Back to School and Safety Planning: A View From the CBO's Chair

What are some of the vital operational elements that school business leaders must keep moving forward and aligned as their districts implement school safety and back to school plans? In this episode, Lafayette School District Chief Business Official and CASBO Vice President Diane Deshler helps us explore the ongoing work of a school business office during these days of pandemic and economic crisis. 

How has her school district approached planning and navigated changing circumstances? What types of health and safety protocols are being put in place and what guidance is available if a new outbreak occurs? What are some implications for human resources and collective bargaining? And what keeps CBOs like Diane awake at night? 

This insightful journey will help illuminate these and other timely topics. Plus, we'll discuss new Learning Loss and Mitigation Funds and learn about Diane's somewhat unusual (and tasty) pathway into public education and becoming a CBO. 

KEY RESOURCE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Reopening California's Schools: A FCMAT Discussion on Understanding & Planning for Federal Funding -- CASBO Webinar with Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team CEO Michael Fine

OTHER VALUABLE LINKS:

• Reopening California's Schools: A Discussion on Political Insights for 2020-21 -- Webinar with CASBO's Governmental Relations team, Sara Bachez and Elizabeth Esquivel
• California Department of Education's Coronavirus Response and School Reopening Guidance webpage

ABOUT OUR GUEST

Diane Deshler is the Chief Business Official (CBO) at Lafayette School District, which serves about 3,500 Kindergarten through eighth-grade students in Contra Costa County in Northern California. She also serves as CASBO Vice President and has been a member of CASBO for 24 years. She is a graduate of the University of California, San Diego. Following college and working at a publishing company, Diane changed her career focus and attended professional chef school in California and Paris, France. Diane worked at Chez Panisse in Berkeley as the Pastry Chef, and at George Lucas’ Skywalker Ranch in Marin County as Head Chef. Her path to serving students started with her interest in student nutrition and school lunch. From working in school lunch to a variety of school business areas, Diane graduated from the CASBO/FCMAT CBO Mentor Program and is in her 6th year as a school district CBO. 

Diane grew up in the Bay Area. She currently lives in the East Bay and has two children in college; both will attend classes through distance learning as they begin the new school year. If Diane had the opportunity for vacation, she would be spending her free time in the mountains or at the beach with her family.

ABOUT CASBO

The California Association of School Business Officials is the premier resource for professional development and business best practices for California's school business leaders. Follow at @CASBO. Discover the many critical resources, advocacy updates and professional development opportunities at www.casbo.org.

About your series guide
Paul Richman is a public education advocate and consultant. Share your feedback at [e-mail]. Follow at @pjr100