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This Lozano Smith Podcast episode is the fourth and final in a 4-part series Leadership in Action, brought to you by Lozano Smith and Lozano Smith’s Concierge Consulting Services, also known as CCS.  Due to a long pattern of declining enrollment and resulting budget challenges, school districts around the state are increasingly faced with making the difficult decision of whether and how to close or consolidate schools.  In this episode, host Sloan Simmons engages with Lozano Smith CCS expert Ron Carruth, Ed.D. and Partner Harold Freiman regarding their unique expertise and best practice recommendations for this challenging process, which is often fraught with emotion for the schools and for the community.  Adding to the challenge are recent legal guidances on school consolidation and on equity considerations that should be considered.  Practical takeaways on this topic from this episode—whether on demographics studies, communication plans, or legal strategies—can benefit superintendents, school district cabinet leaders of all departments, and school board members.

Show Notes & References

• 4:10 –  Observations on school consolidation
• 7:00 – Decreases in ADA (Average Daily Attendance) and demographic patterns
• 8:19 – Lessons on reconfiguration/consolidation
• 11:12 – Key legal issues surrounding reconfiguration/consolidation
• 11:50 – Community input (Education Code section 17487)
• 12:22 – CDE guidance (Best Practices Guide for Potential School Closure)
• 14:09 – Assembly Bill (AB) 1912 and specific school closure requirements for financially distressed school districts
• 16:37 – Equity issues and Attorney General guidance letter (April 2023)
• 20:35 – Criteria to consider
• 24:24 – Awareness of common legal challenges
• 26:18 – Comparing the established 7/11 committee process to the new guidance on district advisory committees
• 29:31 – Insights into the motivations behind and creation of AB 1912
• 33:49 – Careful analysis in assisting districts with reconfiguration/closure
• 37:22 – Demographics, parameters, and best practices regarding time frames
• 39:24 – Communication plans, community outreach, and the importance of good documentation
• 45:43 – The Superintendent’s role in the reconfiguration/closure process
• 48:14 – The importance of engaging with the entire district team
• 50:54 – The Board’s role in the reconfiguration/closure process
• 56:01 – Final thoughts

 

To learn more about the Lozano Smith’s Concierge Consulting Services (CCS) team, join us here.

For more information on the topics discussed in this podcast, please visit our website at: www.lozanosmith.com/podcast.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 46:31 — 64.6MB) | Embed

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This Lozano Smith Podcast episode is the third in a 4-part series Leadership in Action, brought to you by Lozano Smith and Lozano Smith’s Concierge Consulting Services, also known as CCS.  In this episode, host Sloan Simmons connects with Lozano Smith CCS expert Brandon Krueger, Ed.D. and Partner Sarah Levitan Kaatz regarding building and sustaining a professional organizational culture.  This discussion highlights overarching concepts, practical approaches, and a framework for the extremely important, hard, and sustained work necessary to develop, improve, and maintain a successful, professional organizational culture.   Applicable takeaways from this episode can benefit school district leaders, but uniquely governing board members, superintendents, and other members of a district’s leadership cabinet.

Show Notes & References

• 2:48 –  Differentiating between culture and climate
• 6:00 – Shifting culture
• 10:15 – Accountability (external and internal)
• 12:45 – Organizational culture work
• 17:11 – Timelines and tailoring trainings to each individual participant
• 22:27 – Bias incident response work example
• 27:09 – Flexibility to encourage participant investment
• 29:49 – Supporting administrators to maintain positive shifts
• 35:05 – Training “bites” and the importance of repetition in learning
• 37:11 – Strategies to combat administrator attrition and retirement
• 41:34 – Reference checks
• 42:10 – New requirements for job applicants and hiring entities (Assembly Bill (AB) 2534) (Client News Brief 47 – November 2024)

 

To learn more about the Lozano Smith’s Concierge Consulting Services (CCS) team, join us here.

For more information on the topics discussed in this podcast, please visit our website at: www.lozanosmith.com/podcast.

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This Lozano Smith Podcast episode is the second in a 4-part series Leadership in Action, brought to you by Lozano Smith and Lozano Smith’s Concierge Consulting Services, also known as CCS.  Whether your school district successfully passed a bond or parcel tax in years past or just this month, once those financial resources are accounted for, the process of moving forward with construction begins.  In this episode, host Sloan Simmons connects with Lozano Smith CCS expert George S. Sziraki, Ed.D. and Partner Kelly Rem regarding best practices for superintendents and their teams for advanced planning, issue spotting, engaging with their school boards, constituents, and other important stakeholders in the school construction project process.  Practical takeaways from this episode can benefit school district leaders at any stage of the school construction process, but in particular those at the starting point of the process.

Show Notes & References

• 3:06 –  Budget process and the importance of management oversight
• 4:25 – The impact of timeline development on budget markers
• 7:19 – Accounting for unanticipated delays
• 8:40 – Stakeholder communications and legal aspects that come into play
• 12:36 – School bonds and Oversight Committees
• 13:37 – Lozano Smith Podcast Episode 68 Citizen Bond Oversight Committees: A Primer for School Districts (Listen here)
• 13:55 – Strategies for fostering good relationships with Oversight Committees
• 15:06 – Communications through the preconstruction phase and understanding delivery methods
• 17:11 – Potential legal engagement and knowing when to pass the baton
• 18:09 – The Levine Act
• 18:53 – Factoring in Title IX inequity issues and ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliance
• 21:40 – Front-end policy development
• 22:34 – CUPCCAA (California Uniform Public Construction Cost Accounting Act)
• 23:53 – When disputes arise
• 26:03 – Big picture takeaways

 

To learn more about the Lozano Smith’s Concierge Consulting Services (CCS) team, join us here.

For more information on the topics discussed in this podcast, please visit our website at: www.lozanosmith.com/podcast.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 41:31 — 57.7MB) | Embed

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This Lozano Smith Podcast episode is the first in a 4-part series Leadership in Action, brought to you by Lozano Smith and Lozano Smith’s Concierge Consulting Services, also known as CCS.  Increasingly in recent years, the perception of governing board meetings have trended negative, with school leaders concerned over disruptions, lack of productivity, and more.  In this episode, host Sloan Simmons engages with Lozano Smith CCS expert Kevin Skelly, Ph.D. and Partner Megan Macy regarding best practices in fostering a welcoming and positive experience during governing board meetings, to the benefit of district constituents, students, staff, administrators, and the governing board.  Practical takeaways from this episode can benefit both new and veteran governing board members in improving the experience and productivity of board meetings.

Show Notes & References

• 3:13 – Making board meetings positive
• 7:04 – Planning for meetings and bringing issues forward
• 8:38 – Creating welcoming board meetings for constituents
• 13:10 – Connecting with constituents at meeting
• 13:57 – Celebrating success at board meetings
• 16:54 – Media coverage and relationships with local news networks
• 19:08 – Importance of board trainings and in-the-moment issue spotting
• 23:36 – Taking students and teachers into account
• 26:35 – Getting a “win” out of a “loss” at a board meeting
• 31:25 – Qualities of good governance teams and successful strategies to employ
• 36:27 – Modeling respect at board meetings

 

To learn more about the Lozano Smith’s Concierge Consulting Services (CCS) team, join us here.

For more information on the topics discussed in this podcast, please visit our website at: www.lozanosmith.com/podcast.