Mission: The Food Service PDC is dedicated to identifying and providing practical solutions to Illinois ASBO members facing challenges in administering a compliant and fiscally responsible food service program.

HEALTHIER STUDENTS… AND BOTTOM LINE

The Food Service PDC Committee sees an opportunity to provide healthier meals for students and a healthier bottom line for districts. Practically speaking, they accomplish this through:

• Building professional development at Annual Conference and other seminars.
• Communicating to members that they are ready to answer questions.
• Providing information to help school business managers choose which way is best for their district: self-operate or contract out?
• Open ended discussion that allows everyone to bring their questions and suggestions to the table.

Mission: The Maintenance & Operations PDC helps school business officials understand and demonstrate the ability to:

• Administer procedures required to keep schools clean, safe, and secure through effective custodial services and preventive maintenance.
• Manage energy consumption and environmental aspects.
• Determine resource allocation for maintenance and operations.
• Develop a crisis management plan.
• Maintain a positive working relationship with staff, contractors and suppliers.

Mission: The Planning and Construction PDC helps educators understand the impact of the physical environment on teaching and learning through:

• Providing seminars and resources on current trends and best practices in delivering a high performance learning environment.
• Educating vendors on how to be proactive in helping their clients be more knowledgeable in the planning and construction process.

Interested in helping facilitate understanding of the planning and construction process from start to finish? Have planning and construction related questions or issues you’d like to bring before the committee? Come and add to the discussion.

Mission: To provide learning opportunities for Illinois ASBO members to explore current and future school finance issues and examine their influence on school operations.

The Principles of School Finance PDC:

• Advances understanding of the impact of school finance issues on school operations.
• Develops programs and presents activities regarding the equity, adequacy and efficiency of school expenditures and revenues.

Mission: To develop and employ the skills necessary to interpret, evaluate and respond to proposed legislation  and regulations that affect school districts. The Public Policy PDC aims to help school business officials.

The Public Policy, Advocacy and Intergovernmental Relations PDC aims to help school business officials:

• Interpret proposed legislation and regulations so that impact can be analyzed and responses developed. 
• Develop the skills useful in interacting with elected and appointed officials

Mission: To promote and encourage professional expertise and growth in public purchasing by actively interchanging ideas and experiences.

The Purchasing PDC helps school business officials and demonstrate the ability to:

• Develop a system to manage and track inventories and distribution.
• Develop a program for the acquisition, maintenance, repair and disposal of equipment.
• Develop a system for the financial analysis of life cycle costs and quality control.
• Develop a system to track capital assets.

They focus on:

• Current methods of procurement of supplies, equipment, and services needed to operate school entities. 
• Specification writing, supply management, customer service and legal and ethical issues.

Mission: To create opportunities for school business officials to learn, network, share and solve problems on current topics in special education administration and finance that are impacting districts.

The Special Education: Administration and Finance Professional Development Committee believes that every business manager needs to: 

• Understand that they are an important part of their district’s special education program;
• Understand funding of special education in Illinois; and
• Optimize these funding methods.
   

When business managers don’t understand these central principles, special education is in danger of becoming a runaway train threatening their district's financial future. Through creating learning opportunities this PDC helps district business offices solve problems.

Mission: To help school districts leverage technology to enhance sustainability and learning.

Would you like to help bring awareness of changing technologies to Illinois school districts? The Technology PDC works to create professional development opportunities that:

• Make technology easier to use in day-to- day responsibilities of school business officials.
• Enhance and facilitate technology in the classroom.
• Relate technology to curriculum.
• Increase ubiquity – the store or capacity to be everywhere at all times.

They welcome forward thinking professionals to bring their knowledge, experience and questions to the discussion.

Mission: School transportation is the largest public mass transportation system. As the number of operating school buses increases, problems are inevitable. For many school districts there is no mandate to provide students with transportation to or from school. 

Accordingly, school transportation funding does not always receive as high a priority in budget decisions as mandated education programs. Where law requires transportation of students to and from school, funding shortfalls in recent years have created problems in maintaining an adequate school transportation program.

The Transportation PDC helps school business officials understand and demonstrate the ability to:

• Support and maintain a student transportation program that adheres to all legal requirements.
• Ensure that the school bus maintenance and replacement program is established and maintained.
• Monitor the student transportation program and make adjustments as needed.
• Analyze alternative methods available for providing transportation.
• Ensure an efficient and comprehensive routing system is developed and maintained.
• Ensure a comprehensive plan is in place for training and retaining bus drivers.
• Communicate transportation needs to the public, administration and state/provincial legislatures.