Crystal Chapa EA 741 March 26, 2013 Interview with Jeff Rocco: Business Manager for Grand Blanc

Schools

Business Manager, Jeff Rocco, is a new addition to the Grand Blanc Schools Central Office Staff. He was hired this past fall after the position was vacated by our former Business Manager of about 10 years. Jeff comes from the corporate world, previously working in the business department for the Koegel Meats Company in Flint, Michigan. During his interview, Jeff mentioned that he took the position for the short term, wishing to help the district out of financial trouble. The district agreed to his conditions and hired Jeff. There were questions throughout the interview that were unknown to Jeff; reasonably so due to the nature of the departure of the former Business Manager. There was no job shadowing period where Jeff was trained and informed of district policies and operations. He has also learned much about school finance, which he stated is significantly different than working with corporate budgets because of the lack of self-government and the amount of rules and bureaucracy in school funding. His is working hard to learn the ropes, but there is still much to learn! The first question of the interview was related to opinions about Proposal A. When asked whether Jeff felt the system was helping or harming Grand Blanc Schools he mentioned that we are in a different position than some schools because we receive a decent per pupil allowance. He does believe the inability to ask the community for extra funding has changed the financial

situation in Grand Blanc over the past few decades. Not being able to request the communitys help with assisting financially (in most cases) is a disadvantage for the district, especially when the Grand Blanc community is known to have strong support for the school district. Given the need to find money sources outside of State Aid, I asked Jeff what other sources are pursued by Grand Blanc. He listed several government grants, such as the Retirement Offset Grant, Title I, II and III grants, and Medicaid Outreach Program, which total roughly $54 million. Also, nongovernment grants such as our Technology Grant and other small local grants that total almost $9 million in funds. There is a teacher in the districts career development department who is in charge of completing grant applications for several of the nongovernment and volunteer/community service grants available. The districts Curriculum Director is responsible for the At-Risk and Title I, II, and III grants which are considered supplemental and cannot be used for general instruction. When asked how money is allocated to each building level or based on the needs of the schools population, Jeff stated that each building has a similar budget based on their level (elementary, middle, high) with the primary grades receiving more funding for staff because of the low teacher to student ratio. Extra funding is provided to needier schools through Title and 31A funds. Schools which qualify because of their at-risk populations receive Title funds that pay for remedial programs and support within these specific schools. Schools within the district that are not targeted schools, but still have needy students, are provided with 31A money for things like math and ELA enrichment for students who have been identified through testing data. Also providing paraprofessional teachers in schools where extra support is necessary.

Regarding the development of a budget for the upcoming year(s) Jeff uses a variety of strategies including but not limited to the monitoring of birth rates in Genesee County along with the grade level admission trends for the district. Previous budgets and actual spending are used as a guide to predict what will be needed in future years. Oftentimes the changes in funding from the State and Federal levels have dramatic effects on the budget and in some cases occur with limited notification, adding to the districts burden. During the budget planning process, all 400+ accounts are evaluated and adjusted if necessary to meet the current financial demands. A balanced budget is necessary, which sometimes means borrowing money for expenses such as technology and busses, allowing for payments to be spread out over a longer period of time. The district is also trying to add to the districts income by participating in government incentive programs and restructuring our own operations to cut expenses. A major effort has been given to applying for Best Practices money. School of choice is offered, along with online classes, dual enrollment/post-secondary credit, and including district information on the Michigan Schools Dashboard portal. The district is also participating in competitive bidding, such as when purchasing natural gas, and conducting academic growth testing and reporting. Jeff is currently in the process of drafting a resolution to prove we are complying with these Best Practices to seek approval from the school board and then the State of Michigan. In terms of cutting costs within district operations, Jeff is considering all options and is working with the Central Office Administration and union representatives to develop an approach that satisfies the majority and benefits student achievement. This includes looking at new health care providers who offer the same services at a lower price to the district, also privatizing nonteaching positions and eliminating personnel through attrition.

All in all, the interview was interesting yet somewhat predictable; maybe thats because of the learning that has taken place in my school finance class. Jeff has an energetic personality and seems ready for the challenge of creating and operating for a district budget in these unpredictable times. If anything, I am reassured that the district I work for is doing what is right for children and working to make this district the best for its employees too.