Iowa Superintendents Finance & Leadership Consortium (ISFLC) December Conference

Wednesday, Dec. 18–Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024
Day 1—Dec. 18; Day 2—Dec. 19
FFA Enrichment Center, Ankeny

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The ISFLC December Conference is the first of two conferences offered in the winter as part of the ISFLC program. Both of these conferences are developed for current and aspiring superintendents, as well as school business officials. All session tracks are led by Iowa experts with skills and expertise in identified criteria areas. Please note that aspiring superintendents must first complete Dollars & Sense: Fundamentals of School Finance (Track 1) as the initial program of study. After completing this session, aspiring superintendents may register for any of the remaining session tracks. Check out the intensive session tracks offered this December—we're sure one of the seven tracks will pique your interest.

 

General session topics and speakers for the ISFLC December Conference will be announced soon! Stay tuned for additional information.

 

Dollars & Sense: Fundamentals of School Finance (Track 1)

Iowa school finance is complex but doesn't have to be frustrating or complicated for those new to the profession. Seasoned superintendents and school business officials will cover the basic concepts and regulations of our school funding system. Whether you're new, or simply wish to revisit the fundamentals, this intensive session is for you!

Participants will leave with an understanding of basic vocabulary to effectively communicate key budget and finance information with staff and the community. You will dig into the purpose of various district funding resources that impact the annual budget, including the general fund, miscellaneous income, the cash reserve levy, and the Aid and Levy Worksheet. Plus, we'll spend time on the relationship between the unspent balance to the cash balance and the undesignated/unreserved balance.

If these school finance terms are overwhelming to you, join experts for this multi-day deep dive into all things school finance.

Instructors:
Joe Kramer, Superintendent, Pocahontas Schools
Dani Trimble, Superintendent, Ballard Schools
Shonna Trudo, Business Manager, Van Meter Schools

 

Financial Tools for Schools: Advanced Considerations for a Healthy Budget (Track 2)

A healthy and sound budget is critical to any district's financial future. How do you know if your budget is truly healthy? School finance experts will take participants on a journey to discover the vast array of issues that can impact your budgets and funding sources.

Participants will leave this intensive multi-day session with the knowledge required to use these key components to determine your district's financial position—the financial solvency ratio, unspent balance, cash balance, enrollment, assets, liabilities, total revenues, assessed valuation, and state foundation aid. Additionally, we will place restricted, committed, assigned, unassigned fund balances, and supplemental levies under the microscope as you put together the pieces of the puzzle that make up a healthy school district budget.

While mastering these key elements is the main objective over the two days, considerable time will also be spent on the building blocks to a strong superintendent-board-school business official relationship. That relationship, combined with sound fiscal management and a healthy budget, will result in success for your district. 

Instructors:
Brandon Hansel, Business Manager, Fort Dodge Schools
Kim Huckstadt, Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership, University of Northern Iowa (UNI)

 

The Anatomy of Collective Bargaining: Finances, Strategies & Respect (Track 7)

Collective bargaining in Iowa is overseen by the Public Employment Relations Act (PERA) and the Iowa Public Employment Relations Board (PERB). As the public employer, districts are required by law, outlined in Chapter 20, to undergo the process of negotiations with employees.

These collective bargaining rights and the duties of employers and public employees can be complex. Experts from UNI and Forest City and Central Springs Schools are here to help you master all facets of collective bargaining, comply with law, and face challenges armed with knowledge and expertise.

During the multi-day session, participants will review the basics of negotiations, discover what to look for in your district's finances, the master contract, and employee handbook, and learn how insurance impacts your negotiations strategies.

By the end of day two, you'll be prepared for an informed, organized and successful bargaining season—with successful outcomes that benefit both the employer and employee.

Instructors:
Dewitt Jones, Former Associate Professor, University of Northern Iowa (UNI)
Darwin Lehmann, Superintendent, Forest City Schools

 

Employee Laws & Regulations Every Employer Should Know (Track 31)

Employee relations—personnel matters—labor laws. Few words strike fear in the hearts of individuals as it does when hearing these words uttered. It doesn't have to be this way! Your district is likely one of, if not the largest, employers in your community. It is critical that as a leader in your district, you understand employment law, and that you can effectively administer it as well.

The trio of instructors are well-equipped to lead participants through activities to ensure in-depth understanding of employment-related issues from hiring all the way through to separation of employment. Once you've mastered these concepts, you'll transition into the myriad of legal issues that may arise throughout the employment process and discover when it's appropriate to contact district legal counsel, as well as learn how to develop and maintain a strong working relationship with employees.

As you're building your skills throughout the two days, you'll take a look at your board policy; explore administrative regulations; and review forms, records and other materials that relate to employment law. Additionally, scenarios will be presented to help you identify issue spotting in topic areas such as special education, the First Amendment, social media, or other PR related issues.

Join a seasoned superintendent and experienced attorneys from the Iowa Association of School Boards^® and Ahlers & Cooney, P.C. to go deep into all these topics and more, including federal legal requirements, public records requests, employee rights, and compliant filing.

