OASBO West Central Chapter Meeting

Local meeting of the West Central OASBO Chapter

Host Organization: Ohio Association of School Business Officials (OASBO); Nadeen Askew, Events Manager; (614) 431-9116; [email protected]
Event Date: 4/5/2024
# of Hours Available: 4
Location: Old Barn Restaurant & Grill
3175 W Elm St
Lima, OH 45805
Onsite Contact: Mandy France
Treasurer/CFO
Perry Local SD (Lima)
(567) 940-1415
[email protected]

Conference Website
https://oasbo-ohio.org/chapters-and-committees/chapters/west-central

Required Materials

MyCPIM Worksheet
Course Description Quick Guide

Friday 4/5/2024

8:15 AM - 9:15 AM

Course Name	Speaker(s)	Hours Available
Procurement of Goods and Services in School Districts	Doug Merkle, Benefits Director, Southwestern Ohio EPC, Robin Houston, Director of Purchasing, Southwestern Ohio EPC	1	View

9:15 AM - 10:15 AM

Course Name	Speaker(s)	Hours Available
Property Taxes, 20 Mil Floor, Levies	Meghan Sullivan Homsher, Senior Analytics Advisor , Frontline Education	1	View

10:30 AM - 11:30 AM

Course Name	Speaker(s)	Hours Available
Ohio Ethics Law	Nick Rohrbaugh, Education and Communications Specialist, Ohio Ethics Commission	1	View

1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Course Name	Speaker(s)	Hours Available
Legal, Legislative, & Other Hot Topics	Katie Johnson, Deputy Executive Director, Ohio Association of School Business Officials (OASBO)	1	View

Course Details: Procurement of Goods and Services in School Districts

Course Description and Learning Objectives

Target Audiences: School Districts

Category: Accounting & Auditing

This course will provide information about procurement of goods and services by school districts along with a discussion of details to evaluate.

The course will provide details and information about procurement for the following programs: Food Service, Design-Build, Utilities, Employee Benefits, Liability Fleet and Property, Paper and Supplies, and School Buses.

Statement of Accreditation Rationale:
Procurement of goods and services can be a daunting and complicated process on top of being very time-consuming. This course intends to bring some clarity to the process along with how to maximize efficiency around it.

Course Material

N/A

Doug Merkle, Benefits Director, Southwestern Ohio EPC

[email protected]
303 Corporate Center Drive
Vandalia, OH 45377
Phone: (937) 890-3725

Doug Merkle has been with the Southwestern Ohio Educational Purchasing Council (EPC) for 13 years and has been in the Employee Benefits Industry for 25 years. He is the Benefits Director for EPC and manages benefits administration for 104 member School Districts. Doug is responsible for the overall management of the program and for three other EPC employees dedicated to the Employee Benefits Department. Since 2011, the amount of school districts in the Employee Benefits program has increased by nearly 90%.

Robin Houston, Director of Purchasing, Southwestern Ohio EPC

[email protected]
303 Corporate Center Drive
Vandalia, OH 45377
Phone: (937) 890-3725 x1001

Robin Houston has been with the Southwestern Ohio Educational Purchasing Council for over 23 years. She is the Director of Purchasing and takes care of 20+ purchasing areas which include Classroom/Office Supplies, Furniture, LED Lighting, School Buses, and Vehicles. Robin is responsible for keeping bids and RFPs within legal compliance, researching and identifying prospective suppliers, evaluating their offerings and the required product specifications, and securing purchase agreements.

Course Details: Property Taxes, 20 Mil Floor, Levies

Course Description and Learning Objectives

Target Audiences: School Districts

Category: Tax Collection

This session will provide attendees with an overview of rising property valuation trends – locally and around the state – and the impact valuations have on the calculation of state funding for a school district in Ohio. We will also discuss proposed legislation for taxpayer relief, and implications to local and state sources of revenue.

This course will provide attendees with:
• An overview of statewide property increases, including a discussion of local increases and projected increases for tax year 2023
• A demonstration of how property values impact the calculation of state funding for a district, including different examples for a guarantee versus formula district, and one that goes between both
• Additional discussion on other state funding topics like Economic Disadvantaged funding, and changes to the threshold for School Wide qualification

Statement of Accreditation Rationale:
Thorough understanding and working knowledge of how state funding is calculated for a district is imperative for cash management, as it is typically one of the two main revenue sources for an Ohio school. This session will enhance the treasurer’s understanding of how the state funding formula is being calculating, with particular attention to the local economic portion of the formula that includes historic property valuations. Accurate cash flow projections and management are essential to helping ensure the district can meet all its expenditure obligations, as well as assist with identifying monies available for investments.

