INSIDE THIS ISSUE.....CLICK HERE TO READ FULL ISSUE

SBA OF THE YEAR

FAREWELL FROM NJASBO PRESIDENT

DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD RECIPIENTS

63RD ANNUAL CONFERENCE:  BUILDING BRIDGES TO SUCCESS

ABM PARTNER OF THE YEAR

MAY 2025 NEW JERSEY LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

RETIREE

ASBO CONFERENCE RECAP

NJASBO 2025-2026 SLATE OF OFFICERS

BA SERVES ON NJBOE

IRMAA REIMBURSEMENT

NJASBO COUNTY PRESIDENTS

USFA UPDATE

STUDENT TRANSPORTATION

NJASBO ANNUAL CONERENCE

Registration is open for our annual conference to be held at Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City from June 5th, 2024, to June 7th, 2024.   Once you register for the conference you will receive a confirmation email with a link to book hotel rooms.   Please be aware that the block of rooms will be available at the discounted rate until May 3rd, 2024, or before, if the block of rooms is exhausted.  Please make hotel reservations as soon as possible for the specific dates you wish to stay.  If you require a Form W-9 it is available on the NJASBO website on the Conference Details page.  

There will be 3 days of Professional Development, a keynote speaker Friday, new events, time to collaborate with your colleagues, and honor the Distinguished Service Award winners and School Business Administrator of the Year for 2024 along with the ABM Partner of the Year 2024!  

Click here for Conference Registration 

The Employer Liability for Annual Pension Contribution - PERS payment is due by April 1st, 2022.  The billing is no longer mailed to districts but is posted in the District’s MBOS/EPIC account.   The payment must be made through TEPS.   The information on the Employer Liability is also on the Division of Pensions and Benefits website State of NJ - Department of the Treasury - NJDPB | Local Employer Pension Contributions

From time to time, we hear from our members that they were unable to make a Professional Development session in person but they would really like to get the information.   On a trial basis we have arranged to have some of our in person live sessions recorded and made available for a small fee of $25 per recording.    There will be no CPE or QPA credits offered for these programs.    

Currently the September Program - Facility and Capital Projects & Financing Options is available for purchase - please click the link for more information.  Recorded September Program

There is still room for the program in our Northern Location.   OPEN PUBLIC RECORDS ACT UPDATE AND RECORDS MANAGEMENT   DECEMBER 21st Whippany Location

Frank Caruso, Executive Director of the Government Records Council (“GRC”), an affiliate of the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, will provide an overview of OPRA as it applies to school districts. Karen Perry, Records Analyst 1 with the Department of the Treasury, NJDORES-RMS will highlight the principles and practices of efficient Records and Information Management for New Jersey School Districts.

What's Coming in January 2022 

Lunch and Learn - Is Your District's Website ADA Compatible?    Join us for a Lunch and Learn via Zoom on January 11th at 11:30am to learn how Hamilton Township School District was able to make their website accessible. You will learn some tips from the School Business Administrator and IT Director on how the district became compliant so you can implement it in your district.  

Financial Planning - North Jersey Location January 20th  or South Jersey Location January 25th  This program will focus on Financial Planning basics - Learn the basics of financial planning and what leads to success in your financial life; Income Tax Planning - Navigating the change from earning to retirement also involves looking at income taxes.  We will do a dive into income tax planning (including Medicare premium planning); District Retirement Plan Basics - Here we will discuss the differences between 403b and 457 as well as the various product types that are found in the plans.

Happy Holidays to All!  

This new law extends the deadline for the completion of the annual audit of the 2020-2021 school fiscal year until January 31, 2022, and its submission to the commissioner until February 5, 2022.

The law also provides that, a school district is required to submit the Audit Summary for the 2020-2021 school year to the Department of Education by January 4, 2022.

