Led by experienced School Business Administrators, meet and participate in professional discussions relative to the work of School Business Administrators, as well as how to make the most of this year's conference. This breakfast is intended for new SBAs and is by invitation only.

Massachusetts Secretary of Education, Dr. Patrick Tutwiler, is a lifelong educator and dedicated advocate for equity in public education with a career spanning from classroom teacher to district superintendent. Dr. Tutwiler has consistently focused on ensuring that every student, regardless of background, has access to a high-quality education. Under his leadership, as Massachusetts Secretary of Education, Dr. Tutwiler has spearheaded several key initiatives:

• Early Literacy Enhancement: Launched the "Literacy Launch" program, a multi-year effort aimed at expanding access to evidence-based literacy instruction through professional development and high-quality materials for educators. 
• Student Support Initiatives: Announced $14 million in SUCCESS grants aimed at increasing graduation rates at state universities by funding peer mentors, academic and career advising, and other student supports.
• Innovation Career Pathways: Awarded $1 million in grants to 29 school districts to plan and implement pathway programs, providing students with coursework and experiences in high-demand STEM industries before they graduate high school. 

Today, Dr. Tutwiler will discuss the evolving landscape of public education in Massachusetts, the state’s ongoing efforts to support districts through policy and funding initiatives, and the critical role school business administrators play in ensuring resources are effectively allocated to meet student needs. Secretary Patrick Tutwiler will provide an overview of the state's ongoing investments in early literacy, student success initiatives, and career pathway programs, highlighting how these efforts impact school finance and resource allocation. He will also discuss the role of funding in promoting equity, expanding access to educational opportunities, and ensuring long-term sustainability for districts across the Commonwealth.

In this session participants will explore the strategies utilized by the Andover Public Schools and Wellesley Public Schools to engage families and community members as they undertook the redistricting process.

***2-hour session***

Participants will:

1. Identify gaps & opportunities to increase Medicaid revenue that could help address student health needs
2. Assess their district’s infrastructures to support school health services and Medicaid reimbursement
3. Learn strategies from their peers on critical drivers of success, e.g., revenue sharing agreements with municipalities and training to support staff participation in claiming and the Random Moment Time Study (RMTS)

Join the Operational Services Division for an overview of products and services designed to streamline the procurement process for school business administrators and help maximize your savings potential.

Learn about the new GRO42 School Nutrition Products Statewide Contract, sourced with DESE and eight MA school districts, to provide produce, groceries, and locally sourced items to MA schools, address federal and state nutrition regulations, and enable greater school nutrition program efficiencies.

Learn how to acquire items popular with schools: Cybersecurity Software; Playground Equipment/Surfacing Materials; Smart Boards; Translation Services; Vape Detection Devices, Security Cameras/Locks; Window Replacement, Parking Lot Resurfacing Services, School Vans; Kitchen Equipment, and more!

This session will provide important updates from the MTRS for school districts. The updates will focus on retirement deduction reporting, membership eligibility, and regular compensation determination.

Learn what it really means to be a mentor. You will learn about the roles and responsibilities, how to build trust and provide your mentee with the tools and support they need.

Michael and Noel will share how they collaborated with their food service provider to reach out to the Chelsea community and local organizations to reach more families and cook meals that spoke to their community's varied dietary needs. They will share how their in-person and digital strategies for connecting with families led to benefits and investments within schools and the community. Finally, they will discuss how they applied these strategies to their subsequent districts and what did and did not work.

This session will provide information on what to expect when renewing your School Business Administrator license through DESE, and the requirements needed. Whether it is taking your license from initial to professional, or professional to professional, this session will prepare you for the renewal process and PDP's needed. 

Attendees will leave this session with a clear understanding that sharing risk with other entities when purchasing health insurance may not always be the best approach. You'll learn how claims experience influences rate calculations and discover practical strategies to improve outcomes. You will also hear from a MASBO colleague sharing insights on their past successes and strategies for achieving impactful results.

Attendees will learn from the Marblehead Public Schools and the Beverly Public Schools how they leveraged the LITIX platform to navigate challenges during the teachers' strike. The discussion will highlight how the tool enabled better-informed, real-time decision-making, providing critical support during a high-pressure situation.

Proactive Technology Refresh: Regularly updating and upgrading technology to stay ahead of potential threats and vulnerabilities. Example: Implementing the latest security patches and software updates to protect against new types of cyber attacks.

Well-Integrated Security Technologies: Ensuring that all security tools and systems work seamlessly together for better protection. Example: Using a unified security platform that integrates firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and antivirus software to provide comprehensive coverage.

Timely Incident Response: Developing capabilities to quickly and effectively respond to security incidents. Example: Having a dedicated incident response team that can investigate and mitigate breaches within hours of detection.

Accurate Threat Detection: Implementing systems that can accurately identify and alert on potential security threats. Example: Using advanced threat detection tools that leverage machine learning to identify unusual patterns and behaviors indicative of a cyber attack.

