Page 23 - The Edge - Summer 2020

COVID-19

BY DON HARRIS

Officials Chart a Conservative Financial Path for Schools

As schools struggle to get through the financial 19, such as specific needs for minorities, English
impact of the coronavirus pandemic, top officials learners, children from low income families, and
offered suggestions for coping now and advice for special needs students, plus technology usage for
future plans. online learning.

Participants in the webinar sponsored by “Plan for the worst, hope for the best. but don’t plan
FORECAST5 Analytics included Brian Mee, AASBO for the best,” Joraanstad said.
Executive Director; Mark Joraanstad, Executive
Director, Arizona School Administrators; and panelists
Tom Wohlleber, Chief Financial Officer, Casa Grande
Elementary School District; Karla Slovitsky, Director
of Business Services, J.O. Combs Unified School
District; and Nate Bowler, AASBO President and
Director of Business, Glendale Union School District.

Joraanstad tracked revenue and spending trends
dating back to 2011-2012, noted the dire predictions
of the Joint Legislative Budget Committee, and then
asked: “Where are we going?” He said the projected
state budget for this year had a balance of $562
million, but a month later the state was looking at a
deficit of $638.2 million.
“What a difference a month makes,” he said, noting
that legislative number-crunchers predicted a deficit
of $1.1 billion, give or take $500 million. “That’s a
large give or take,” Joraamstad said.

While fiscal 2021 looks bleak, Joraanstad said fiscal Mee said one of most important and powerful
2022 might not look so bad. “Any slight improvement tools schools have at times like this is the ability
will be a big improvement over something that was to communicate and collaborate with each other,
very bad,” he said. “Not so bad news really could be including the use of emails and phones. “We all have
good news.” our networks,” Mee said. “Many of you have the
same questions and many of you have the answers.”
Joraanstad urged school officials to be watchful if
the Legislature tries to use federal COVID-19 funds He recommended going to the AASBO website and
dedicated for education to backfill budget deficits. clicking on Engage, where you can ask questions
“We will oppose that,” he said firmly. relating to COVID-19 and get answers from experts.
The site also offers discussions on such topics as
He recommended working with the state Department what to do with the transportation staff. Mee said a
of Education and various professional associations recommendation was to have them deliver and drop
including AASBO, and lobbying the Governor’s off food.
Office for discretionary funds. He also recommended
documenting expenditures relating to COVID-
CONTINUED ON PAGE 24

23