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I n s i d e th i s I s s ue Leadership Development Workshop

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Legislative Workshop and Day on the Hill

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President’s Message 3

Executive Director’s Message

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Annual Conference 5

Annual Conference Workshop Schedule

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2010 Service Project 9

Hotel Accommodations for the Annual Conference

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WASBO Awards 11

The Levy Lid and Funding Basic Education—WASA

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Fighting the Bull—Leadership Development

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New Guidance on AED’s in Schools—Risk Management Committee

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Legislative Report Legislative Affairs Committee

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WASBO/ASBO Dual Membership

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Reducing School Bond Costs 22

Payroll, Personnel and Retirement Committee

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What the Heck is a DDDM? 24

WASBO Certification Recipients

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School Indoor Air Quality Monitoring Station Loan Program

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Our Partners and Friends 30

Vendors Advisory Committee Meets

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The WASBO REPORTER

Volume 49 / Number 3 February 2010

Father Spitzer, former President of Gonzaga University and current Presi-dent of the Center for Ethical Leadership and Jim Berlucchi, Executive Director for the Center for Ethical Leadership were the presenters for this year’s an-nual Leadership Workshop held on January 28th and the Cedarbrook Lodge. Father Spitzer shared important information regarding recent studies which have found that happy employees have a heightened sense of commitment and are far more focused on achieving a higher standard for their organization. What makes employees happy? What kind of organizations do we see as the ideal? Jim Berlucchi provided participants the opportunity to complete the Organiza-tional Culture Inventory for their ideal organization. Not surprisingly, our ideal organization is one which supports shared leadership. One in which we can re-solve conflict constructively; where personal growth and development is encour-aged, and one in which there is genuine concern for others. Further, we look for affiliation with leaders who show a strong commitment to our organization; motivate by serving as a role model, and involve others in the decision making process. Above all, we look for leaders that are ethical. Fa-ther Spitzer has spent many years studying the be-haviors of successful leaders and insists that where many fall from grace is when they convince them-selves that somehow the ends do justify the means. Not so, says Father Spitzer, for an ethical leader is one that consistently “walks the talk,” and leads from a principle-based core which come from a subconscious in-tegration of doing what is right. A special thank you to the Leadership Affairs Committee for making this workshop possible.

Jim Berlucchi with the Center for Ethical Leadership.

T h e WA S B O REP OR TE R

The 2010 Legislative Workshop and subsequent AEA Day on the Hill held on February 1st and 2nd were once again very informative for participants and provided good “front line” information for the legislators who were visited.

Barbara Mertens from the Washington Association of School Administrators, Dan Steele from the Washington State School Directors Association, and Mitch Denning from the Alliance of Education Associations kicked off the workshop with current information on the Governor’s budget—book 1 and book 2—and provided great in-formation of the status of current Bills before the legislature.

Mike Blair, Superintendent of the Chimacum School District and leader in the NEWS lawsuit reviewed the important points of that suit. As the judge subse-quently ruled in favor of NEWS, the information Mike shared provided a great foundation of what was to follow later in the week.

Judy Hartmann, from the Governor’s office, was also gracious enough to join us and pro-vided important information of the Governor’s efforts to ensure Washington a place at the table when the distribution of Race to the Top Funds are released.

OSPI staff were well represented with out-standing presentations by Jennifer Priddy, JoLynn Berge, and Cal Brodie on the nuts and

bolts of ARRA reporting; the development of a new accounting system to support the work of the Funding Formula Workgroup and the Quality Education Council. Jennifer provided a wonderful overview of the work of the Funding Formula Work-group and the QEC and discussed the additional workgroups identified in ESHB 2261—Local Funding and Compensation.

A thank you, too, to the co-chairs of the Legislative Af-fairs Committee, Kim Brodie and Stephen Nielsen, who provided important information on working with the legislature in preparation for our Day on the Hill.

AEA volunteers representing WASBO, WAMOA, and the Washington School Nutrition Association made over 35

contacts with Senators and Representatives and discussed the importance of the new funding formula, child nutrition, and balancing any necessary budget cuts so that reductions are taken in the least harmful way for all school districts.

Legislative Workshop and Day on the

By Rick Moore, WASBO President As the legislative session continues, it is clear that education funding is likely to be facing significant impacts. Districts in the State of Washington will begin the difficult process of determining which programs and support services will be reduced. In order to present a balanced budget for board approval many of us will be involved with community meet-ings focused on sharing the potential impact of the state reductions. During the last few years we have seen a reduction of many state funded programs and the loss of funding for initiatives 728, and 732. Now there is the likely reduction to levy equalization, full-day kindergarten and k-4 staffing ratio support.

It is unfortunate that these reductions are occurring while districts are trying to improve student learning. At best, momentum will be lost. At worst, many programs will not be able to meet improvement goals and will be-gin to slide backward.

As members of WASBO and other education organizations have addressed the issue of reduced funding with leg-islators, there is a relatively common response. Many legislators agree that the education of students in the State of Washington should be the State’s first priority but that unfortunately there is just not enough money. After meeting with legislators recently I have really thought about the funding issues facing the state. As some-one responsible for managing the budget process for a district I completely understand that resources are finite. I also understand that it is vitally important to have a balanced budget. So what is the appropriate course of ac-tion? Should I be patient and wait until new revenue sources are identified? Should I silently soldier on and say that the issues are beyond my control?

I asked the previously mentioned questions of a legislator and was surprised by her answer. The legislator told me that she thought it would be helpful if people in education communicated more of their concerns to their leg-islative representatives. She told me further that during the last legislative session she heard far more from peo-ple concerned with puppy mills than education. Now as a former board member she is very focused on support-ing educational issues but she was surprised not to hear more regarding education. Again, as business officials we understand the need to balance the budget. We are faced with difficult financial decisions every day. As we try to balance the budget we are allocating resources based on priorities. Hopefully the state will follow that same process and allocate resources based on a prioritization process. If education is the paramount duty of the State then education has to be a funding priority. During this legislative session, please call or e-mail your legislative representative and let them know how impor-tant it is for them to fund education.


President’s Message

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By Nancy Moffatt, Executive Director

The 2010 calendar year has gotten off to a very busy and productive start. The Leadership Workshop was a great success with outstanding evaluations received. This event was followed by the Legislative Workshop and the annual Day on the Hill. During the Day on the Hill, WASBO and AEA members visited over 35 legislators and discussed the difficult financial times that school districts are facing. A consistent message among all groups is the understanding of the hard choices that legislators must make this session as they struggle to reduce the State’s deficit by over $2.6 billion, but a request that any cuts be fair and equitable for all districts. While this does not make our plight easier, Washington is not alone in its struggle to balance the budget. I attended a meeting last week with ASBO Affiliate Executive Directors representing over 30 states, and every

state represented spoke of similar difficulties with the funding of K-12 education. The one thing; however,

that each person spoke of is the commitment every business official has to ensure that we continue to do what is best for kids because that is who we are. In Washington, we appreciate, too, the overwhelming support demonstrated on February 9th with the pas-sage of so many levies. The message is clear that our public wants to support our work and wants what is best for the children of our communities and we thank them. Plans are well underway for our annual conference which is scheduled for May 5th-7th at the Tacoma Con-vention Center. We sincerely hope that you will be able to attend this important event for there is no other place where you can access so much cutting edge and current professional development opportunities all under one roof. Finally, I want to let you know that WASBO will be participating in WASWUG this year and we are working closely with WSIPC leaders to enhance a strong partnership between the two organizations. So please stop by and visit your WASBO booth.


