Educational Articles

Member Spotlight: Angéle Latham, Treasurer/CFO, Cleveland Heights-University Heights City Schools

By Angéle Latham posted 3 days ago
How many years have you been in the school business profession? Ten years! How did you first learn about and then become involved in the school business profession? I first learned of the school business profession when I was working in higher education. I recall my manager at that time informing me he was leaving to become the Assistant ...
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Economic Development Agreements: A Strategic Approach for School Districts

By Charles Wise posted 3 days ago
by Charlie Wise, Senior Vice President, and David Tiggett, Managing Director, Keybanc Public Finance Economic development agreements—such as Tax Increment Financing (TIF), tax abatements, and Community Reinvestment Areas (CRA)—are designed to attract investment and stimulate growth. However, these incentives often come with positive and negative ...
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Incorporating EMIS Data into Your Onboarding and Offboarding Process

By Julie Erwin posted 5 days ago
Welcoming new employees and ensuring smooth departures are essential components of school district operations. Detailed onboarding and offboarding checklists are one of the most effective tools to ensure consistency, support positive employee experience and provide for transitions in the business office. At a recent EMIS seminar, it was emphasized ...
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Member Spotlight: Jill Bradford, Treasurer/CFO, Walnut Township Local Schools

By Jill Bradford posted 17 days ago
How many years have you been in the school business profession? 23 years How did you first learn about and then become involved in the school business profession? I began my career at the district I graduated from, working as a library aide and assistant treasurer. During that time, Pat Williard from ODEW visited to assist our newly hired ...
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Onboarding New Board Members: The Treasurer/CFO’s role

By William Blakely posted 17 days ago
As a treasurer/CFO, one of the most important responsibilities during an election year is helping onboard new board members. This process provides a valuable opportunity to share essential information and to build relationships, clarify roles, and set the stage for effective collaboration. While the superintendent also plays a critical role in onboarding, ...
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Honoring Scott Gooding

By Todd Puster posted 21 days ago
I am honored to share that my fellow OASBO Past President Scott Gooding received the 2025 Distinguished Eagle Award at the Association of School Business Officials (ASBO) Annual Conference & Expo in Fort Worth, Texas. It was great to see Scott stand before nearly 1,000 conference attendees to receive this prestigious national award. All OASBO ...
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Member Spotlight: Andrew Pizzulo, Treasurer, Educational Service Center of Northeast Ohio

By Andrew Pizzulo posted 30 days ago
How many years have you been in the school business profession? Ten years! How did you first learn about and then become involved in the school business profession? I was at a career fair at Youngstown State University and took an internship with the Ohio Auditor of State. After 5 years with AOS, I joined Akron Public Schools as the accountant. ...
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Are COPs the Right Tool for Your District—or a Payment Plan You’ll Regret?

By Dan Schall posted 10-17-2025
Lease purchases and Certificates of Participation (COPs) have gained popularity as financing methods for school districts to address capital needs. COPs are a form of lease financing where a district makes payments that ultimately result in district ownership of the asset or improvements. These financing tools can help districts manage cash flow, fund ...
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The Certificate of Transition: Your Fiscal Operations Playbook

By Rhonda Feasel posted 10-16-2025
The Certificate of Transition: Your Fiscal Operations Playbook The Certificate of Transition is more than a formality—it’s the backbone of continuity in your district’s fiscal operations. It is an official record and inventory of the treasurer’s office responsibilities, accounts, and access points. It is intended to facilitate a smooth and efficient ...
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Ideas for Managing Workplace Stress

By Rejeana Woolum-Napier posted 10-15-2025
Stress is a growing concern across many industries, as it can impact not only workers’ well-being but also their safety and productivity in the workplace. It affects employees in several ways, including their mental and physical health, staying focused on the job at hand, and maintaining awareness of their surroundings. Whether stress comes from our ...
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Member Spotlight: Kyle Kiffer, Treasurer/CFO, Nordonia Hills City Schools

