NASBO State Convention

Thursday, April 14, 2016 (All day) to Friday, April 15, 2016 (All day)

April 14-15, 2016
Holiday Inn Conference Center - Kearney, NE
Pre-registration is now closed. Please visit the on-site registration desk to attend. 

Thursday, April 14
8:00 a.m.        Registration and Continental Breakfast
9:00 a.m.        Welcome - Jeff Schneider, President, NASBO
                        Legislative Update - Dr. Michael Dulaney, NCSA
10:15 a.m.      Concurrent Session I
11:15 a.m.      Concurrent Session II
12:00 p.m.      Lunch and Presentation of Awards
1:00 p.m.        Tally-Ho-Ho - Juli Burney
                        As members of NASBO you are collectively providing services that keeps Nebraska schools 
                       succeeding, so it is important that you maintain a great attitude. All of us were born with a 
                       sense of humor but sometimes we forget it in the midst of challenging situations. Humor helps 
                       us keep challenges in perspective, strengthen relationships and relieve stress.  This 
                       presentation will be a reminder of our own humor abilities. Come and discover your own 
                        delightfulness!
2:00 p.m.        Concurrent Session III         
3:00 p.m.        Concurrent Session IV
3:45 p.m.        NASBO Business Meeting
5:00 p.m.        Social at Cunninghams


Friday, April 15
8:00 a.m.        Continental Breakfast
8:30 a.m.        General Session - Jim Gessford, PGH&G Law, and Guests
                        Jim will facilitate this session joined by guests that will cover topics such as contracting best
                       practices, a review of where we are and where we need to go for ACA compliance, along with
                       a potpourri of other recent issues school business officials need to know.
10:30 a.m.      Best Practices in School Budgeting and Smarter School Spending - Matt Bubness, GFOA
                        How do school districts budget in an era of decreased public funding and still fulfill their
                       mission to increase student achievement? GFOA (Government Finance Officers Association)
                       has developed a series of Best Practices in School District Budgeting, which clearly outline
                       steps to developing a budget that best aligns resources with student achievement goals.
                       The new best Practices are supported by the Smarter School Spending website which offers
                       a wide range of free resources for districts to guide and 
support implementation of the
                       Best Practices.
11:30 a.m.      Conference Adjourn

Concurrent Sessions:

Session 1 – 10:15-11:00
Three Hot Topics in Retirement - Stateroom A
Orron Hill, Nebraska Public Employees Retirement Systems
This course will cover 3 topics:
(1) Work After Retirement (Sham Terminations) - An ongoing issue, failure to understand and follow reemployment after retirement regulations can create significant legal issues for retirees and the tax-preferred status of the Nebraska School Retirement Plan.  Topics include the 180 day break requirement, substitute and other service prior to the 180 break, and the danger of sham terminations.
(2) Repayment of Refunds - Repaying a refund allows a member to restore prior service credit at a significantly lower cost than purchasing out of state or 12-month preretirement service.  Recent changes in statute now limit the timeframe during which a member can make repayment.  Learn about these time frames and find out how you can estimate the cost and apply for repayment.
(3) Eligibility and Enrollment - A brief reminder and revisit of the topic covered in the December 15, 2015 webinar.

New Bookkeepers - Stateroom B
Tami Clausen, Logan View Public Schools
School Accounting is not complicated but it is unique.  If you are new to the bookkeeping position you may feel lost in the sea of numbers, codes, and various duties.  We will attempt to calm the waters for you. If you are seasoned in the position you man learn new tricks of the trade or share one with those in attendance.  This session is meant to be informative, user friendly, and very interactive. 

Social Media 101 - Stateroom C
Tori Stofferson, Kearney Public Schools
Afraid to take the plunge into social media?  Learn the basics of starting a district Facebook and Twitter program that will engage your parents and community.  Discover the benefits of interactive classroom pages.  From set up to policies and everything in between.  Join us for a beginners guide through social media.

Securities Law Enforcement and the importance of Continuing Disclosure - Stateroom D
Mike Rogers, Gilmore & Bell, P.C.
Compliance with continuing disclosure undertakings is important for every school district with bonds outstanding. The Federal Securities laws applicable to school districts, and the regulation of underwriters, help us understand the importance of continuing disclosure and the potential consequences of non-compliance.

Session 2 – 11:15-12:00
EHA and ACA Update - Stateroom A
Greg Long, EHA, and Sue Warner, Blue Cross Blue Shield
Greg and Sue will discuss the latest updates of the Affordable Care Act, the value of the EHA, numbers behind the EHA rate, and provide an EHA board update.

Tips for Building a School Budget in the age of Accountability - Stateroom B
Doug Lewis, Papillion La Vista Community Schools
School District budgets are currently undergoing increased scrutiny with discussions on school spending and property tax relief. The need to develop a budget that reflects the true needs of the district in a manner which can be explained to constituents is increasingly important.  This session is meant to provide some tips and techniques for developing a school budget which accurately reflects the needs and spending of the district.  