Executive Director’s Message

May 5—7 Tacoma Convention Center

Conference Registration and Membership Dues Registration for the conference is available online at www.wasbo.org

Registration Fees The registration fee and membership dues are $400 for current WASBO members through April 16th, and $460 thereafter. The registration fee and membership dues for non-members is $530 through April 16th, and $590 thereafter. Membership dues for the 2010-11 year are required with conference registration. The membership year runs from July 1 - June 30th. Participation in all professional development and meal functions is included in the registration fees except for the pre-conference. Check the website for prices of additional meals. Pre-Conference Fees Pre-conference registration (Wednesday, May 5) for WASBO members is $125 through April 16th and $140 thereafter. Pre-conference registration for non-members is $140 through April 16th and $155 thereafter. Partial payments for portions of the conference will not be accepted.


2010 Annual Conference



Wednesday May 5, 2010 8:00 am – 9:00 am Pre-Conference Registration 7:00 am – 6:00 pm Registration Desk is Open 7:00 am – 11:00 am Exhibitors Move In

9:00 am – Noon Pre-Conference: Dr. Gloria Burgess, “Legacy Leadership” 9:00 am - Noon BMO PCard User Tools Workshop 9:00 am – 6:00 pm General Registration 11:00 am – 5:30 pm Exhibits Open “NEW” 12:15 – 1:00 pm Luncheon for Pre-Conference Attendees & BMO PCard workshop 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm First General Session –Dr. Zollie Stevenson, U.S. Department of Education 2:30 pm – 3:00 pm Refreshment Break with the Exhibitors 3:00pm – 4:00 pm Facilities Workshop: “Energy Performance Contracting: A 360 Degree View” 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm Professional Leadership Development Workshop: “Legacy Leadership” 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm Roundtables – Three 25 minute cycles 4:45 pm – 5:15 pm Historical Walk 5:30 pm– 7:00 pm WASBO Social Mixer

Thursday May 6, 2010 6:30 am – 5:00 pm Registration Desk Open 7:00 am – 7:50 am New Member Welcome Breakfast 7:00 am – 7:50 am Continental Breakfast with the Exhibitors 7:30 am – 8:00 am Musical Prelude to the Opening Session 8:00 am– 9:30 am Second General Session and Keynote Speaker: Luke Burbank, “How To Be Unreasonable in Unreasonable Times” 9:30 am – 10:00 am Refreshment Break in Exhibit Hall with Exhibitors 8:00 am – 5:30 pm Exhibits are Open 9:30 am – 6:00 pm Silent Auction – Thursday Only

10:00 am – 10:50 am Workshops ABC New Fund Balance Definitions According to GASB Statement 54 ASB Train to Become a Certified Raffle Manager For Your District or School Facilities Legislative Update on Facilities Issues Leadership Development Finding the Calm in the Middle of Chaos Legislative A Conversation: Implications of SHB 2261 for the School District Financial Officer PPR Third Party Sick Pay Reporting PPR Crystal Reports - How They Can Help You! PPR SunGard IFAS/BusinessPLUS - What's New With Employee Contracts? PPR The Family Love Letter Purchasing & Warehouse What You Need to Know About Insurance Certificates Purchasing & Warehouse Interlocal Agreements Records Management Essential Records Disaster Preparedness/Response/Recovery Risk Management Automated External Defibrillators (AED's) in Schools Small Schools WEDSS - What's It All About!

11:00 am – 11:50 am Workshops ABC New Fund Balance Definitions According to GASB Statement 54 (Continuation) ASB Train to Become a Certified Raffle Manager For Your District or School (Continuation) Leadership Development Working With Your Superintendent and Board Legislative A Conversation: Implications of SHB 2261 for the School District Financial Officer (Continuation) PPR Crystal Reports - How They Can Help You! (Continuation) PPR SunGard IFAS/BusinessPLUS - What's New With Employee Contracts? (Continuation) PPR The Family Love Letter (Continuation) PPR ARRA, COBRA and IRS PPR Social Security Update Purchasing & Warehouse What You Need to Know About Insurance Certificates (Continuation) Purchasing & Warehouse Receiving and Opening Public Works Bids Records Management Essential Records Disaster Preparedness/Response/Recovery (Repeat) Risk Management Automated External Defibrillators (AED's) in Schools (Continuation) Small Schools WSIPC's Retirement Rewrite Project 12:10 pm – 1:20 pm Luncheon and Recognition Program



Thursday May 6, 2010 1:30 pm – 2:20 pm Workshops ABC SAO Updates ABC Accounting Manual F-195/F-196 Updates ABC Daytime Meals & Travel ABC New Transportation Funding System - Reporting and Efficiency Reporting ABC ARRA Reporting ABC SAO Updates Facilities Reimbursement Training Leadership Development Coaching Employees & Managing Performance Legislative Legislative Update PPR Crystal Blue Reporting - Making Crystal Reports Work For You PPR VEBA Basics PPR WESPaC Position and Assignment Migration - Panel Discussion PPR SunGard IFAS/BusinessPLUS - Version 7.9 and Beyond Purchasing & Warehouse Public Works Project Close-out Process: Bonding, Retainage and Claims Records Management Electronic and IT Records: "What Should I Be Doing?" Risk Management Bikini Car Washes: Summer Athletics and ASB – are you sure you know what your coaches are doing? 2:30 pm – 3:20 pm Workshops ABC School District Accounting Advisory Committee (SDAAC) - Changes and Updates ABC Form 1099 Reporting & Backup Withholding ABC ARRA Reporting (Continuation) ABC New Transportation Funding System – Reporting and Efficiency Reporting (Continuation) ASB Fundraising Do's and Don'ts Facilities Reimbursement Training (Continuation) Leadership Development Key Performance Indicators Legislative Budget Update (Repeat) Legislative Legislative Update (Continuation) PPR Data Mining PPR SunGard IFAS/BusinessPLUS - Version 7.9 and Beyond (Continuation) PPR WESPaC Position and Assignment Migration - Panel Discussion (Continuation) Purchasing & Warehouse Public Works Project Close-out Process: Bonding, Retainage and Claims (Continuation) Records Management How To Get Started Manual/Guide & Introduction to CORE 2.0 Retention Schedule Risk Management The US Department of Education Office for Civil Rights Enforcement Authority Including the New ADA Amendments Act of 2008 (Repeat) 4:10 pm – 5:10 pm Workshops ABC Internet Credit Card Payments ABC Budgeting Preparation Techniques ABC School Enrollment Reporting ABC School Apportionment Hot Topics ABC Surviving an Audit/Addressing an Audit Finding ABC Unclaimed Property Facilities Asset Preservation Program Leadership Development Tentative: Strategies for Building Effective Relationships with Labor Management Legislative Budget Update (Repeat) PPR WESPaC Payroll Worksheets PPR Health Care Updates Purchasing & Warehouse Hold Harmless and Indemnity Clauses in Contracts Risk Management Confidentiality: Everything You Need to Know About FERPA (Student Record Management) WASBO WASBO P-Card Program Purchasing MRSC Joint Small Works Roster Risk Management Confidentiality: Everything You Need to Know About FERPA (Student Record Management) (Repeat)

