Symposium 2012: Tuesday

Going Green: A Case Study

Robert Oxenburgh, Director of Finance & Business Operations, The Athenian School

Hear from one school in how being green has a substantial positive impact on bottom line and required zero investment. Learn the steps taken to achieve this including buy-in from the head of school and board. See charts for power, gas, water and waste use which will dramatically show a savings of 50% in these operational costs over 5 years; the equivalent to an endowment of $1.5 million.

Maintaining Financial Equilibrium in Today's Economic Environment

Elizabeth Jick, Managing Director, Zions Bank
André F. Perold, Managing Director, HighVista Strategies

The challenges independent schools face in maintaining financial equilibrium are currently particularly acute. As schools grapple with raising tuition and increased demands on donors, prudent management of endowment funds has become paramount. Learn more about managing portfolio risk and liquidity through turbulent times.

Independent School Accounting and Financial Reporting

Bared Dilacar, CPA, Audit Partner, Stanislawski & Harrison, CPAs
Alan Harrison, CPA, Audit Partner, Stanislawski & Harrison, CPAs

The constant stream of new accounting and disclosure requirements can be overwhelming. Hear about recently enacted accounting and disclosure requirements, as well as a variety of special financial issues that frequently affect our schools. Discuss alternative investments and fair value reporting, functional expenses, accounting for leases, mergers, and acquisitions, and financial presentation.

Get in Shape: Preparing for Accreditation in the Business Office

Suzanne Bogdan, Attorney, Fisher & Phillips
Jeff Fearn, Chief Financial Officer, Jewish Community High School of the Bay
Nancy Greene, Chief Financial Officer, Bolles School
Bill Keslar, President, Building Solutions
Bill Rollings, President, School Office Services

Accreditation every five years or every ten years takes an inordinate amount of time of your entire business office. What should the business officer role be in the accreditation process beyond collecting data for the report? How can you make this initiative as efficient as possible? Learn how to take the results and use them to benchmark your future growth. Hear what the accreditation entities currently view as the most important issues in their accreditation process. Hear about interviews with accreditation entities and get checklists that you can take home with you and adapt for your accreditation process.

What Type of Financing is Best for Your School?

Kevin G. Quinn, President, Wye River Group, Incorporated

More financing alternatives exist today than ever before, and the broad range of options can make for a complex decision-making process for a school embarking on a debt financing. Hear about major debt financing alternatives, and the advantages, disadvantages, and relative costs of each. Discover a decision-making matrix for relating a prospective borrower's needs, objectives, and constraints to your alternatives. Discuss topics regarding the direct purchase of tax-exempt bonds by commercial banks, interest rate swap "novations," credit facility extensions and replacements, and the evolving role of the business officer in managing and reacting to increasingly complex forms of financing.

Taking Facilities From Good to Great: A Culture of Excellence in Facilities Management

Nick Mirisis, Director of Business Development, SchoolDude

Most of us believe we have a good facilities operation. But how do we measure good...or great? Have we looked at our processes and ensured they are as efficient as possible? As budgets continue to tighten and we are expected to "do more with less" we must constantly assess how we operate and look to improve.

Cost Control: Consolidating Electronic Payments and Staying PCI Compliant

Katherine Novikov, CEO, Diamond Mind Inc.

Hear two case studies outlining best practices in consolidating electronic payments campus-wide for cost control and Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS) compliance. Understand electronic payments pricing and how to manage costs down. Learn ways to eliminate redundancies in order to streamline, consolidate, and reduce costs. Gain an understanding of Payment Card Industry (PCI) standards, rules, and responsibilities.

Movement to the Digital Classroom

Gonzalo Garcia, Dean of Students and Director of Technology & Advanced Media, South Kent School
Anthony Pfister, CEO, ClassBook.com

Learn about one school's transition to the iPad and the complete elimination of its traditional paper textbooks. The school is teaching through the iPad and everything is digital for the 2011-12 school year. Learn how the school worked through the distribution and adoption model to make this a reality. Examine infrastructure planning, eReader decision making, locating digital versions of textbooks, faculty buy-in, costs, pitfalls, and actual results from the first six months.

Legal and Fiscal Technology Essentials Update

Katie Koestner, Executive Director of Campus Outreach Services

The Trustee Dashboard

Jim Pugh, James Pugh & Associates
Marc Levinson, Principal, Independent School Solutions

The board and school administrators regularly review key data, such as enrollment, admissions, development, and finances. How do you collect all of this information and present it clearly? Trustees from a dozen different schools were asked what they would like to receive in the way of financial reporting. This is the composite result of the research, along with sample financial charts that any school can use to look at its operational health.

IRS Compliance Project on Higher Ed: Are Independent Schools Next?

James Sweeney, National Lead, Exempt Organizations Technical Tax Services, McGladrey & Pullen, LLP

IRS is focused on the education industry with its recent colleges and universities interim report, and a final report forthcoming (which should be issued by Feb. 2012). This interim report houses valuable information that all business officers should be aware of and will assist those who perform operational reviews to ensure that their ‘house is in order' in case the IRS tags you for a field audit. Hear valuable information related to compensation practices, related parties, gaming issues, and UBIT.

The Magic Binder: Preparing for Your Audit

Susan C. Hansen, Vice President, Finance, Marist School

What you do during the year could make all the difference for your audit. Learn what the relationship should be with your auditor and how to ensure you are getting the best audit each year. Hear what an audit is really for and how to talk the auditor talk. If you are looking for an auditor, what are some key things to look for and explore before hiring?

Innovative, But Illegal: Wage and Hour Misconceptions

Janet K. Peddy, Director of Finance, Planning and Operations, The Webb Schools
Donna Williamson, Partner, Liebert Cassidy Whitmore

Payments for coaches, parents who both work/volunteer at school, staff with off-the-clock hours, and additional payments for aides who attend overnight trips all make compensation law one of the most perplexing fields out there. Knowing the rules when it comes to the Fair Labor Standards Act can help you take advantage of the creativity that is legally available and keep you out of the creative solutions that are impermissible. Identify the risks schools face everyday and provide creative solutions that are within the boundaries of the law and your school's culture.

Tread Lightly: Creating a Sustainability Plan for Your School and Campus

Clayton Lewis, Head of School, Washington International School
Tom Spies, Principal, Hord Coplan Macht
Peter Winebrenner, Principal, Hord Coplan Macht

How can you integrate sustainable practices into your culture and operations, offering a new and innovative way of thinking, and ultimately address sustainability as a hallmark component of the school's mission and curriculum? Examine a wide range of sustainable practices, from capital building projects to curriculum components. Discover how to evaluate your school and campus, and develop a sustainability plan that fits your specific needs.