Toys for Tots

Once again, NJASBO is participating in Toys for Tots.  New, unwrapped toys may be brought to any Professional Development program or a donation may be made HERE

• States receive funds based on the same proportion that each state receives under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Title-IA. State Education Agencies (SEAs) must distribute at least 90% of funds to local education agencies (LEAs) based on their proportional share of ESEA Title I-A funds.
• ARP requires states to move money to LEAs within 60 days of receiving the funds but there is no clear information on when the Feds will move the money to the states. We are not aware of any official NJ LEA allocations at this time.
• Funds are available through 9/23/23 and perhaps through 6/30/24.
• States must allocate 90% to LEAs and provide as much funding for K-12 education in FY 22 and FY23 as a proportion of the state's overall spending (FYs 2017,2018 & 2019).
• Allowable uses of funds are similar to ESSER I and II. See Detailed List HERE.
• IDEA Part B Federal Funding will be increased 20%.
• A new Maintenance of Equity requirement is imposed. (More to come on this.)
• School districts will be required to create and share plans publicly for returning to in-person instruction within 30 days of receiving funds.
• ARP designates additional funds through E-Rate for home internet access and connected devices (Wi-Fi Hotspots, etc.)
• School districts will be eligible for FFCRA paid leave reimbursable tax credits after 3/31/21. (It is unclear what tax credits schools may be eligible for.)
• Extends the number of weeks of unemployment benefits and adds federal Pandemic Unemployment assistance payments of $300/week through Sept 6, 2021.
• Extends the CARES Act provisions that provided a 75% subsidy for costs incurred by employers who provide unemployment benefits on a reimbursable basis rather than via tax contributions through Sept. 6, 2021.
• Extends full federal financing of benefits provided in the Short-Time Compensation program for states that have laws establishing such programs through Sept. 6, 2021.
  

School Ethics/Financial Disclosure Update:

Business administrators/board secretaries can now, among other things, view, review/approve, and/or return the Personal/Relative and Financial Disclosure Statements (Disclosure Statements) for the school officials on their February list.  A detailed PowerPoint, with step-by-step directions, is on the SEC’s website:   https://www.nj.gov/education/ethics/fds/index.shtml

New Purchasing Specifications Available - There are new specifications available under the purchasing section of the website.  HERE

Given the lateness of this law as it relates to the budget calendar, NJASBO does not anticipate that budgets should or can be changed but rather any adjustments would be made with the close of the books in June and with further guidance from the DOE.

The E-CERT – Certification of Compliance with Federal and State Law Respecting the Reporting of Compensation for Certain Employees is due annually by March 15^th https://www.state.nj.us/treasury/taxation/pdf/other_forms/misc/e_cert1.pdf

The Employer Liability for Annual Pension Contribution - PERS payment is due by April 1st, 2021.  The  billing is no longer mailed to districts but is posted in the District’s MBOS/EPIC account.   The payment must be made through TEPS.   The information on the Employer Liability is also on the Division of Pensions and Benefits website https://www.state.nj.us/treasury/pensions/2021-employer-billing.shtml

NEWS

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that the waivers to provide free meals to children through the Summer Food Service Program and the Seamless Summer Option will be extended through September 30th, 2021.   USDA Press Release

ASBO International reports that the $1.9 Trillion relief bill is ANTICIPATED to pass today and then would be sent to the President for his signature.    The package includes more than $120 billion in direct aid for K-12 schools and students.   An article in Education Week details the specifics in the Federal bill.   An article this morning on NJ.Com has information on potential funding for NJ School districts. More information will be forthcoming provided this moves forward.

Yesterday the Assembly and Senate approved and sent S2691 to the Governor for signature.  This bill would allow districts to retain an undesignated general fund balance of four percent for the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 fiscal years, and the use or transfer of those funds between line items and program categories would not require the approval of the Commissioner of Education. 

Additionally, A 4461 was passed by both houses and sent to the Governor. This bill would require the State to adopt a State contract for the purchase of COVID-19 related materials by school districts.  We will notify you as soon as we have further information regarding the Governor's action on either bill. 

Today's School Ethics Commission Update- NJASBO has been informed that the system is back up today and disclosure statements can now be accessed.  Additionally an updated PDF statement is now available for downloading if an official needs extra space to input data.  Lastly, board secretaries should double check their own email address.  If it is incorrect you will not receive notification if a school official's filing is rejected.

