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From the Executive Director:
Dear Colleagues,
Two weeks ago I wrote from cold and snowy Colorado. This week I spent some time in Atlanta where it is sunny and beautiful, though a very busy city with the NCAA Final Four finals, the PGA Masters Tournament, the Atlanta Braves kicking off their season and more - tough to find a car or a hotel this week. I also visited with groups of schools in Tennessee, Florida, and Virginia during this time, missing the Colorado spring storm that brought another foot of snow and much-needed moisture.
I am fortunate to be asked to speak at independent school conferences around the country (and the world). Much of the content for these presentations over the past couple of years has been about financial sustainability for our schools. What does the financial model look like for an independent school? Is it sustainable? What changes should we/could we make going forward to ensure our sustainability? These types of questions have no easy answers and are typically different for each school. I am currently reading Mind The Gap: An insider's irreverent look at private school finances and management-with a Lesson for Government and Industry, Too! by Dr. Richard Soghoian, Headmaster at Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School (CGPS) in New York City. The title may give you a clue about the content of the book. Dr. Soghoian has been very successful over a 30 year tenure leading this school - one of his 'secrets' which he discusses is the fact CGPS charges 'what it costs' to attend the school. Read that again: what it costs to attend the school. Tuition pays the full cost of a student's education. There is essentially no annual fund and any voluntary contributions are used primarily for capital projects. Oh, by the way - they also have NO debt! I recommend you read the book if you are interested in a different, but in my opinion, very practical idea to independent school finance. If your school has a unique or interesting independent school financial model, I would like to hear about it - please contact me at marclevinson@misbo.com.
MISBO is preparing the program for our 2013 Annual Conference - The Global Future: Preparing Students and Shaping Schools - that will be held in Atlanta October 27-29. We will again partner with SAIS to present this program, but with a different format than last year. Sunday will begin with SAIS programming and conclude with a joint welcome reception Sunday evening. Monday's programming is designed for all independent school leaders and this day will be an overlap of both MISBO and SAIS oriented programming. Tuesday we will continue with a day devoted to MISBO issues. Of course, all attendees (from either MISBO or SAIS) are welcome to join any session, on any day. We are also still accepting proposals for speakers for breakout sessions and we would like to hear from you. Please click HERE for more information. The deadline for submissions is April 30th.
I always give MISBO groups the highest priority when scheduling my speaking engagements. If your group is interested, please feel free to contact me. I am always excited to visit groups of MISBO member schools.
Sincerely,
Marc
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FISBO/MISBO Conference
Hurry - Early Bird Registration ends April 19th! The FISBO/MISBO Conference is May 5-7 in Jacksonville, FL hosted by The Bolles School. The conference is open to all current FISBO, FCIS, and MISBO members at the member cost of $250. After April 19th, the member cost is $295. Post-Conference Event Added
As a result of current events, and the request by schools for a session about school safety and security, we have added a Post Conference program for the afternoon - beginning at the conclusion of the FISBO Annual Meeting. The post-conference event will begin at 12:30 on May 7th with a lunch and cracker barrel discussion and then proceed into the campus security program.
Do not miss our Keynote Speaker - Pat Bassett, President, NAIS - "25 Factors That Great Schools Have in Common." Learn more and register at www.misbo.com/fisbo. |
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Spring Webinar Series
Welcome to our Spring Webinar Series:
Federal Health Care Reform (ACA): A Step By Step Guide to Complying with the Employer Mandate
Date: April 17, 2013 at 2:00 pm ET
Presenter: David Shore, Vice President, Employee Benefits Practice Leader, Borislow Insurance
Description: As a result of federal health care reform, there's an acute need to understand the financial, total rewards, workforce and administrative issues facing independent schools. During this ACA update we will review the latest guidance on the employer shared responsibility provisions; clearing up the confusion around transitional relief, while learning how to: 1) calculate full-time equivalent employees, 2) identify penalties for non-compliance, 3) identify/execute available safe harbors, 4) establish look-back measurement period methods for on-going employees and new variable/seasonal employees). Our focus will be on strategy development - culminating in a step by step walk-through for complying with the employer mandate.
Click here to register.
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NEW Business Officer Intensive
MISBO's upcoming NEW Business Officer Intensive is an intense, two-day workshop designed for the NEW Business Officer with 5 years or fewer in their role and is hosted by Woodward Academy, June 9-11, 2013.
The New Business Officer Intensive will provide a variety of programs, best practices and perspectives presented by veterans of the business office about Human Resource and Employment Law, Financial Planning and Budgeting, Governance and Board Relations, Risk Management, Technology and much more!
Think of how the role of the Business Officer has changed... have you kept up? Are you considering a career change or advancement? Are you new to a school environment? If so, this program and its cost cannot be beat!
Learn more and register at www.misbo.com/intensive.
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Electronic Resources Trial Sites
ATTN: MISBO Librarians and Media Specialists
MISBO offers its members the opportunity to order their electronic resources through a simplified process, and with attractive discounts! Please visit our website (and choose Electronic Resources from the product category) for a current list of vendors with whom we work and the new and exciting products they are offering. Ordering through MISBO saves you time and money! Have your librarian, media specialist, curriculum director or technology director view the options we have. If you have questions, please contact diannesagaas@misbo.com for complete details.
To make your purchasing decisions easier, we have developed a web page filled with Electronic Database trial sites. Please use this link to access the page. We will continue to post new trial sites as they become available, so please check back often.
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1640 Powers Ferry Road, SE
Building 20, Suite 20
Marietta, GA 30067
Phone - 404.921.3810
Fax - 404.921.3816
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Annual Conference
We are currently seeking speaking proposals for our 2013 annual conference. MISBO and SAIS will be hosting overlapping conferences at the Marriott Conference Center in Atlanta, GA. Please visit our conference page for more details.
Mark your calendars now for October 27-29!
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MISBO Calling
In the next several weeks, you will be receiving a call to verify and complete the information we have on file for each of our member schools. Upgrading our membership database system has been a fantastic benefit, now we need to fill it.
We can better serve our members by having the most up to date information.
Thank you!
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Updated FMLA Poster
On February 5, the Department of Labor issued a mandatory change to the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) posting.
The deadline to display the updated posting was
March 8, 2013.
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Login Reminder
Please note that if you're having trouble logging into the MISBO member portal there are links provided to help you with a forgotten username and/or password.
If you are logging in for the first time, your username is your email address and your temporary password is MISBO.
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