Unemployment, Workers' Comp & Garnishments - Stateroom C
Perry, Guthery, Haase & Gessford
Are substitute teachers entitled to unemployment benefits?  Why won't the doctor clear an injured employee to return to work?  What if we receive multiple garnishments for the same employee?  It is an unpleasant fact of life that employees leave, get hurt on the job and have judgments entered against them.  These situations, even when they appear straightforward, can create administrative and logistical nightmares for business managers.  This session will provide an overview of these three areas of the law and will address recurring issues faced by employers.

Negotiations, Comparability, and the CIR: What Every Business Official Should Know - Stateroom D
KSB School Law
The negotiations process is heavy on crunching numbers, and when it comes to crunching numbers, that almost always involves school business officials.  Despite the integral role bookkeepers and business managers play in the preparation for and process of negotiating, you don't get much training on it.  We know you understand the "What?" so let's tackle the "Why?" This session will cover the most important aspects of negotiations, comparability, and all of the steps along the way, specifically tailored for business officials. 

Session 3 – 2:00-2:45
Update from State Auditor’s Office - Stateroom A (Acct&Disc_Guideline_Public_Funds_1993)
Cindy Janssen, Nebraska State Auditor’s Office
This presentation will go over the State Auditors office view of what schools should be aware of and related cautions / precautions.

School Finance Update - Stateroom B
Bryce Wilson, and Jen Utemark, Nebraska Department of Education
This session will cover school finance legislation, state aid, AFR coding changes, budgeting, and other school finance topics.

FLSA - Stateroom C
Perry, Guthery, Haase & Gessford
This summer, the Department of Labor’s proposed changes to the Fair Labor Standards Act’s overtime regulations are expected to be adopted into law.  This session will cover these anticipated regulations as well as common mistakes that Nebraska school districts make in determining whether an employee is exempt or non-exempt under the FLSA.  In addition, recent court rulings have provided important guidance on issues such as (1) overtime issues with employee use of smartphones; (2) the interaction of the FLSA & pregnancy laws; (3) the Department of Labor’s new “joint employer” guidance; and more.

The FMLA: What school attorneys want you to know! - Stateroom D
KSB School Law
Every week, we receive questions about the FMLA from school administrators and business officials.  From maternity leave to care for sick family members to long-term illnesses, the nuances of this law are often difficult to apply to real situations. This presentation will provide a refresher on FMLA basics and tackle some of the most common and unique questions which apply to schools: "I know they get '12 weeks,' but what does '12 weeks' actually mean?"  "What if we make state basketball?"  "What about Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks?"  "Who's eligible in the first place!?"  "What if they don't come back to work and are out all types of leave; do we fire them?"  We will answer these questions and more, but please, bring yours as well!

Session 4 – 3:00-3:45
Special Education Finance - Stateroom A (MOE Tool Example, SPED Cost History, SPED Matrix)
Greg Prochazka, Nebraska Department of Education
This session will provide an overview of the status of current and future special education funding. Discussion of finance issues/potential changes related to Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Maintenance of Effort (MOE), IDEA Coordinated Early Intervening Services (CEIS), IDEA “Excess Cost” requirements and calculations, and Medicaid in Public Schools (MIPS). Tips and strategies for special education reimbursement claims will be covered.

Credit Cards - Stateroom B
Perry, Guthery, Haase & Gessford
Did you know that your district must register each and every school credit card with the Department of Revenue?  How much “available credit” can and should your district maintain on a school credit card?  Does your district have a policy with regard to credit cards?  Do you have any safeguards to prevent credit card abuse? What should you do if you suspect that your credit card has been used fraudulently?  Who is responsible for any late charges or interest incurred on a public entity’s credit card?  This session will answer these questions and offer practical tips for your district's credit card use, including new technology in credit cards that are designed to prevent fraud.

It sounds boring, but it's important: Record Retention and Disposal - Stateroom C
KSB School Law
We'll just say it: the laws governing record retention are a all over the place, especially for business officials who deal with records from every aspect of school operations.  Why do you have to keep that special education invoice 3x longer than your electric bill?  Why must some personnel documents be kept for 50 years (!) when some can be destroyed immediately?  Do you REALLY have to decide on an email-to-email basis how long each one should be kept?  We will sort through this mess and the areas all schools have in common, with a particular focus on the records used and maintained by bookkeepers and business managers.  This will be fast-paced, and by the end, you'll be able to categorize all of the emails you sent during the presentation!

Energy Analytics - Stateroom D
Brian Maschmann, Norris School District 160 and Dave Raymond and Larry Cihal, Trane
With school budgets getting tighter each year, saving money and maximizing your rewards are more important than ever. Dave Raymond and Larry Cihal, Certified Energy Manager, from Trane will be joined by Brian Maschmann from Norris Schools who has implemented a Building Intelligent Services project. Be sure to attend to find out how you can maximize the spending of utility dollars in your district or school.

 

Any cancellation request must be received no later than Friday, April 8, 2016

*A 48 hour (2 business day) cancellation policy is in place for all events. To avoid being charged the full registration fee, please submit any requests to cancel your registration before the cancellation deadline listed above. Please contact Michelle, michelle@ncsa.orgwith all cancellation requests and inquiries. Please note: your registration fee will be refunded or waived ONLY if an event is cancelled due to inclement weather. Otherwise, the 48 hour (2 business day) cancellation policy remains in effect for all events.

 
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