Purchasing Update, Best Practices and NJSTART State Contract Purchasing   March 16th, 2021 10am to noon.  Still time to register!         2 CPE (1 Auditing, 1 Business Law) / 2 QPA (1 Procurement, 1 Ethics)

Click Here for PD Registration

**New Offerings**

Overview of the new Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations (CRSSA) Act (aka ESSER II Funds)  April 13^th, 2021 10am -11am  NJ Department of Education Staff from the Offices of Fiscal and Data Services will present an overview of the CRSSA Act that was signed into law in December, 2020.   1 CPE -1 Finance; 1 QPA -1 Office Admin    Click Here to Register

Preparing for the Audit, GASB84 and Internal Controls - May 6^th, 2021 10am to noon.  Mr. Scott Clelland, Partner, Wiss and Co. will review the steps that Districts should take to successfully prepare for their Annual Audit, including what documentation Districts should provide pertaining to Purchases and Bids.   We will also review the requirements of GASB 84 for the 2020/21 Audit.   In addition, Mr. Clelland will review best practices for Districts to institute Internal Controls to prevent Fraud.  2 CPE -2 Auditing;  2 QPA -1 Office Admin, 1 Procurement Click Here to Register

School officials are now able to upload and submit their 2021 Personal/Relative and Financial Disclosure Statements from this site: https://homeroom6.doe.state.nj.us/schoolethics/login-officials

The SEC website also includes materials such as:

• Uploading and Submitting 2021 Personal/Relative and Financial Disclosure Statements PowerPoint
• FAQs for Uploading and Submitting 2021 Personal/Relative and Financial Disclosure Statements
• 2021 Instructions for Filing Disclosure Statements, Exhibit A (Updated February 26, 2021) which provides board secretaries with “sample” or “template” emails to send to school officials with their PINs.  However, with the new system, school officials also need to know their district code.  The “sample” or “template” emails have been updated to include this field.

If you have any questions, please click the link below for the most up to date information (https://www.nj.gov/education/ethics/fds/index.shtml).

Iran Investment Disclosure Now Pre-Award - Effective January 29, 2021, P.L. 2021, c. 4 amends the law requiring vendor and contractor disclosure of investment activities in Iran. The law allows the Iran investment disclosure form to be submitted prior to contract award and at the time the contract is renewed rather than with the bid or RFP submission. Contracting units are encouraged to review the new law with legal counsel and revise their procurement forms as necessary.

Have a great weekend!  Good luck with your budgets!

The deadline for submittals is Monday March 1st, 2021.  The proposals will be evaluated and the Primary Contact will be notified if the proposal is chosen for the Virtual Conference, which is tentatively scheduled for the week of June 7th, 2021.   Please note that preference will be given to sessions that include a School Business Official and/or NJASBO Associate Business Members.     Click Here to Submit Proposal

State Meeting Briefs & DOE Funding Broadcast

February 19, 2021

CORRECTION: Southern Region DSA Award winner is PAULA not Paul Smith.  Our apologies for the typo.  Congratulations Paula.

MEETING BRIEFS

1. School Finance Certification Course - Loretta presented an overview of the course as redesigned on the Canvas platform.

2.      2021-2022 Budget- Neil Cramer provided a short training session on the budget instructions.

3.      Action Items- The Trustees approved all agenda items as presented. A capital reserve disbursement of $44,294 was approved to pay for NJASBO’s share of the rooftop HVAC system replacement.

4.      Discussion Items:

a.       Legislative Update- Mike Vrancik indicated that he continues to monitor several bill drafts.  The topics range from professional development training, to extraordinary aid, 4% surplus, HVAC and consolidation studies to name a few.

b.      NJASBO continues its communications regarding the impact of Chapter 44 and anticipates issuing a sample resolution to our membership shortly.

c.       Reminders- Conference Presentation Proposals are due February 26^th and ABM of the Year Nominations are due March 26^th.

