Page 4 - AASBO The EDGE Summer 2022

A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

BY KARLA WALTER
Be a Rainbow for Our Students and

School Finance Education
Karla Walter

It is hard to believe that the school year is over Laughlin, Nevada, for the always exciting Spring
and we are already planning for 2022- 2023. Conference.
Undoubtedly, the past couple of years have been
the toughest in our careers and together we have In partnership with Heinfeld Meech, we launched
persevered and acted on our commitment and our updated professional development programs,
creativity to do our very best for Arizona’s school including workshops, on demand webinars and
children. Not only did we support the needs the Aspiring School Business Officials Academy,
of our students, but we also reached out to the a 15-18 month program designed to provide
parents, staff and community to provide services up-and-coming school business officials with
throughout the pandemic. the core competencies needed to be successful
with the ever-changing needs of school districts.
Little did we realize that we would be providing It includes in-person cohort meetings covering
services outside our normal school operations, two-to-three in-depth topics each month, plus at
like setting up on-site COVID vaccination and least 10 one-day workshops. The ideal candidates
testing operations, expanded feeding programs, are in their first five years as a school business
provided outreach and social emotional services official. We are also collaborating with The Trust
for families in need, and the list goes on. for a Leadership Summit – so stay tuned!

As I approach the end of my term as AASBO I wish to thank those people who helped me
President, it makes me reflect on the experience all of AASBO’s accomplishments
accomplishments of this past year. this past year. I am especially grateful for the
work of the entire AASBO staff, the leadership
After much uncertainty wondering whether of the Board of Directors, the commitment of
anyone would show up, we launched our year
with our first in-person Annual Conference in
nearly two years. Our theme, appropriately named
“AASBO Strikes Back: A New Hope” proved that
we were ready to do just that by showing up in
record attendance numbers.

We also had record attendance at our bi-monthly
meetings throughout the year both in-person and
via webcasts. Thanks to our capable staff and
creative members, we were able to stage several
webinars, the annual Vendor/Buyer Conference,
the Winter Conference, and we returned to Karla Walter and the Roosevelt Team

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4 THE EDGE SUMMER 2022