Rowman & Littlefield Publishers The Superintendent and the CFO: Building an Effective Team

Building a strong relationship with the CFO is essential for superintendents seeking to build sustainable educational programs for all students. Benzel and Hoover use their CFO and superintendent experience to identify what current and future leaders in both roles need to know and be able to do with respect to fiscal leadership and improved student learning. This book emphasizes that a focus on student achievement must be central to fiscal planning. The authors discuss the role values play in forming the leadership team, how to create a climate for success through collaborative strategies and ways to build systems strength to cope with uncertainty in fiscal planning. Using this leadership base, they outline the key management elements that must be in place to assure sound fiscal practices that monitor fiscal status and manage cash flow to mitigate uncertainty. Benchmarks for organizational success enhance communication with governing boards, internal audiences and taxpayers. This second edition adds perspective about detecting and address fraud or embezzlement and shares leadership perspective on capital facility planning and management. This book provides leaders with an outline of what do during every quarter of the fiscal year to exercise effective fiscal and educational leadership. Review A budget is a moral document that truly states the core values of a school system and broader community. The work between the superintendent and CFO is critical in ensuring a school system is meeting the needs of ALL students. This book details how to strengthen the relationship and build a shared vision.--Gustavo Balderas, superintendent, Edmonds (WA) School District Benzel and Hoover provide an essential, practical handbook to district leadership that focuses on using limited resources to improve outcomes for all students. The lessons and vignettes on strategic planning, aligning resources, and monitoring bring to life the challenges and the systems that can be built to support achieving these goals.--Greg Baker, superintendent, Bellingham (WA) Public Schools The relationship between the superintendent and the CFO is the north star that positively impacts outcomes for the students they serve. Benzel and Hoover's book powerfully examines this critical partnership and offers valuable guidance to these district leaders as they navigate both the technical and adaptive challenges in their roles.--Stephen Zrike, superintendent, Salem (MA) Public Schools Trust is key to every relationship, and superintendents and CFOs are no exception. Benzel and Hoover lay the groundwork for achieving trust and deliver crucial lessons in how to turn that trust into the foundation for successful school systems that support student learning and achievement.--Susan Enfield, superintendent, CFO, Highline (WA) Public Schools About the Author Brian L. Benzel served three districts as superintendent in Washington State for 19 years and served over as a state financial official, a school district finance officer and a university CFO. He was Washington State’s Superintendent of the Year in and a finalist for National Superintendent of the Year (1993). Kenneth E. Hoover began his career in the Washington State Governor’s budget office and then served as the CFO and senior financial official for school districts in Washington State and Colorado. He has served as a school superintendent in Washington State for 9 years.