Instructors:
Tara Paul, Superintendent, Indianola Schools
Anna Harmon, Legal Services Director, Iowa Association of School Boards (IASB)
Katherine Beenken, Attorney, Ahlers & Cooney, P.C.

 

Flexing Your Monetary Muscles: Budget Projections & Reductions (Track 33)

Budget projections and budget reductions—few phrases spark as much angst and fear as these due to the unique challenges and constantly changing issues that impact school budgets. Each fiscal year brings new challenges, but that doesn't mean the budget process needs to be challenging. As new laws and programs are established, your budget should be flexible enough to adapt accordingly.

Join budget experts to expand your knowledge and skills in this important area. You will dig into the school budget review process, learn how to create a capital asset plan, and deepen your understanding of school finance law.

Additionally, participants will learn how to create a dashboard for monthly financial planning that reflects your district's needs as you communicate fiscal details to your board. This session promises a safe environment, with plenty of networking time with your colleagues from across the state. When you leave, you will be ready to confidently share budget projections and communicate budget reductions to your key stakeholders.

Instructors:
Greg Ebeling, Superintendent, Pella Schools
Kurt Subra, Business Manager, West Des Moines Schools
Stephanie Mishler, Superintendent, Central DeWitt Schools

 

The Reality of Student & Staff Mental Health: Beyond Awareness, Achieving Action (Track 42)

The worst of the COVID-19 pandemic is over, but school districts across the state are just beginning to see the effects on student and staff mental health. In this post-pandemic 'new normal', how do we support the wellbeing of students, staff and families, while also taking care of our own personal self-care needs?

Mental health experts will spend multiple days covering strategies to assess and recognize this new normal, increase awareness of available supports, and learn best practices around both emotional and physical safety. Participants will take time to create an action plan to support a positive school climate for both students and staff, and review crisis planning documents to take home to your crisis teams.

Through interactive exercises, we will identify and collaborate on strategies around school safety in the traditional classroom format (old normal) and in today's format (new normal). Together, we will learn strategies to effectively support your school community, create a positive school culture, and move beyond awareness to achieving action on mental health.

Instructors:
Amy Holst, Regional Administrator, Keystone AEA
Shane Wahls, Superintendent, Clayton Ridge Schools

 

Recruiting, Onboarding & Retaining High Quality Staff (Track 47)

Current and proposed legislation, along with external factors such as the teacher shortages, changing demographics in Iowa, increased needs of students and staff, supplemental state aid that does not keep up with inflation, and projections of ongoing reduced state revenue have caused a unique challenge for school leaders. District leaders are compelled to revise traditional recruitment, onboarding and retention processes and procedures as well as benefits offered in an effort to attract and retain the best staff possible for their students, all while honoring the staff they currently employ.

Attendees will learn about and brainstorm creative methods of attracting new staff to their districts, along with sharing ideas on how to retain and honor the value of current staff. The instructors will engage participants in conversations around topics such as effective onboarding, apprenticeships, bonuses, flexible working hours, creative scheduling, types of leaves, dealing with mental health issues, and balancing the needs of the system and students with the requests and new expectations of those working in the system. Funding these concepts and how to educate legislators as well as gaining legislative support for them will also be addressed.

When you have completed the track, you will have been exposed to a wide variety of methods to address what is likely to be the most difficult challenge in education in the near future: finding, hiring, and retaining the highest quality staff possible while maintaining the values of the district and those that currently serve in the district.

Instructors:
Barb Schwamman, Superintendent, Osage Schools
Deron Durflinger, Superintendent, Van Meter Schools

 

Registration Details

Fee: $350 per person. Includes training materials, continental breakfast and lunch each day. Online registration closes Monday, Dec. 16 (two business days prior to the event). A cancellation fee of $115 per attendee will be assessed for cancellations received within seven business days of the conference or for those who fail to attend without notice.

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At this time, our billing process is set up to invoice the school district for ISFLC event registration. IASB encourages registrants to coordinate payment with their respective school district business office.

Important registration information for students, principals, other aspiring superintendents: Thank you for your interest in the ISFLC Conference! Please note that if you have not registered for an IASB event previously, our staff will need to add your information to our system before you are able to register. If you have registered previously for an IASB event but are unable to log in, you can request a password reset on the website. Your email address must be the same one in our system, otherwise you will not receive the password reset email. We apologize for any inconvenience. Please email Jeff Rohrick with any questions or if you need assistance.

Credits: All tracks are eligible for Superintendent License Renewal Credit through the School Administrators of Iowa. 

All tracks are also eligible for School Business Authorization credits.

 

Lodging

ISFLC attendees have the option to book a room in the IASB^® hotel block at the Residence Inn Des Moines Ankeny. The deadline to book a room is Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024.

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For more information regarding ISFLC or UNI Graduate Credit, email Amanda Schmidt. For all other ISFLC-related questions, please contact Emily Miller.