the concept of speed-dating, Goldmines are a fast-paced, fun way to learn more about your profession. There are a number of 15-minute sessions running simultaneously on a variety of topics. When the bell rings, head for a table, sit down, listen, and ask questions. When the bell rings again, move on to the next topic, and repeat.
Tuning Up – How to Get the Most from Your Long-Term Disability Insurance Plan
Bill Amos, Senior Consultant at ISM (Wilmington, DE) & Director of Administration of the Independent School Group Insurance Trust, will explain the most common plan designs used by schools for long-term disability, review the fine print that many people don't read or understand, discuss pros and cons of optional provisions, and explain the taxability of LTD benefits.
Money in the Bank – Prepaid Tuition Plans
Darlene Blakeney, Director of Finance & Operations at Hanahau'oli School (Honolulu, HI), will share her school's prepaid tuition agreement, which allows grandparents and others to avoid gift tax by prepaying tuition to the school, as well as IRS documentation and related articles about prepaid tuition.
Don't Go Out of Bounds – Compensating Coaches
Heather Broadwater, Associate at Venable LLP (Washington, DC), will discuss best practices in compensating coaches, including how to decide whether to classify a coach as an employee or an independent contractor and how to determine if a coach is exempt or non-exempt from FLSA.
No Such Thing as Free Rent? Faculty Housing and the IRS
Neil Fanelli, Vice President of Finance at CFS, The School at Church Farm (Paoli, PA), will review the IRS's three-part test for determining if school-provided lodging is excludable from an employee's taxable income and discuss what happened when his school was audited.
After SOX – Best Practices for Your Audit Committee
Jeff Fearn, Chief Financial and Administrative Officer at Jewish Community High School of the Bay (San Francisco, CA) will review the rationale behind having an audit committee and will share sample policies, including an audit committee charter and whistle blower policy.
Take It With You – What You Need in an Evacuation Kit
Could your Business Office continue to function during an unexpected, prolonged closure of your campus? Bill Gahagan, Business Manager at The Louise S. McGehee School (New Orleans, LA), will discuss the contents of his Business Office evacuation kit, which was developed after his school's experience with Hurricane Katrina.
Streamlined Cash Management – Electronic Alternatives
Nancy Greene, Assistant Head for Business and Finance at Saint Edward's School (Vero Beach, FL), will discuss electronic alternatives to better manage cash, including check scanning for deposits, online payment for both A/R and A/P, and web-based statements and reminders.
TIAA-CREF's Advisory Board – An Update
Bill Hodgetts, Assistant Head of School for Finance and Operations at Garrison Forest School (Owings Mill, MD), will discuss his experiences as the independent school representative on TIAA-CREF's Advisory Board, including recent topics of discussion.
Be Prepared – Lockdown Procedures
Paul Ibsen, Assistant Headmaster for Finance & Management at Providence Day School (Charlotte, NC), will share his school's lockdown procedures, discuss how the procedures were developed, and explain how the school practices a lockdown.
How Does Your School Compare? Benchmarking
Kathy Layendecker, Chief Financial Officer at Oregon Episcopal School (Portland, OR), will discuss what to consider in selecting schools for a comparison group and will review the various benchmarks she uses to evaluate her school's progress on key financial initiatives.
Know Your Employees – Best Practices in Background Checks
Julie Maddux, Business Development Manager for Global Academic Verifications and Background Screening at Kroll (Nashville, TN), will review best practices in conducting background screening on prospective employees, including which background checks are imperative, and common oversights by employers.
Tipping the Scale – Transparent and Fair Faculty Compensation
Todd McCreight, Business Officer at Bullis School (Potomac, MD), will discuss the process through which Bullis designed and implemented a faculty salary scale, discuss their philosophy of complete transparency, and provide the scale with the promotional criteria at each level.
Simplifying A/P – Purchase Cards at Work
Chuck McCullagh, Chief Financial Officer at The Williston Northampton School (Easthampton, MA), will discuss how purchase cards can streamline the purchasing and payables process by allowing faculty to make purchases on their own and by consolidating purchasing information electronically.
Checking In – Keeping Track of Visitors
Elise Murphy, Assistant Head for Finance and Operations at The Lamplighter School (Dallas, TX), will discuss their system to register visitors so the school knows at all times who is on campus. The system allows the school to instantly check visitors against a national sex offender database and to print badges with visitors' names and photos.
Priceless – Accept Credit Cards for Tuition in a Cost Neutral Manner
Katherine Novikov, CEO of Diamond Mind Business Services (Rockville, MD), will discuss the recent changes that allow schools to pass along service fees on credit card charges, the Card Industry Rules on how this can be done, and how these changes can translate into acceptance of credit cards for tuition payments.
Implementing a Health Savings Account
Mary Lou Orr, Business Manager at San Francisco Friends School (San Francisco, CA), will discuss her school's reasons for offering Health Savings Accounts, including how the HSA can assist in retirement, how it helps employees to manage their healthcare costs, and the savings generated for both employees and the school.
Do Your Homework – Head's Compensation and Rebuttable Presumption
The IRS prohibits payment of excess compensation to certain individuals employed by nonprofit organizations, including independent schools. Caryn Pass, Partner at Venable LLP (Washington, DC) will review the factors to consider in establishing comparable data when setting salaries and the standards for documenting the rebuttable presumption.
Behind the PPRRSM – Creating a Maintenance Schedule
Kathy Peters, Chief Financial Officer at Phoenix Country Day School (Paradise Valley, AZ), will share her experience in taking information about the school's facilities and turning it into a useful planning tool detailing a five-year maintenance schedule and associated costs.
Crystal Clear – Enhanced Financial Reporting
Bill Prather, Business Manager at Thacher School (Ojai, CA), will demonstrate software that integrates with Excel to create animated spreadsheets, including imbedded graphs and charts that update as cells change, and explain how he uses this software to improve his reports to the Board.
Teach Your Board – Financial Orientation for Trustees
Jim Pugh, Business Manager at Brooks School (North Andover, MA), will discuss the key concepts and financial overview he gives to new Board members each September.
Asking Hard Questions – Financial Sustainability
Linda Riff, Director of Finance and Operations at Drew School (San Francisco, CA), will discuss how Drew's Board of Trustees and administration used NAIS's Financing Sustainable Schools as the basis for a year-long project to investigate financial sustainability for the school.
Going Abroad – Tips on International Travel for Students
Alan Stifelman, Business Manager at Buckingham Friends School (Lahaska, PA), will discuss best practices in planning international travel and will share sample forms, including a checklist to be used in planning such travel.
Reduce Your Footprint – Carbon Neutral Campuses
Tom Spies, Jim Determan, and John Morrel of CSD Architects will discuss fifty strategies designed to lead to a 50% reduction of fossil fuel consumption in your buildings by 2010.
Think Globally and Act Locally – The Green Schools Alliance
Harris Stein, Business Manager at Allen-Stevenson School (New York, NY), will discuss the efforts of the Green Schools Alliance to apply the idea of a purchasing consortium to purchase power agreements that use renewable resources such as solar and wind power, and will explain the challenges and opportunities GSA has encountered.
Independent Contractor or Employee – One School's Story
Richard Swindell, Controller at Sidwell Friends School (Washington, DC) recounts his experience when the IRS reviewed one of the school's employee-independent contractor relationships, and the lessons he learned.
