We convene leading CFOs from across the country to explore the essential question of “What must a Strategic CFO know, do, and ask?”
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"If you aren’t already, be part of strategy-making. Your expertise and mindset are important. You can add value by focusing on investment planning, monitoring, and sustainability. The way we think about return on investment and long-term planning is valuable and, when incorporated with academic planning, can lead to impactful and sustainable outcomes for students." - Derek Richey, EdWeek 2022 Leader to Learn From |
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“This is the most important, and only real professional development I receive in this role. Perhaps even more critical is that I leave the meetings with renewed inspiration to keep at this incredibly challenging work of transforming school systems even while I work to respond to the daily crises that always emerge.” --Matt Stanski, CFO of Anne Arundel County Public Schools |
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“ERS develops and examines substantive and real-time issues. Their organized approach probes the right questions, so that members hear and feel the thinking from their colleagues. That’s where the real value is.” --Ruthie Quinto, Former CFO of Oxnard School District |
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“I have spent many years attending meetings and professional development including being a staff developer myself. The session this week was by far one of the best if not the best PD I have experienced in my career. The perfect combination of relevant material, expert facilitation, engaging activities, thought-provoking information, and useful research-heavy materials worked together to make the time meaningful. Thank you for the time I am sure it took to put the two days together.” --Former CFO in Montgomery County Public Schools |
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“This network is incredibly helpful. I really appreciate the opportunity to learn how other districts are approaching various challenges and the feedback we receive on our own plans. It's nice to be part of this national group. Before we joined, I relied primarily on other Florida districts for peer camaraderie.” --Mike Burke, Former CFO of School District of Palm Beach County |
For over a decade, ERS has been leading networks of strategic CFOs focused on rethinking the use of resources and transforming schools and systems. Our invited network members are committed to maximizing the impact of their district’s resources in service of students.
ERS hosts regular convenings for our CFO networks. Topics will vary based on CFO interest and emerging trends in the field. Past strategy retreats have covered the role of the CFO in managing charter school funding impacts, flexibility in using federal funds, infusing ROI into district budgeting and investment decision making process and communicating about the budget effectively to drive or maintain change. Through our convenings we also foster peer-to-peer case studies of current challenges and host facilitated guest panels and speakers, such as staff from the U.S. Department of Education. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, our member events plans are flexible and have adopted a hybrid meeting model to prioritizes member needs.
The CFO Strategy Networks are a vehicle for trailblazing CFOs to inform the field and contribute to the national dialogue. Members may be asked to co-author publications, give interviews with reporters, present at ERS events or events through one of our partner organizations.
Network members gain access to the full suite of data and tools that ERS has developed for its clients over the past 15 years of working with more than 100 school districts across the country. These resources range from our ESSER toolkit, a suite of tools to support system leaders develop strategies to maximize ESSER investments and COVID recovery to Budget Hold'em for Districts, our interactive tool that builds understanding of the trade-offs required to make strategic funding choices. Members also benefit from sharing tools and materials across participating districts and channel their experience to influence other districts and the broader reform conversation.
Members also get priority invitation to other ERS events, such as the “Strategic Budget Partner Retreats”, which bring the CFO support teams together to explore the principles of strategic school design and to develop district-specific strategies to better guide principals in making effective resource use decisions. Network members also can participate in 1:1 coaching and peer consultancy on a rotating basis with a subset of members.
Marty Smith, Fairfax County Public Schools
Nolberto Delgadillo, Portland Public Schools
Santino Danisi, Fresno Unified School District
Aspen CFO Strategy Network
Aldine Independent School District, Atlanta Public Schools, Baltimore City Public Schools, Broward County Public Schools, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, Chicago Public Schools, Cleveland Metropolitan School District, Denver Public Schools, Detroit Public Schools Community District, District of Columbia Public Schools, Hartford Public Schools, Indianapolis Public Schools, Jefferson County Schools, Long Beach Unified School District, Los Angeles Unified School District, Miami-Dade County Public Schools, Oakland Unified School District, Philadelphia School District, Portland Public Schools, School District of Palm Beach County, School District of Philadelphia, and Tulsa Public Schools
Consortium CFO Strategy Network
Anne Arundel County Public Schools, Beaverton School District, Bellevue School District, Chesterfield County Public Schools, Cumberland County Schools, Fairfax County Public Schools, Fulton County Schools, Greenville County Schools, Gwinnett County Public Schools, Hamilton County Public Schools, Mesa Public Schools, Montgomery County Public Schools, School District U-46, and Virginia Beach City Public Schools
California CFO/CBO Strategy Network
Fresno Unified School District, Glendale Unified School District, Long Beach Unified School District, Los Angeles Unified School District, Oakland Unified School District, Oxnard School District, Ravenswood City School District, and San Francisco Unified School District
Texas CFO Strategy Network
Aldine Independent School District, Arlington Independent School District, Beaumont Independent School District, Benavides Independent School District, Crane Independent School District, Crowley Independent School District, Dallas Independent School District, Ector County Independent School District, Edgewood Independent School District, Essence Preparatory Charter School, Fabens Independent School District, Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts & Texas School of the Arts, Fort Worth Independent School District, Galveston Independent School District, Garland Independent School District, Goose Creek Consolidated Independent School District, Houston Independent School District, Irving Independent School District, Jasper Independent School District, Judson Independent School District, Longview Independent School District, Lubbock Independent School District, Lytle Independent School District, Manara Academy, Manor Independent School District, Merkel Independent School District, Midland Independent School District, Odyssey Academy, Pecos-Barstow-Toyah Independent School District, Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District, Promesa Academy, Richardson Independent School District, Rio Hondo Independent School District, Schleicher County Independent School District, Seguin Independent School District, Spring Branch Independent School District, Spring Independent School District, Taft Independent School District, The Betty M. Condra School, Vanguard Academy, and Victoria Independent School District
For more information, please contact Edwin Morales.
480 Pleasant Street, Suite C - 200
Watertown, MA 02472
617.607.8000