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Friday May 7, 2010 9:00 am – 9:50 am Workshops ABC Priorities & Survival Tools for the New (or still feeling new) Business Manager ABC Workplace Fraud ABC ARRA Reporting (Repeat) ABC Selling Bonds in the Current Market & Other Sources of Capital Spending ASB What's the Difference Between PTA and ASB? Food Service New USDA Food Ordering Systems – Federal and State: How to Maximize Your Fair Share of 20 Million Pounds of Dry, Frozen and Chilled USDA Foods in SY 2011 and 2012 Leadership Investment #1 - Hope PPR Pension Funding Check-Up PPR WESPaC Insurance Tracking and Pooling PPR WESPaC in the Web PPR TrueTime - Electronic Time Tracking PPR Utilizing Curriculum and Assessment Data to Improve Student Performance PPR Retirement Processing for New Payroll Officers Purchasing Green Buildings and LEED Standards Purchasing MRSC Joint Small Works Roster Risk Management Confidentiality: Everything You Need to Know About FERPA (Student Record Management) (Repeat) 10:00– 10:50 am Workshops ABC WESPaC Conversion - Before & After ABC Priorities & Survival Tools for the New (or still feeling new) Business Manager (Continuation) ABC Workplace Fraud (Continuation) ABC ARRA Reporting (Repeat – Continuation) ASB The Ten Hardest ASB Questions of 2009 Food Service Procurement Requirements for Child Nutrition Programs: How to Retain all of Your Section 4 and 11 Funds for Meal Reimbursements by Following Proper Procedures Leadership Investment #1 – Hope (Continuation) PPR Mass Add of Benefits, Deductions and Pay Codes PPR Fast Track Your Hiring Process PPR DRS Employer Account Reconciliation PPR Pension Funding Check-Up (Continuation) Purchasing Washington Electronic Business Solutions (WEBS) Purchasing Green Buildings and LEED Standards (Continuation) Risk Management The US Department of Education Office for Civil Rights Enforcement Authority Including the New ADA Amendments Act of 2008 (Repeat) Risk Management Bikini Car Washes: Summer Athletics and ASB – are you sure you know what your coaches are doing? (Repeat)

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Our Service Project This Year is the The Tone Resource Center

Reducing Barriers to Education for Students and Families in Transition

The Eugene P. Tone School was established in May 1988 to address the needs of children and families residing in Tacoma shelters and other temporary housing situations. In Janu-ary, 2002, the McKinney-Vento Act was reauthorized as part of the NCLB federal legisla-tion. This legislation required homeless students to be enrolled in either their school of origin or neighborhood school. The Tone Center transitioned into a new district-wide service model that essen-tially brought services to students within their neighborhood school. The Tone Resource Center, a Tacoma School District program, operates in partnership with Tacoma area shelters and other community agencies and resources. The following items would be appreciated. Gift Cards e.g. Safeway, Target, Fred Meyer, Gas Cards, etc. Monetary Donations to Tone Trust School Supplies Back Packs Scissors (Fiskar) Markers Pencils (Made in the USA) Pencil sharpeners with cover Erasers Pens – black and blue Pencil pouch Notebook paper (wide/college) Page dividers Composition notebook Xerox (copy) paper Graph paper Planners Earthquake/emergency kits Calculators Water color paints Index cards 3-Ring binder (1½”) Ziplock bags – gallon size Clothing Uniforms – Children and Adult sizes




Hotel Accommodations for the 2010 Annual Conference


WASBO Awards

Nominate a Fellow School Business Official For a WASBO Award In These Categories:

John Jenft Outstanding Service to K-12 Education Award Award of Merit

Unsung Hero Award

WASBO is seeking nominations for our major awards to recognize members who have contributed outstanding service to education.

The John Jenft Outstanding Service to K-12 Education Award is awarded by the WASBO

Board of Directors to an individual who has provided outstanding service to K-12 education in Washington State. Nominees do not need to be WASBO members. Past recipients have included individuals who have exhibited outstanding State or local leadership which has benefited schools or school districts.

Nominations for the John Jenft Outstanding Service to K-12 Education Award should be sent via e-mail to [email protected] and should include: • Name and address of the nominee (individuals may be self-nominated or nominated by others) • The nominee’s current title and place of employment

• Detailed description of the major contributions to K-12 education in Washington State made by the nominee.

• The nominee’s community and philanthropic activities and services. • Additional references, if desired. The recipient will receive a $500 award and will be formally recognized at the annual conference.

The Award of Merit is presented by the Board of Directors to any WASBO member who has done an out-standing job assisting WASBO. Any WASBO member may nominate a candidate for the award and self-nominations will also be accepted. Send letters of nomination to [email protected]. Please include: • Name and address of the nominee (individuals may be self-nominated or nominated by others) • The nominee’s current title and place of employment • Description of major contributions to WASBO and to school business administration. The recipient will receive a $200 award and will be formally recognized at the annual conference.

The Unsung Hero Award recipient is selected by WASBO’s Executive Director and is awarded to any WASBO member who quietly and unselfishly assists others with WASBO business yet remains “behind the scenes.” Send nominations to [email protected]. Recipients will be recognized at the annual conference. This is our opportunity to recognize our peers who have made outstanding contributions to our profession. If you have questions or would like more information, please contact a WASBO Board Member or the Executive Director.

Nomination Deadline is March 31, 2010


WASBO Vendor Advisory Committee

The WASBO Vendor Advisory Committee held it first meeting on Wednesday, February 17th. The purpose of this committee is to partner with WASBO staff to both enhance our strong relationships with our vendors/exhibitors and to explore new and different ways to make the exhibit experience more meaningful for all who attend our conference. This committee has many innovative ideas on ways to bring both meaning and fun to our exhibits and we look forward to seeing many of their ideas implemented this May. A very special thank you to all of our vendors who volunteered to serve on our Vendor Advisory Committee.

