February is a critical time in the school budget development process. On Friday, Feb. 28, the New Jersey School Boards Association is hosting a School Finance Conference at the Conference Center at Mercer County Community College to help districts answer their toughest questions on all areas of school finance.

The conference will take place from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. (registration and continental breakfast begin at 8:30 a.m.) and offers 4 Board Member Academy Credits.

NJSBA’s School Finance Conference will include critically important general sessions; a variety of breakout sessions; and a networking “Lunch and Learn” featuring school finance related hot topics. Review the full agenda. Below are some highlights.

General Session: School Finance: You know more than you think! This program is designed to help minimize your financial learning curve so that districts can leverage internal talents to help make sound, strategic financial decisions, and optimize the return on school district resources.

General Session: Cyber Risk for N.J. Schools Schools are filled with valuable data, including student information, health records, employee payroll data, financial data, and much more. In this session, districts will learn how to strengthen their cybersecurity practices to avoid falling victim to these incidents.

School Finance Breakout Sessions Topics include pooled health insurance benefits programs, alternative funding, energy savings improvement programs, and more.

Registration Information The member rate for this training program is $99 per person. Registration may be completed online, but only by the school business administrator.

For questions regarding this program, please email Lou Schimenti, products and services manager, at lschimenti@njsba.org.