missouri association of school administrators

1. Missouri Association of School Administrators Ethics Issues for Superintendents Missouri School Boards� Association Conference, October 24, 2009

2. Presenters Roger Kurtz, Executive Director; MASA David McGehee, Lee�s Summit Aaron Zalis, Rolla John Cary, St. Louis Co. Special

3. Motivation For Discussion School administrator compensation questioned by politicians and others Questions raised around the state regarding: Personal expenses Email use Cell phone usage Automobile use Vendor relations

4. Motivation For Discussion MASA had no formal discussion on ethics issues and only a reference to the AASA Ethics Statement in the MASA White Paper Growing sentiment among school administrators that the association needs to have an open discussion of ethics issues MASA Ethics Committee appointed by MASA President VeAnn Tilson in 2008

5. MASA Ethics Committee

6. Goal

7. Committee Charge Review MASA Ethics Statement Discuss how to improve the image of school administrators Review and recommend policies and procedures to address travel, expense reimbursement, meeting attendance, handling of electronic communications, etc. Discuss the issue of posting superintendent salary information

8. Review MASA Ethics Statement AASA Ethics Statement was used for MASA Evaluated more than a dozen other Ethics Statements from around the country Many similarities found Recommended revisions to the AASA Statement of Ethics to be adopted by MASA as the: MASA CODE OF ETHICS FOR SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS Standards should be promoted frequently to membership and public to ensure awareness

9. Improving Image of School Administrators Seek public opportunity to celebrate the positive impact that superintendents have on their schools and communities Form a committee to include representatives from the Missouri School Public Relations Association to develop a plan of action Committee believes that image will improve as a result of adherence to a specific set of standards such as those being recommended Promotion of such standards will have a positive impact on image

10. Review and Recommend Best Practice Policies and Procedures Discussion led to a wide array of issues for consideration Work with the Missouri Association of School Business Officials to provide guidance to school districts in the area of business-related policies and procedures Develop a Model Standard Business Operations Manual or template that would assist districts in developing their own Important to review such operations guidelines annually to remain current with accepted practice, statutes, and align with existing economic climate

11. Posting of Superintendent Salaries Issue arose from previous attention given to this idea Recommend no further study or posting of superintendent salaries at this time Was not a major topic during the last legislative session Salary information is readily available and already provided upon request on a regular basis in many districts St. Louis Post Dispatch has created a data base in which you can look up any school employee�s salary information that is on record with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

12. Vendor Relations Responsibility Expectations Environment Guidelines

13. Responsibility A school district operates using funds collected from taxpayers for the benefit of the district�s educational program As school leaders we have an obligation to maintain oversight of the resources that have been provided

14. Expectations

15. Environment School leaders must set the tone at the top Create and maintain a culture of honesty and high ethics Evaluate the risks of fraud and implement the processes, procedures, and controls needed to mitigate the risks and reduce the opportunities for fraud Develop an appropriate oversight process Trust, but verify

16. Environment Create an environment with internal controls � even the smallest departments or districts must have procedures for oversight and verification Create a culture that is open and allows questions to be asked. Have a policy outlining reporting fraud and abuse

17. Guidelines Adopt board policies regarding purchasing guidelines Follow board policies regarding purchasing guidelines Samples of policies: MSBA (Handout)

18. Samples of Policies FISCAL ACCOUNTING AND REPORTING / ACCOUNTING SYSTEM FILE: DI CRITICAL PETTY CASH ACCOUNTS FILE: DJB BASIC BIDDING REQUIREMENTS FILE: DJC CRITICAL PURCHASING FILE: DJF CRITICAL EXPENSE REIMBURSEMENTS FILE: DLC BASIC

19. Guidelines Communicate clearly appropriate and inappropriate expenditures All purchases should have proper approval and follow the district�s policies All items on invoices should be verified as received Request for expense reimbursement must have original itemized receipts Require W-9 forms for all vendors (reduces the opportunity for bogus vendors to be established)

20. Guidelines Maintain your independence with vendors Avoid conflicts of interest with your vendors Avoid the appearance of conflict of interest with your vendors Develop a vendors relation policy Periodically and systemically bid items � over time vendors may not be as competitive as they once were

21. Suggestions For Follow-up Discuss ethics with leadership teams on a regular basis Review appropriate vendor relations with staff School Boards work with administration to ensure sound ethics policies and related procedures exist Include an ethics component in administrator evaluations Know your own community�s values and priorities when it comes to ethical behavior Reflect on your own experiences and behaviors with a focus on ethics

22. Resources Charter MASA Code of Ethics for Educational Leaders Summary Report of Ethics Committee MSBA Sample Policies Sample Budget Guidelines Document Sample Travel Guidelines Document Copies of these resources can be found at www.masaonline.org, Ethics tab