By Kyle Kiffer posted 10-07-2025
How many years have you been in the school business profession? Eight years! How did you first learn about and then become involved in the school business profession? While working for the Ohio Auditor of State’s Office, I found that I most enjoyed auditing public schools. My conversations with treasurer clients during that time sparked ...
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School Transportation: Best Practices for Ensuring Safety, Efficiency and Excellence

By William Andexler posted 10-06-2025
Yellow bus transportation is one of the most visible and vital services that school districts provide. It is also one of the most complex, requiring strict adherence to state and federal regulations, efficient route planning, precise scheduling, accurate reporting, and careful fleet maintenance while keeping student safety at the forefront. Every ...
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Staying Organized: Checklists for Every Season

By Rhonda Feasel posted 10-06-2025
Staying organized is the key to managing the many responsibilities of a school district treasurer. Checklists are practical, easy-to-follow reminders to help treasurers stay on top of daily, monthly, and year-end tasks. Staying on Track: Checklists for Every Season The role of a school district treasurer requires juggling daily responsibilities ...
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Develop a School Safety Inspection Checklist

By Rejeana Woolum-Napier posted 10-03-2025
Developing a safety inspection checklist for your school is a great way to reduce or eliminate hazards and help ensure the safety of students and employees. The first step in developing a checklist is to perform a hazard assessment. A hazard assessment will help identify the dangers associated with a specific department or functional area. You can perform ...
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Member Spotlight: Jamie Mullet, Treasurer/CFO, West Holmes Local Schools

By Jamie Mullet posted 09-24-2025
How many years have you been in the school business profession? 23 years How did you first learn about and then become involved in the school business profession? I come from a family of educators and school employees with a grandfather who was a school board member for over 20 years. What is your proudest career accomplishment? ...
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A Grassroots Effort to Build Legislative Relationships

By Katie Hoffmeister posted 09-22-2025
What began as a casual conversation at the Shared Services Alliance “Newish Treasurers” meeting quickly became a coordinated advocacy effort I was privileged to lead alongside the brave treasurers of Portage County. We knew this budget season wasn’t one to sit out! More importantly, we needed to make our voices heard. During the OASBO Annual Conference, ...
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Creative Ideas to Grow School Breakfast (and Your Reimbursements)

By Shannon Amos posted 09-19-2025
As students head back to school this year, many are finding school breakfast and lunch available to them at no cost. While some schools have offered free meals for students for a number of years, the popularity of the federal Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) has significantly increased the number of schools offering no-cost meals. CEP is available ...
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Ohio’s New Cybersecurity Requirements: What Schools Need to Know

By Andrew Thornton posted 09-08-2025
By Andrew Thornton, Director of Sales, DataServ A New Cybersecurity Mandate for Ohio Schools Ohio’s new cybersecurity law, included in the biennial budget House Bill 96 (HB96), has been a hot topic in recent months. The new requirements add clear, statewide expectations for local government organizations, including public school districts, ...
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Real World Example: Impact of A Veto Override on Sidney City School District

By Ernie Strawser posted 08-29-2025
by Ernie Strawser, Senior Advisor, Analytics Frontline Education Background Sidney School District voters have authorized a fixed-sum levy and a school district income tax on top of their current fixed-rate operating levies of 20 mills. Governor DeWine vetoed budget language to eliminate fixed sum levies, and instead proposed a committee ...
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Frequent Flyer Miles and Similar Rewards Programs: An Overview of OEC Advisory Opinion No. 2025-02

By Brooke Hewlett posted 08-29-2025
The Ohio Ethics Commission (the “Commission”) issued Advisory Opinion No. 2025-02 (the “Opinion”) on August 4, 2025, clarifying whether public officials and employees may personally use frequent flyer miles or other rewards points, including credit card rewards and hotel points, accrued during official business or travel. Ultimately, the Opinion removes ...
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