Rick Anthony, School Employees Credit Union of Washington Jeffrey Downer, First Investors Corporation Robert Goubert, Arbitrage Compliance Paul Harrison, Canfield Associates Corine Helton, Manley Services Jeremy Houy, First Investors Corporation Naomi Keck, BLX Merle Kirkley, CH Beresford Company Doug MacDonald, US Archives Michael Maria, VALIC Jim Menzies, PEMCO Shannon Moore, Office Depot Jim O’Halloran, O’Halloran Associates Dean Phillips, Walter E. Nelson Company Mark Prussing, PFM John Sollom, Walter E. Nelson Company Jim Stevens, The Unity Group Mark Wilkerson, VEBA Cinda Wilkey, WSIPC Mark Williams, Virco

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The Levy Lid and Funding Basic Education

By Barbara L. Mertens, Ed. D., Assistant Executive Director for Governmental Relations Washington Association of School Administrators

In the landmark 1976 school funding decision, Judge Doran ruled that the Washington State Legislature must define and fully fund basic education and that local levies can only be used for “enhancements”. The legislature responded by defining basic education as transportation, special education, general apportionments (including salaries), LAP (the learning assistance program), and vocational education and declaring on intent to reduce the levy lid to ten percent. Reports, studies, data and testimony from the past ten years document the underfunding of basic education as defined by the legislature in 1977 and as defined by the 2009 Legislature in ESDB 2261. Over the same time pe-riod, the legislature has increased the levy lid authority first to twenty-two percent, then “temporarily” to twenty-four percent then permanently to twenty-four percent. “Grandfathered” districts are now at thirty-four percent. During those discussions, WASA (Washington Association of School Administrators) adopted a standing position that we support a levy lid increase only if it is accompanied by a commensurate increase in levy equalizations (LEA-local effort assistance). Our position paper was updated in January 2010 (www.wasa-oly.org/LevyBMertens) to include supporting the expansion of the levy base to include voter ap-proved I-728, Student Achievement and I-732, COLA’s for school employees. Because the percentage of state funding for basic education has declined while NERCs, COLAs, student achieve-ment standards, school district accountability and other unfunded mandates have increased, school districts across the state are now faced with an unprecedented fiscal crisis. Reserves are gone—or will be. The potential of insolvency is real—if not this year, then in the years ahead. Because the levy system for K–12 schools is based on property valuation, the system is inherently unfair because it is inequitable. Districts on the high-end of the scale must tax their citizens five dollars per one thousand dol-lars. Districts on the low-end tax their citizens forty-three cents per one thousand dollars. While citizens on the lower end of the tax rate scale may be able and, therefore, more willing to raise their taxes, citizens on the higher end may have to choose between raising more money for schools or putting food on their family’s table. Giving school districts the authority to raise their levy lids does not mean that they can raise the funds. Two hun-dred and forty-five districts have a levy authority of twenty-four percent (one hundred and ninety-six are under twenty four percent). Ninety have a levy authority over twenty-four percent (only fifty are able to take advantage of this higher lid). In 2009 levy authority used by districts was:

Local effort assistance (LEA) is not perfect but it is the only effort the state has made to level the “levy playing field”. The state must continue to link levy lids and LEA until it fully funds its definition of basic education. If the state were to fully fund basic education including restoring cuts and addressing the new definition of basic edu-cation (ESDB 2261), neither an increase in the levy lid nor levy equalization would be necessary.

No levy 15 15-20% 67 0-10% 9 20-24% 126 10-15% 28 Over 24% 50

No levy 15 15-20% 67 0-10% 9 20-24% 126 10-15% 28 Over 24% 50

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http://www.wasa-oly.org/LevyBMertens�


The Levy Lid and Funding Basic Education continued from page

In spite of the stress put on districts to balance their budgets by going to their voters every two to four years- teachers, classified and certified support staff, principals, administrators and superintendents have kept their focus on improving student learning. They have done this through leadership training and prob-lems of practice, professional learning communities, aligning curriculum with assessments, school and district improvement plans and innovations in school programs like STEM and schools for the arts. As-sessment scores (WASL, NAEP, ACT) and enrollment in AP classes has increased. All of this even as re-sources lag far behind. It is the state’s responsibility to fully fund basic education. The state’s decision to continue to shift the bur-den of raising taxes from the state level to the local level ignores its constitutionally mandated paramount duty. Both the citizens of this state and our legislature must face this reality. We can hardly be proud of our ranking as forty-fifth in the nation for per pupil funding. If schools are to be accountable for giving students the opportunities to acquire the knowledge and skills they need to be active participants in a de-mocratic society and to be competitive in the global marketplace, then at a minimum the state should be required to be competitive with other states in providing funding for schools to do their job. We must iden-tify and pass legislation that establishes a stable, equitable and ample funding source for K–12 at the state level. The state must be held accountable for providing schools with ample resources for our students in the twenty-first century. Resources: Some 2010 proposals for new tax structures and new revenue sources include:

Economic Opportunity Institute www.eoionline.org/ Rebuilding our Economic Future www.fusewashington.org/budget Recommendations from the Funding Formula Technical Work Group www.ofm.wa.gov/k12funding/ David Iseminger’s Funding Proposal www.iseminger.com/education.html

A sample of the documentation of the underfunding of basic education:

OSPI report to the Quality Education Committee (1/6/10) and subsequent testimony to the House and Senate budget committees (1/12/10)

The Network for Excellence in Washington Schools (NEWS) lawsuit School district and OSPI testimony-McLeary vs. State (Oct.-Dec. 2009) Quality Education Council: The K–12 Funding Formula Technical Work Group (Aug.-Dec. 2009) The Full Funding Coalition Report (Conley/2008-WASA, WSSDA, WEA, PSE and AWSP) The Basic Education Funding Task-Washington State Legislature (2007) Washington Adequacy Study (WEA 2007) Washington Learns (2005–07) Generations of Progress (WASA 2004) What Will it Take? (WEA 2003) Ample School Funding Project (WASA/SIRS 2003–05) Realities of Education Funding (League of Education Voters 2002)

Legislative Attempts to Address Basic Education Funding:

GCERF-The Governor’s Council on Education Reform and FINANCE (1992) The Commission on Student Learning (1993–99) Washington Learns (2003–06) Basic Education Funding Task Force (2007–08) The Quality Education Council (2009/10–ongoing)

Reprinted by express permission of the Washington Association of School Administrators

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http://www.fusewashington.org/budget�

http://www.ofm.wa.gov/k12funding/�

http://www.iseminger.com/education.html�


Fighting the Bull …..

By Dick Anastasi, Executive Director Business Services Leadership Development Committee

As I was clearing my desk of budget news (all bad), labor issues (always a chance of going bad), and levy and bond planning (if unsuccessful … catastrophic), I was wondering about a topic for this leadership arti-cle4. Looking at those work papers which I was shuffling, I realized that other school business officials across the state were most likely facing the same challenges I was.