5.      Committees & Appointments-

a.      Minutes and the NJSIAA report are posted on the website.

b.      Sustainable Jersey- Teresa O’Brien reminded the membership of the new certification program which can be found at HERE

DOE BROADCAST

The Governor and DOE Commissioner announced today the release of the ESSER II allocations.  Additionally, the NJDOE is using $75 million of its set aside to establish the Learning Acceleration Grant. The Allocations for these funds were determined in the same manner as the ESSER II, however, both Title I, Part A and non-Title I LEAs will receive a minimum allocation of $25,000. Lastly, the NJDOE has designated another $30 million from the State set-aside for the provision of mental health services and supports. Allocations for these funds were based upon total LEA enrollment with a minimum allocation of $45,000 per LEA. The allocations are also available on the CRRSA Act webpage.  Additional details can be found in today’s Broadcast which can be found HERE

This afternoon Governor Murphy announced his proposed FY22 State Budget.  Key elements include the following:

* $6.4 billion FULL Actuarially Determined Pension Contribution 

*Additional $578.1 million added to Formula Aid

*Additional $50 million for Pre-School Aid; $26 million of that amount for 30 new districts

* $50 million for Stabilization Aid

*$25 million additional for Extraordinary Aid

* $75 million for SDA's capital maintenance and emergent needs grants program

*$120 million of the State's ESSER II set aside funds announced last week for the Learning Acceleration grants and mental health services.

The Governor’s FY22 budget proposal represents a concerted effort to fund the provisions of the School Funding Reform Act.  It presumes that the provisions of S-2 which provide for a reallocation of funds within the formula between districts continues according to the statutory schedule.  The line item for $50 million in stabilization Aid will ideally provide some relief for those districts negatively impacted by the S-2 provisions.  NJASBO will anxiously await further details of the FY22 school aid allocation and the budget language provisions that stipulate in detail how the aid will be distributed.

 Chapter 44

At the current time, the proposed budget does not appear to include any assistance related to Chapter 44 health benefit costs.  84 % of the 185 responses to the most recent NJASBO C.44 survey indicated increased costs. The consolidated survey results can be found at this LINK.  Additionally, NJASBO and NJSBA have collaborated on a sample C. 44 resolution should any districts want to utilize it to communicate concerns regarding the implementation of this law.  The resolution can be found HERE. 

Click here to look up Legislators

School Ethics Commission 

Due to technical difficulties with the new financial disclosure software the Commission has asked that users only attempt the first phase of the process at this point in time.  Districts should populate their February list of school officials by Friday 26, 2021.  Although board secretaries can obtain and issue PINs via emails to their school officials for their completion of their disclosure statements, since the disclosure upload function is not yet active, you may want to wait on that second step.  The SEC will be posting frequent updates to their site (below) as the programming difficulties are resolved.  

Distinguished Award Winners

1.  The 2021-2022 proposed NJASBO Slate of Officers was announced at today's Trustee Meeting as follows:

1. Second Vice President- Katie Attwood (Central Region)
2. First Vice President- Gail Libby (Northern Region)
3. President Elect- Richard Kaz, Jr. (Southern Region)
4. President- Robert Colavita (Central Region)
5. Past President- Dr. Philip Nisonoff (Northern Region)

2.   Congratulations to our 2021 NJASBO Distinguished Award Winners:

                   a.    Northern Region
                          i.  Frank Ceurvels (Ramapo Indian Hills)
                          ii.  Peter Daquila (School District of the Chathams)

                    b.   Central Region
                          i.    Maria Parry (Monmouth Regional)
                          ii.   Laura Gingerelli (Berkeley Township)

                    c.    Southern Region
                           i.    Donna Contrevo (Gateway Regional/National Park)
                           ii.   Paula Smith (Cape May County Technical School)

State Meeting Briefs & DOE Funding Broadcast

February 19, 2021

CORRECTION: Southern Region DSA Award winner is PAULA not Paul Smith.  Our apologies for the typo.  Congratulations Paula.

MEETING BRIEFS

1. School Finance Certification Course - Loretta presented an overview of the course as redesigned on the Canvas platform.

2.      2021-2022 Budget- Neil Cramer provided a short training session on the budget instructions.

3.      Action Items- The Trustees approved all agenda items as presented. A capital reserve disbursement of $44,294 was approved to pay for NJASBO’s share of the rooftop HVAC system replacement.

4.      Discussion Items:

a.       Legislative Update- Mike Vrancik indicated that he continues to monitor several bill drafts.  The topics range from professional development training, to extraordinary aid, 4% surplus, HVAC and consolidation studies to name a few.

b.      NJASBO continues its communications regarding the impact of Chapter 44 and anticipates issuing a sample resolution to our membership shortly.

c.       Reminders- Conference Presentation Proposals are due February 26^th and ABM of the Year Nominations are due March 26^th.