Prompt Disaster Recovery: Establishing robust recovery processes to minimize downtime and data loss after a security incident. Example: Regularly backing up critical data and having a disaster recovery plan in place to restore operations quickly after an attack.

A Better Path to Priority-Based Budgeting: How Do We Get There and What’s the Payoff?

This session will explore how school districts are using priority-based budgeting to enable budget decisions that relate directly to district priorities and save money. After providing an overview of priority-based budgeting and its benefits, Mark Welch, a public sector budgeting expert and former teacher, will explore best practices for implementing this new budgeting approach. Attendees will learn how AI modeling can streamline the shift to priority-based budgeting by analyzing huge data sets to make logical connections and discover patterns in the data to predict programs – including inventory, costs, and scores. Welch will share real-world insight into how priority-based budgeting can surface innovations for how programs are funded, resources can be freed up and reallocated, and spending can be optimized to support priorities.

Tyler Technologies’ Priority Based Budgeting solution enables school districts to easily uncover budget savings, identify revenue possibilities, better allocate funds, and create sustainable, fiscally responsible budgets. Priority Based Budgeting harnesses AI and machine learning to align government resources with a community’s educational priorities.

1. Maximizing Funding Opportunities: Attendees will learn strategies for securing financial resources to modernize school infrastructure, thereby increasing the school's appeal and enrollment.

2. Enhancing Community Appeal: Participants will discover how integrating state-of-the-art facilities and innovative educational programs can attract more students and families, boosting school enrollment and funding.

3. Preparing Future-Ready Students: Attendees will gain insights into offering market-driven certifications and skills development that equip students for tomorrow's workforce, enhancing the school's educational value proposition.

This session will delve into how K-12 public schools can boost their community appeal and effectively utilize funding mechanisms for building improvements. By leveraging infrastructure upgrades and offering innovative educational programs, schools can significantly enhance their facilities and academic offerings. We will provide examples of how schools can take advantage of funding opportunities, modernize their infrastructure, and implement academic programs and certifications that equip students with the skills needed for tomorrow's workforce from an early age.

1. Developing an accurate deferred maintenance and system replacement budget by conducting a facility condition assessment (FCA).

2. Learn the important elements that comprise a comprehensive FCA.

3. Walk-through the process of conducting a Facility Condition Assessment.

4. Ask your specific questions of the architectural team.

This session is designed to help School Business Administrators and other certified employees better understand the steps for planning for retirement. We'll take a deep dive into all of your retirement income options. We also will be discussing new legislative updates to be aware of.

TBD

1. Attendees will learn how to use a single platform to present a program of entirely automated, contactless registration forms and payments, for both families to pay for meals and school fees and register for programs, as well as for members of the larger school community to make donations, buy spirit wear and purchase tickets to school events.

2. They will see how a robust, integrated financial reporting system will allow them to automate their monthly reconciliation process, and to have fully electronic transaction data at their fingertips to facilitate audits.

3. They will see how they can also accept electronic registrations and payments IN PERSON - at such places as concession stands, school plays, physical school stores, the school's main office and at other school events - with both online and in person transactions fully integrated, and rolling up to the same financial reports.

4. Attendees will see how many of their current software programs - such as Arbiter Sports (FamilyID), Brightly (SchoolDude), IncidentIQ, Master Library, Aspen, PowerSchool, EPES and Zobrio - integrate with our platform to further automate the registration and payment process for both school administrators and parents.

5. They will see how this platform adheres to the highest standards of Customer Service, PCI Compliance and Student Data Security.

This training will provide an overview of the protected class, an understanding of microaggressions, techniques to control anger/frustration at work and an understanding generational difference. Regina Ryan will share examples from investigations she has conducted or cases she has litigated where employees made mistakes that adversely impacted their employment.

Alternative Fuel School Transportation: Learn Why, Learn Options, Learn Funding, and Learn Exemplary Implementation

Understanding Greater EPA restrictions as well as the CARB Act Omnibus regulations being adopted by the state of Massachusetts beginning in January 1, 2026, will inevitably require self-operated school transportation systems and contracted school transportation services to replace traditional diesel-based vehicles with alternative fueled school transportation. In addition to understanding why, this session will highlight the alternative fuel options. Using case studies, examples of funding options and exemplary implementation will be shared.

Blue Bird is the only OEM bus manufacturer that provides buses utilizing any of the three alternative fuels (Gas, Propane, and Electric) as an option to diesel. The state of Massachusetts regulation seeks to prevent the occurrence of conditions of air pollution were such do not exist and facilitates the abatement of conditions of air pollution where and when such occur. Using alternative fueled transportation meets state goals as well as provides a safer, climate friendly environment for students during transportation and at the drop off and pick up locations. Healthy students have greater opportunities to learn.

Attendees will be able to properly prepare their District's for future financial audits which will include requirements under GASB 101. This new requirement discusses compensated absences and how they are tracked and reported. Attendees will learn important internal controls needed over vacation and sick time activity as well as other payroll processing controls.