For most of us, budget reductions and labor negotiations are the two most disliked (probably an under-statement) areas of our job. They are fraught with peril, sometimes extending to downright terror and, almost always, thankless. However, they are an integral part of the job. Bond and levy planning, budget adjustment recommendations, and labor settlements each affect the fiscal position and financial stability of our districts. We have to be involved.

More often than not though, we find ourselves at the center of each issue since community and labor lead-ers consider us the decision makers and the individuals responsible for the unpopular, and in their minds, totally unreasonable and unjustified actions. These emotional reactions are too often followed by verbal or written attacks on our integrity, competence, and honesty …. and sometimes they even get personal. Not the easiest thing to calmly sit through and then arrive happily for work the next day.

Every year, whether it is the result of budget adjustments or labor negotiations, we read the news articles about our fellow districts. The accusations are flying and a number of superintendents, business officials, communications directors and other district leaders are taking some “major hits.” We may appreciate that it is only a piece of the story, but the news folks like to make it exciting, and they publish what will do that.

Continued on page 16

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Fighting the Bull …..continued from page 15

At times like this, I have a couple of quotes on my desk that I often look at to get perspective. The first is something that I heard from a former boss a number of years ago. He was speaking at a retirement cere-mony and quoted something that John F. Kennedy kept on his desk. It was a short poem, a quatrain that I think we all can relate to. It simply states:

Bullfight critics, ranked in rows, Fill the enormous plaza full,

But there is only one who really knows, And that’s the man who fights the bull.

So although our vocal detractors criticize the decisions and claim to have better solutions, we are the ones “who really know”… the ones with the facts, and the ones with the responsibility. Trying to explain that there is some logic and rationale to our actions and that we do care about our students is often a challenge. For those who will listen, they usually go away or in some instances become supporters. Most, however, continue to find it more comfortable and safe to stay “in the stands” and criticize, rather than try to under-stand. The facts may not fit with their vision or story and, as a result, they choose to ignore them.

The second saying I have is an old one and I don’t know to whom to attribute it. It says, “A smooth sea never made a skillful mariner … The storms of adversity excite the skill of the voyager.” There is also a lot of truth in this one. As bad as the situations may be, by nature of our chosen profession, there is some excitement in the challenges facing us today. I believe a significant part in the development of a successful business manager is facing, and surviving, those same budget, labor, and other financial challenges we complain about each day. We are the ones on the front line “fighting the bull” … but down inside we also derive a fair amount of self satisfaction in doing that.

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New Guidance on AED’s in Schools

WASBSO Risk Management Committee Spearheads New Gguidance Document on AED’s in Schools. Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) is the leading cause of death in young athletes. In 2006, the National Ath-letic Trainers Association sponsored an interagency task force to develop consensus recommendations for SCA in student athletes and the effectiveness of Automatic External Defibrillators (AED’s) to prevent loss of life. Jonathan A. Drezner, MD, Associate Professor and Team Physician of the Department of Family Medicine from the University of Washington was co-chair of the interagency study. The study found that access to early defibrillation is critical for survival from SCA. The intervals between the time of collapse, initiation of CPR and delivery of the first shock, should be between 3-5 minutes for optimal results. Conventional response from local Emergency Management Services (EMS) cannot always meet this timeline. For this reason, and because AED’s can be used by any layperson as a first responder, the study concluded AED’s should be available within 3-5 minutes at school sponsored athletic events. The study’s findings were presented to the WASBO Risk Management Committee meeting in late 2008. At that time, there were no standards or clear protocols to help schools decide how to best implement and oversee the use of AED’s on school campuses. Past litigation had left some districts feeling there was less liability not to have AED’s than to have one on site and fail to use properly. Questions also arose when school districts became recipients of AED’s as gifts, some new and some used. Later a manufacturer recall caused additional problems, leaving school districts with major concerns. With clear data outlining the necessity of AED’s to help increase the rate of survival from SCA, it was agreed that Washington State public schools needed guidance on this matter. That spring, members from the WASBO Risk Management Committee hosted a meeting for interested stakeholders in helping develop a course of action for schools. These included the Department of Health, OSPI and school district Risk Managers as well as Dr. Drezner himself. The final draft of these guidelines will be presented to the cur-rent WASBO Board for approval and adoption this spring and will be available for release in May of this year. The WASBO Risk Management Committee will be sponsoring a workshop at the annual conference in Ta-coma, providing an opportunity for interested attendees to speak with Dr. Drezner and local defibrillator manufacturers, as well as school district staff who have implemented successful programs. For a list of endorsing national societies, and additional information go to: http://www.nata.org/statements/consensus/sca_endorsements.htm

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By Kim Brodie, WASBO Legislative Affairs Committee and Mitch Denning, AEA Consultant

As the 2010 legislative session approaches, WASBO has been quite involved with the 2009 interim activities, and has positioned itself to directly influence the formation of state K-12 financial policies.

As a top priority, we are very concerned about the cuts to K-12 education that are in the Governor’s “statutory” 2010 supplemental operating budget that she issued in early December. She told all of our state’s citizens that she didn’t like this budget, and would be releasing a revised budget this month to “buy back” some K-12 items which were cut, including levy equalization, K-4 staff enhancement, I-728 and all day kindergarten. At press time, the “Book II” budget has yet to be released. More information can be found at these links on the Governor’s website http://www.governor.wa.gov/priorities/budget/default.asp or the OFM website: http://www.ofm.wa.gov/budget/budgets.asp.

In December the Funding Formula Technical Working Group (FFTWG), made their recommendation to the Quality Education Council (QEC) on a proposed structure for a new funding formula scheduled to be implemented in September 2011. Current WASBO Legislative Affairs co-chair, Steve Nielsen, assistant superintendent, business ser-vices, Puget Sound ESD; WASBO past president Doug Matson, deputy superintendent, operations, West Valley SD (Spokane); Rich Puryear, Richland SD, executive director, financial services; Neil Sullivan, executive director, finance, Spokane Public Schools; and Carolyn Webb, executive director, business services, Mulkiteo SD, are WASBO members of the group.

WASBO past president Harvey Erickson, chief financial officer, Bethel SD, serves on OSPI’s K-12 Data Governance Group (DGG), whose task is to assist in the design and implementation of a data improvement system for financial, student and educator data. Along with the State Board of Education and OFM’s Educator Data Center, the group will determine the feasibility of using prototypical school funding allocation model as a tolls for both allocating and re-porting expenditures. Their first report was given to the Legislature last month also.