5.      Committees & Appointments-

a.      Minutes and the NJSIAA report are posted on the website.

b.      Sustainable Jersey- Teresa O’Brien reminded the membership of the new certification program which can be found at HERE

DOE BROADCAST

The Governor and DOE Commissioner announced today the release of the ESSER II allocations.  Additionally, the NJDOE is using $75 million of its set aside to establish the Learning Acceleration Grant. The Allocations for these funds were determined in the same manner as the ESSER II, however, both Title I, Part A and non-Title I LEAs will receive a minimum allocation of $25,000. Lastly, the NJDOE has designated another $30 million from the State set-aside for the provision of mental health services and supports. Allocations for these funds were based upon total LEA enrollment with a minimum allocation of $45,000 per LEA. The allocations are also available on the CRRSA Act webpage.  Additional details can be found in today’s Broadcast which can be found HERE

ASBO International District Membership - ASBO International is now offering a District Membership.  Click HERE to learn more.

NJSBA Membership Census Reminder - Please update your Membership Census with NJSBA.  Click HERE for information.

State Meeting Briefs

January 22, 2021

1. Special Guests- DOE Commissioner Angelica Allen-McMillan and Assistant Commissioner Kevin Dehmer joined the meeting and discussed a number of topics such as state aid (no update), C. 44 data collection, ESSER II, Security Aid grants (subject to legislative approval and timeline) and CRF audits.
2. Action Items- The Trustees approved all agenda items as presented.
3. Discussion Items:

•  Technology Survey regarding Professional Development- The detailed results were shared however in general 90+% indicated they attend PD for credits and relevant topics with 68% indicating they would attend both in person and virtually, post pandemic. The detailed results of the survey can be found under the Members Only section (Documents) of the website.
• Health Benefit Survey- NJASBO shared consolidated results of the survey which requested information on the 1/1/2021-6/30/2021 impact of C. 44.Of the 158 responses, 85% indicated the implementation will cost their district more money
• Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Initiative- NJASBO commenced an initial meeting with NJASBO members regarding this topic.
• NJASBO 2^nd VP Candidates- Katie Atwood (Hamilton Township)and Steve Brennan (Barnegat Township) have submitted their names for consideration as the Central Region 2^nd VP for 2021-2022. The Central Region Presidents will vote on February 19^th.
• Distinguished Service Awards – Nominee packets for each region were distributed to County Presidents.  Voting will take place on February 19^th.
• Conferences- ASBO International has cancelled their February 2021 Leadership conference.  NJASBO has cancelled its in person June conference and will hold a virtual conference.
• Committees & Appointments- Conference, Technology, Purchasing and Legislative committee minutes and the NJSIAA report are posted on the website.

NJASBO  Annual Conference - The NJASBO Annual conference will be held virtually in June 2021 due to COVID concerns.

REMINDER: HEALTH BENEFIT SURVEY:  If you have not already done so, NJASBO requests your assistance in responding to a simple 3 question Health Benefit Survey.  The information requested pertains to the six month (Jan-June 2021) impact of the Chapter 44 implementation and is critical to presenting a statewide picture of the actual results.  If you have any questions please contact Sue or Loretta.  Click here for Survey. 

ESSER Funds- An ESSER I (CARES Act) and ESSER II (CRRSA Act) Fact sheet can be found HERE.

Reminder-Individuals employed with the titles of School Business Administrator or Assistant School Business Administrator must have a Standard SBA certificate or a Certificate of Eligibility as an SBA AND be registered for their Provisional certificate and enrolled in the Residency Program.  Contact Jamie@NJASBO.com with any questions. 

Initial Release of 2020 Chapter 44 Software Application - Click HERE  for information.

Bridge Year Pilot Program -  Click HERE  for information.

Initial Release of 2021-2022 Budget Software Application - Click HERE for information.

The Election Calendar for the School year 2021/2022 is posted on the Department of Education Website.  Click Here to access District Wide Budget information for School Year 2021-2022. 

