President’s View...Rob Burgess – Teach Your Children Well
By: Rob Burgess, CPA, Chief Financial Officer, Lakeshore Public Schools and President of MSBO
 Well, here we are. It’s Tuesday, September 2 and the first day of school. So far, I have not gotten any angry calls from parents about bus drivers who did not stop to pick up their child. There’s been no massive traffic jam, usually the case the first day of school, in front of the middle school where nervous parents drop off 6th graders to that hormone saturated next level of education. Read more
Executive Director’s View...Tom White – Nitwits Guide to Learning
 By: Tom White, Executive Director, MSBO
How and where do people learn? Stop and think about it. The answer may not be as simple as it seems.
The obvious answer is that we learn in school. That’s where our children learn a lot – we hope. However, I also hope that if you apply this question to yourself, that MSBO and our many conferences came to mind. Between MSBO and MIEM (rhymes with team), we conduct nearly 100 workshops and conferences a year on school business topics. We know a lot of learning goes on there. Read more
An Important Message to MILAF Investors
 The unprecedented financial market crisis of the past several weeks has created turmoil that has swept the markets.
- We have seen: The Federal government take on direct responsibility for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the two housing giants that collectively under‐pin the U.S. housing market;
- Lehman Brothers file for bankruptcy after failing to find a buyer or to persuade the Federal government to intervene on its behalf; Read more
A Look at Recent Auditing Standards
 By Stephen W. Blann, CPA, CGFM
The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) has recently enacted a series of sweeping changes to generally accepted auditing standards. Statements on Auditing Standards (SAS) No. 104-111, which are collectively known as the Audit Risk Suite, have substantially changed the audit process, especially as it relates to engagement planning and the assessment of risk. In releasing the new standards, the AICPA indicated that it believes the Audit Risk Suite represents a significant strengthening of auditing standards that will improve the quality and effectiveness of audits. The changes became effective for Michigan school districts with audits of the fiscal year ended June 30, 2008. Read more
Submission of Annual Financial and Single Audits
 By Kathleen Weller, Director Office of Audits, MDE
- Submit audits via e-mail or paper on or before November 15, 2008.
- MDE's address is 608 W. Allegan. If you send it to 430 W. Allegan, it will be delivered to the Department of Treasury but not MDE.
- If you submit the audits electronically, please follow these directions.
- If you submit the audits electronically, please be careful not to add spaces in the name of the document. This is a common error.
Read more
MSBO Board of Directors Appoints Daniel Romzek
 Daniel Romzek, Director of Finance and Operations at Davison Community Schools, has been appointed to fill a vacant position on the MSBO Board of Directors. His term will end in April 2009. Robert Dwan, who was recently selected Associate Executive Director of MSBO, resigned his board seat at the MSBO Board of Directors meeting earlier this month. Read more
Mark Your Calendar! MDE/MSBO Workshop slated for October 21
 Mark Your Calendar! MDE/MSBO Workshop slated for October 21.
The reason this workshop draws 200-300 participants each year is because it contains timely, useful information from presenters who are MDE and State experts. This workshop gives you a chance to learn, get your questions answered, and meet the people you work with at the Michigan Department of Education (MDE). Read more
MIEM Events: Identity Theft Workshop Series and Marketing Your School - an online class
L earn Safeguards to Prevent Identity Theft of Your School’s Data
As of January 2008, The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse has documented more than 217 million cases of compromised records from government agencies, schools, businesses and other organizations. Is your school’s data protected? Do you have safeguards in place that protect your student’s and employee’s personal information? Most people think of theft of financial data, yet schools house a lot of non-financial data that also needs to be protected. Read more
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