The QEC’s final report to the 2010 Legislature, based on the work of several working groups including the FFTWG and DGG, has been sent to the Legislature. A summary of the recommendations to the 2010 Legislature that directly affect WASBO include, (1) do not reduce overall K-12 funding in the 2010-11 supplemental operating budget in basic and non-basic education; (2) allocate at least 50% of any new state revenue to the implementation of basic education as established in SHB 2261; (3) enact a law replacing the current funding formulas with the new prototypi-cal school funding formulas and the baseline values designed by the FFTWG; (4) begin the Compensation Working Group immediately rather than 2011 with a report due November 30, 2010, and change the lead agency from OFM to OSPI (WASBO Legislative Affairs Committee is discussing how WASBO can assist this group as currently they are not mentioned among the associations to comprise the working group); (5) begin the Local Funding Working Group im-mediately rather than July 1, 2010 with a report due on November 30, 2010 (WASBO is a member of this group).


Legislative Report

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(6) Continue the FFTWG to monitor early implementation of the prototypical school formula and provide technical ad-vice to the QEC and OSPI; (7) the Local Funding Group should also examine the local capacity to address facility needs associated with full-day K and K-3 class size recommendations, and provide the QEC with an analysis on the productive use of local funds that become available due to the phase-in of state funding of pupil transportation and maintenance, supplies and operating costs (MSOC); (8) implement the new pupil transportation formula in September 1, 2011 rather than 2013, and phase-in full funding of the new formula over a three-year period beginning in 2011; (9) increase the MSOC factors in the prototypical school funding formula based on data collected by OPSI about costs incurred by school districts, phased in over a three-year period beginning in 2011-12 school year.

(10) Continue incremental phase-in of full day K according to the statutory schedule (high poverty schools first); (11) pri-oritize class size reductions by providing a class size allocation of 15 students per classroom teacher to high poverty schools first; (12) continue implementation of the education data improvement system to assure availability of robust and high quality data; and (13) the new prototypical school funding formulas should include a “Struggling Schools Over-sight Fund,” to provide funding for school districts designated as requiring action by the State Board of Education to sup-port transformation efforts in persistently low performing schools. WASBO will be closely watching bills to implement these recommendations during the 2010 session.

In addition, as part of their 2010 QEC workplan, at their January 6 meeting they decided to study the effects of transfer-ring local collective bargaining to the state.

WASBO is also following the work of the School Construction Funding Task Force which issued its 2009 final rec-ommendations to the Legislature last month. They include (1) State Funding-Assistance Ratio: (a) commission an in-depth analysis of per-student space allocations and construction-cost allowance to include a review of and comparison with state and national standards; (b) prioritize the most important areas of the aforementioned analysis for immediate intervention based on policy goals; (c) direct OSPI to confer with the subject experts of the Caseload Forecast Council (CFC) to determine the best methodology for accurately projecting K-12 enrollment for School Construction Assistance Program (SCAP) eligibility; (d) direct OSPI to explore alternative SCAP allocation methods for small school districts.

(2) Special Program Space: (a) monitor the implementation of SHB 2261 to assure that ongoing policy proposals include full consideration of capital budget implications and statewide school facility needs; (b) direct the QEC should periodi-cally consult with Senate and House Capital Budget chairs and ranking minority members re: K-12 school facility needs; (c) direct OSPI to submit its Biennial Capacity Report, required by SHB 2261, to both Senate and House Capital Budget Committee chairs and ranking minority members as well as to Senate and House Education and Ways and Means Com-mittee chairs and ranking minority members; (d) select a preferred alternative from the JLARC report on the K-12 Pilot Facility Inventory, Condition and Use System, utilizing information in the study and its benefit/cost analysis.


Legislative Report continued from page 18

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(3) Regional Cost Differences: (a) the Legislature and OSPI should continue to explore and analyze regional cost differences related to school construction.

(4) Other Topics: (a) direct OSPI to work with the State Treasurer, school districts, ESDs and WSSDA to identify and provide written guidance to, and training for, school districts issuing debt; (b) WSSDA should update the WA

School Bond Manual to incorporate best practices recommendations that promote separation of financial advi-sors and underwriters; (c) the Legislature, OSPI and the Department of Transportation’s Commute Reduction program should encourage school districts to establish and implement effective commute trip reduction pro-grams for employees and students.

(5) Next steps: (a) continue the Joint Legislative Task Force on School Construction Funding in order for it to monitor and provide advice on: (i) updates from OSPI on the commissioned study of per-student space alloca-tion and construction-cost allocations; (ii) OSPI’s asset-management program to ensure new school facility maintenance standards are being met; and (iii) the work of the QEC and associate working groups with the goal of promoting integrated consideration of state and local school district capital cost implications.

WASBO continues to be active on the board of the WA State Leadership Academy. Begun through legisla-tive funding and a Gates Foundation grant in 2007, the academy’s goal is to develop and support school leaders to create educational systems where powerful instruction helps all students succeed. WSLA has sponsored vari-ous workshops around the state working with school districts to sharpen their instructional leadership in order to improve academic achievement. Successes are being shown in districts in ESDs 105 and 112 through district teams working with their coaches. A current challenge of the Academy is funding for 2010-11, though funding is secure for the current year. With the Gates Foundation funds running out this June 30, Academy leaders are looking at additional sources to maintain the current funding level, especially with the budget shortfall which faces the 2010 Legislature.

To join the legislative affairs discussion, send an email to [email protected]. If you have ideas or comments on any legislative topics, please feel free to contact Kim Brodie at [email protected] or Steve Nielsen at [email protected], WASBO’s Legislative Affairs Com-mittee Co-Chairs, or Mitch Denning at [email protected].

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Legislative Report continued from page 19

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Washington / ASBO International Dual Membership

Washington ASBO is increasing your member benefits by making it easier to join ASBO International. Now you can make one payment to your state organization and get the benefits of two great organizations. ASBO’s member resources compliment Washington’s, especially on the national stage. Dual Membership gives you more resources on crucial national issues such as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and 404(b) Retirement Plans. ASBO membership assures you get the latest news delivered directly through School Business Affairs Magazine, Accents Online and School Business Daily. Check out all the valuable re-sources at www.asbointl.org. The Dual Membership program offers members the option to:

Apply for Active International ASBO membership when you renew Washington ASBO membership OR

Renew existing Active ASBO International membership when you renew your Washington ASBO member-ship. Your ASBO International membership date will be advanced one full year from your existing anni-versary date. For example, if you renew ASBO International membership in September with Washing-ton ASBO membership and your renewal date with ASBO International is 11/01/09, your renewal date will be advanced to 11/01/10. If you’re due to renew with ASBO before 9/01/09 and wish to renew through this program, please contact [email protected] to extend your membership to coincide with your affiliate renewal.

Now it’s easier than ever to advance your district and your career. If you have questions regarding this program, contact Shirley Massman, Membership Manger, ASBO International, by phone at 866/682-2729 x 7081 or by email at [email protected].