Tentative Tuition Rates for the Private Schools for the Disabled has been posted Click here to access

Filing of 2021 Financial Disclosures- Please see Broadcast regarding important deadlines.  Click Here for Broadcast

FFCRA Leaves- As you are probably aware the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) leaves that were mandated until December 31st, 2020 were NOT extended into 2021 under the new Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA 2021).   Employers may VOLUNTARILY extend either or both FFCRA leaves through March 31st, 2021.   These leaves are the Emergency Paid Sick Leave (EPSL) and the Emergency Family and Medical Leave (EFMLA).   Private employers are eligible for tax credits for these leaves, however, Government Employers are NOT eligible for the tax credits under either FFCRA or CAA.  Consult with your advisors for additional details if you are considering this voluntarily.   

PERS Calculation - To assist you in budgeting for your PERS payment due April 2022, please see the attached sample calculation to estimate your 2021/2022 PERS budget appropriation.  Click Here for sample calculation

KeyPost Pandemic Stories and Photos - Do you have an interesting story or photos from the Pandemic?   If so, please submit  them to lisa@njasbo.com for a future edition of the KeyPost. 

Tech Survey Reminder & Deadline:   The deadline to submit your information for the NJASBO Tech Survey is today, please click here to complete the survey by the end of today to be in the running to win a $100 Gift card.   Click Here for Survey

Reimbursement of Health Benefits deductions: 12.31.20 Health benefit deductions were made in error from the January 1, 2021, retirement payments of some retirees enrolled in the SEHBP. The problem has been identified and corrected for future retirement payments. Checks will be mailed to retirees who are due refunds with delivery expected on or before February 18, 2021. Please continue to check the NJDPB website for future refund check delivery date details.

Purchasing- The bid, RFP & competitive contracting and quote templates have been updated by Mr. Shoop and can be found on our website. The Purchasing Manual has also been updated. In particular the new federal debarment requirement has been included along with other more minor changes.  Members are advised to tailor these templates to their specific needs and requirements.  Additionally, the Purchasing Committee has created new bid and rfp specifications which have been placed on the website as well in the Purchasing section. 

New Covid-19 Stimulus Package- Below is an excerpt fromASBO International regarding this new law.  Keep in mind that the new law does NOT extend the FFCRA leave requirements which expired December 31st. We will provide further updates as they are received. 

ESSER Fund (public K-12 schools): 54.3 billion   ED shall award funds to each State educational agency with an approved application (w/i 30 days after the COVID relief package is enacted).  90% of funds from states will go to LEAs (public and charter) in proportion to Title I, Part A funding LEAs received for the most recent FY. See pg. 1867for a list of allowable use of funds.

January 19^th, 2021 ~ TOPIC: Overview of Insurance Coverages – 10am (2 hours) via Zoom Webinar 2 CPE (1 Business Law, 1 Finance)/ 2 QPA (applied for)  Click Here for Description and Registration.  

February 2nd, 2021 ~ Topic: Budget Guidelines and Software Review; Best Practices in Budgeting  - 10am (2 hours) via Zoom Webinar  2 CPE (1 Accounting, 1, Auditing) / 2 QPA (applied for) Click Here for Description and Registration 

February 23^rd, 2021 ~ TOPIC: Understanding School Ethics NJSA 18A:12  - 10 am (1 hour) via Zoom Webinar 1 CPE(Business law)/1 QPA Ethics(applied for) Click Here for Description and Registration

March 16^th, 2021 ~ TOPIC: Purchasing Update and Best Practices & NJSTART State Contract Purchasing - 10am (2 hours) via Zoom Webinar 2 CPE (1 Auditing, 1 Business Law) / 2 QPA Procurement/Ethics (applied for)  Click Here for Description and Registration

There are still spots available for the Excel Series - 6 sessions beginning January 14th - all registrants will have access to a Closed Group that will have the sample worksheets and the recordings that can be referenced at any time.   Click Here for Description and Registration

There are still spots available for the Google Sheets Series - 6 sessions beginning January 28th - all registrants will have access to a Closed Group that will have the sample Google sheets and the recordings that can be referenced at any time.   Click Here for Description and Registration