Course Material

N/A

Meghan Sullivan Homsher, Senior Analytics Advisor , Frontline Education

[email protected]
8050 N High St, Ste 160
Columbus, OH 43235
Phone: (614) 732-5948

Meghan Sullivan-Homsher joined Frontline Education on Feb. 1, 2022. She was previously with the Ohio Department of Taxation and has been a great resource to Ohio schools. Meghan had been with the Tax Analysis Division of ODT since 2005. Her responsibilities have included providing analysis of proposed legislation and contributing to department publications. Meghan’s specific areas of interest include property tax, school district income tax, and state/local revenue sharing.

Course Details: Ohio Ethics Law

Course Description and Learning Objectives

Target Audiences: School Districts

Category: Ethics

This course will provide information about the cases and knowledge of Ohio Ethics Laws and compliance.

The course will provide details and information about Ohio Ethics Laws.

Statement of Accreditation Rationale:
The Ohio Ethics Law is a criminal statute applicable to all public employees and officials. Those who do business with, are regulated by, or have an interest in matters before public agencies are also subject to the law. Instruction and examples will highlight statutory responsibilities of School Business Officials under Ohio Ethics Law. Topics discussed will include conflicts of interest, gift restrictions, public contracts, and post-employment.

Course Material

N/A

Nick Rohrbaugh, Education and Communications Specialist, Ohio Ethics Commission

[email protected]
30 West Spring Street L3
Columbus, OH 43215
Phone: (614) 466-7090

Nick Rohrbaugh has partnered with government agencies, local businesses, and Fortune 500 companies to communicate, advocate, and educate; connecting public and private entities with the community. Nick’s passion for technology learning has resulted in the creation and deployment of training modules using video, text, graphical, and quiz content. His robust and interactive online learning tools maximize effectiveness while making learning fun.

With the Ohio Ethics Commission, Nick helps people appreciate how the Ohio Ethics Law relates to them. Through media and educational outreach, he shares ethics expertise to support the Ethics Commission’s mission of upholding public trust in Ohio’s governments. Nick is a graduate of West Virginia University where he earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with an emphasis on video and photography.

Course Details: Legal, Legislative, & Other Hot Topics

Course Description and Learning Objectives

Target Audiences: School Districts

Category: Miscellaneous

This course will provide an overview of recent changes in legislation, as well as examine pending legislation in the 135th General Assembly, that impact public finance and tax levy law in Ohio.

The course will provide attendees with essential information related to public school finance and tax levy law, which impacts the funding, cash balance management, and forecasting for Ohio public schools.

Statement of Accreditation Rationale:
The course will enhance the attendees’ understanding of the Ohio statutes and other laws related to the revenue stream and predictability of funding for public school districts so that school district officials and employees can budget and forecast. In addition, the course will cover other changes (and proposed changes) to Ohio law that impact the management of public-school districts. This information is essential to protect school business officials and their districts from violations and liability, as well as to protect the public’s trust in our public agencies.

Course Material

N/A

Katie Johnson, Deputy Executive Director, Ohio Association of School Business Officials (OASBO)

[email protected]
98 Commerce Park Drive
Westerville, OH 43082
Phone: 6144319116

Katie Johnson is the Deputy Executive Director of the Ohio Association of School Business Officials (OASBO). Prior to joining OASBO, she practiced as a public finance attorney, serving as bond counsel and underwriter’s counsel in debt and lease financings, and as general counsel for Ohio political subdivisions, particularly school districts.

In addition, she has experience working with school districts throughout Ohio on bond issues, note issues, leases, contracts, tax levies, public records, and other matters of concern to school business officials.

As OASBO’s Deputy Executive Director, she serves as in-house legal counsel, keeping staff and OASBO members abreast of legal and regulatory compliance issues in school business.

Prior to beginning her legal career, Katie was a middle school mathematics teacher. She has continued to work with school district throughout her career as a public finance attorney and now as OASBO’s Deputy Executive Director. Katie is currently the President of Ohio Women in Public Finance.

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