In celebration of 100 years of service to it members, ASBO International is offering a special introductory Cen-tennial Membership for only $100. Targeted to the next generation of leaders, this special membership will not only strengthen the collective knowledge of the profession by bringing in new members, it will strengthen our members relationship with WASBO and ASBO. . Think of the promising school business officials in your district who are not yet ASBO International members. These individuals will write the next 100 years of school business management and we invite them to the na-tional stage and deeper commitment to both WASBO and ASBO: http://asbointl.org/index.asp?bid=32568.

Know an Emerging Leader? Or are YOU an emerging leader? This year, ASBO turns 100. Happy 100 years, school business officials! In honor of this milestone, let’s start building for the next 100 years by bringing in the next generation of school business leaders with a Special Introductory Member-ship for only $100. Hurry, this offer is limited to only 100 new members and only good until March 15.

Questions? Contact me at [email protected] or 703/708‐7081.

ASBO International Centennial Offer

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Reducing School Bond Costs

By Mark Prussing

In August 2009, the Washington State Auditor’s office released a performance audit of the issuance of school district bonds which concludes that there is work to be done to meet best practices in the issuance of debt. Among other things, the report concludes that there is insufficient information and training available to school district officials on how to issue bonds in a manner which best follows the guidelines provided by the Govern-ment Finance Officers Association (GFOA). In particular, the report notes the under-usage of competitive bond sales and independent financial advisors in the State.

When bonds are sold, an underwriting firm purchases the bonds from the District and sells them to investors. In a “Competitive sale”, the underwriter is chosen through a public bidding process, with the bonds being awarded to the underwriter, or group of underwriters, providing the lowest interest cost for the financing. In a “Negotiated sale”, an issuer selects one or more underwriters before the bond sale and negotiates the terms and interest rates for the financing. Regardless of the method of sale, the audit report and GFOA recommend dis-tricts use an independent financial advisor familiar with the bond market to provide guidance about the market rates for bonds and the best method of sale.

The audit notes that while 54% of similar bond issues are sold through competitive sale (a best practice) nation-ally, only 7% of Washington school bonds were sold using this method of sale during the five-year audit period. The statistical analysis contained in the report leads to the conclusion that districts could have reduced interest costs and fees by between $44 million and $79 million during the audit period by following the GFOA guidelines for the financing of debt and used competitive sales when appropriate.

GFOA has issued four Recommended Practices regarding the issuance of debt to provide guidance to govern-ment finance professionals.

Selecting and Managing the Method of Sale of State and Local Government Bonds Selecting Financial Advisors Selecting Underwriters for Negotiated Bond Sales Pricing Bonds in a Negotiated Sale

These and other Recommended Practices may be found in the Best Practices and Advisories section of the GFOA website at www.gfoa.org. A copy of the State Auditor’s report may be found in the performance audit section of the State Auditor’s website at www.sao.wa.gov.

Part of WASBO’s mission is to enhance the professional knowledge of our members and to encourage the use of industry best practices. WASBO will be working in partnership with OSPI and the State Treasurer’s office to develop training and information sources on this topic to include in future workshops and conferences.

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by Cindy Sage, C.S.B.S., Payroll & Benefits Coordinator, Riverview School District

This has been another busy year for the WASBO Payroll, Personnel and Retirement Committee! The commit-tee’s mission is to provide a resource for networking and professional development opportunities for public school district payroll, personnel and retirement professionals throughout the state of Washington.

Monthly meetings are the cornerstone of this active and very knowledgeable and experienced group of school district professionals. Networking is the operative word as we learn and exchange information and ideas rang-ing from current law, policies, processes and procedures to accurately and effectively do our jobs. New mem-bers are always welcome and no question as it relates to a payroll, personnel or retirement topic is off limits for discussion.

Monthly meetings are available via video conferencing to facilitate access across the state. If you are interested in hosting a video site, please check in with one of the committee co-chairs: Cindy Sage, Riverview School Dis-trict or Jodi Miller, Northshore School District. The current year has included monthly speakers on such timely topics as pension funding, VEBA, and the ARRA COBRA subsidy. Updates from the Department of Retirement Systems and WSIPC are also an important part of the monthly meetings.

The committee maintains a very active email distribution list to keep members current on meeting schedules, agendas, minutes, presentations and especially provide an opportunity to pose questions and receive responses from other committee members in a timely manner. If you would like to be included on the email distribution list, please contact Jodi Miller, Northshore School District. We are always receptive to member suggestions for workshops or topics of interest for meeting discussions, so please let us know if there is an area of interest where we can assist you. Our goal is to support and enhance the important work that each payroll, personnel or retirement professional contributes to the success of their local school district.

Payroll, Personnel and Retirement Committee Report

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By Shaun Taylor Executive Director of Technology Services, Tacoma School District

What the heck are DDDM and all those other letters? Well stick with me, so that we can navigate through them - and see where the E I E I O comes in to play. On the education side of our industry, data driven deci-sion making (oh…. DDDM) is where the conversation is with our colleagues – wanting to improve student achievement. They want to capture detailed information (both current and historical) about each and every student. Through capturing and displaying the “appropriate” information, the District can have the conversa-tion as to how best to realign resources - adjust how they deliver support or services – with the expectation of monitoring the results of those decisions for future tweaking – based upon “information”. There is a hunger on the education side of the house for DDDM, because they see that it makes a difference.

Wait a minute! DDDM is about Data … you are talking about information … what’s the difference? That is another great question. Information is the collection of data that tells a story - which you could use to make decisions from. When you track data over time – the trends that the data shows starts to tell a story. The story is the information that comes from that picture of tracked data. This leads us to next set of letters – KPI and PI. So lets now shift to our side of the house.

For the rest of this conversation, think about the department that you work in. As school business officials, you intuitively know if you and your fellow co-workers are doing a good job. For illustrative purposes, let’s take a simplified look at accounts payable (AP). The folks in accounting generally know if they are paying in-voices on time - or not. If they (AP folks) were to track the average age of the invoices being paid – they would start to see - via a chart - if their intuition was correct - or not. This chart would be considered a PI (Performance Indicator) tool …. Or another way to say it – they will have the data available to make a decision about a business process – assuming the trend on the chart indicates the need for action. So Performance Indi-cators can help guide our daily or weekly operational decisions.

However, you can probably see that there could be some PIs that are more critical then others…. PIs that deter-mine the health of your operation. These PIs – that would tend to have the attention of senior management – would be considered KEY to our Division or Department’s success. So now we have KPIs (Key Performance Indicators).

DDDM, KPI, PI, E I E I O

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So What! Our intuition has worked in the past …. Why would this be of interest now? Another great ques-tion. Let me answer it with a question. With the tightening of funds in the future, how will you be able to demonstrate the impact to our customers in a factual way…. In a data driven way … in a non-emotional way? Budget reductions are a way of life in the future. A key roll for us in the future is for us to ensure that we make the best possible decisions as to where to absorb the reductions (or realign resources). Let’s accept the fact that services will be impacted … the question is how to intentionally decide where that impact should be – so that the mission critical services continue to meet the needs of the District.

Let’s put it another way. How better to tell your boss about the impact of not filling a vacancy, then through the use of PIs and KPIs. These tools will do the talking for you!

So how can we get started? First of all – attend the WASBO Conference in May. Second, the Leadership Development Committee is sponsoring a workshop on how KPIs and PIs… join us for a lively discussion. Remember, even Old McDonald had PIs on his farm, routinely tracking the number of animals he had…. He maybe didn’t use charts… he chose to track it in his daily work song. So even early in your childhood you were exposed to DDDM …. E I E I O. See you in Tacoma this Spring!


DDDM, KPI, PI, E I E I O continued from page 24

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The WASBO Certification brings distinction within school districts across the State and demonstrates the level of train-ing and competency that can be expected from staff from current and potential employers. The Certification Govern-ance Board has recently approved the following new certifications and renewals. Certified School Business Specialist in Accounting

Ralph Fortunato, Project Accountant, Kent School District

Wanda Hoffecker, Assistant Finance Director, Burlington-Edison School District

Dana Takamoto, District Accountant, Lake Stevens School District

Certified School Business Specialist in Payroll

Barbara Biddle, Payroll Accountant, Lake Washington School District

Certified School Business Specialist in Purchasing

Darryl Reed, Purchasing Lead, Shoreline School District

To learn how to become certified in one of these professional fields go to the WASBO website at www.wasbo.org.

Congratulations to Certification Recipients


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2010 Annual Conference Planning Team

WASBO Annual Conference Tacoma Convention Center

May 5th-7th 2010

Donna Gregg, President Elect



2010 Annual Conference Planning

Vivian Borja North Thurston

Kelly Hawkins South Kitsap

Sara Hoover WSRMP

Dee Kirkevold Tacoma

Joanne Marifjeren Puget Sound ESD

Janet Monroe Franklin Pierce

Jane Murray Puget Sound ESD

Lark Orvick-Moore Annie Wright

Brenda Padgett North Thurston

Mikki Qualheim Tacoma

Aprel Stegman Tukwila

Marcia Wentzel South Kitsap

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School Indoor Air Quality Monitoring Station Loan Program

Washington State Department of Health

The Washington State Department of Health (DOH), School Environmental Health and Safety and Indoor Air Quality (SEH&S/IAQ) Program provides assistance to schools on indoor air quality (IAQ) and other environmental health & safety concerns. DOH has created an IAQ monitoring station loan program to help in promotion of healthy schools. Edu-cational Service Districts (ESDs), schools, school districts, and local health jurisdictions may borrow, free of charge, port-able IAQ monitoring stations for use in K-12 schools in Washington State. In return, schools are required to share the collected, de-identified data, with DOH through a secure web portal. A healthy school environment is important for the health of our children and supports student academic success. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports that “Evidence continues to emerge showing that poor IAQ can cause illness requiring absence from school, and can cause acute health symptoms that decrease performance while at school. In addition, recent data suggest that poor IAQ may directly reduce a person’s ability to perform specific mental tasks re-quiring concentration, calculation, or memory.”1 The school IAQ monitoring stations have two meters; a multi-function Fluke 975 AirMeterTM and a Fluke 983 Particle Meter. The 975 records carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, temperature, and relative humidity. The 983 records six size ranges of airborne particles, from 0.3 to 10.0 micrometers in size. Both meters can be set to run for up to four days, col-lecting data every ten minutes. Collected data are then downloaded to the station laptop computer. The user is asked to complete an electronic room questionnaire on the laptop. An included thumb drive is used to transfer the data and the completed room questionnaire to the user’s personal computer and to transmit the data to DOH over a secure website. A manual with detailed instructions and resources is included with the station. The meters will provide useful information about room ventilation, cleanliness, and comfort and assist in evaluation of the heating, ventilation, and cooling (HVAC) system. Users will need to keep a copy of their own data. When it is sent to DOH, there will be no school identifiers. DOH will not be able to retrieve individual school data. The only location identi-fication items in the questionnaire are whether the school is on the east or west side of the Cascades, and is it in a subur-ban, urban, or rural area. DOH will use the data to identify trends in school IAQ. 1Indoor Air Quality and Student Performance, EPA, revised August 2003, http://www.epa.gov/iaq/schools/pdfs/publications/iaq_and_student_performance.pdf If you are interested in participating in this program or would like additional information, please contact: Paul Marchant at 360-236-3363 or by e-mail, [email protected]. This program is made possible by a grant from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Environmental Public Health Tracking Branch.

DOH thanks Rich Prill, Washington State University Extension Energy Program, for the initial design of the stations.

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Air Quality Monitoring Station Loan Program Responsibilities

Washington State Department of Health Monitoring Station Loan Program Roles and Responsibilities DOH is sponsoring the IAQ Monitoring Station Loan Program, and will provide a station(s) to participating hosts. DOH will be responsible for the following: Handle equipment problems that should arise. Conduct periodic equipment calibration. Provide technical support. Develop/maintain a website that will contain information about the IAQ Monitoring Station Loan Program. IAQ Monitoring Station Host DOH is loaning one or more IAQ Monitoring Stations to hosts throughout the state. Hosts are primarily local health ju-risdictions (LHJs) or Educational Service Districts (ESDs). Hosts will be responsible for the following: Serve as the coordinator and primary point of contact for their monitoring station(s) within their respective ESD or LHJ. Work cooperatively with their school, school district, and other borrowing entities to share and implement monitoring station(s) within their ESD or health district. Obtain a signed loan agreement form from each equipment user and provide a copy to DOH. If the host will also be an equipment user, comply with the Station User responsibilities. Return the equipment provided under the loan agreement to DOH on the agreed upon scheduled date or upon request. IAQ Monitoring Station User Equipment users will typically be school or school district Facilities or Maintenance personnel. In some cases, the user may be a teacher or another school or district official. Equipment users will be responsible for the following: Provide an electronic copy of the collected data to DOH once a week. Take responsibility for and implement necessary precautions, consistent with your policies, to protect the equipment from damage or theft. Check the IAQ monitoring station at least once in the morning and once in the afternoon to make sure the meters are functioning properly, and that the station is in its intended location. Notify DOH of any equipment problems as soon as they arise. Monitoring Data Submittal Requirement One of the conditions of using a monitoring station is that all collected data must be submitted to DOH. DOH is requiring that equipment users submit their Fluke monitoring data electronically to DOH at the end of each week’s monitoring pe-riod. School monitoring data submitted to DOH will not identify the school, school district, or county. Equipment users must save their electronic and/or hard copy versions of their monitoring and room information data for their own use. DOH will not be able to retrieve school or district specific monitoring data.

Thank You to Our Partners, Associates and Friends

Interested in becoming a WASBO Partner, Associate or Friend? Contact Ruth Foster at WASBO—(360) 528-2025 or [email protected]


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