To serve the education sector, it’s first essential to reach its members. In a Jan. 27 session of the NTSA Summit in Denver, two experts addressed how to go about that from different standpoints.
David Lewis, Executive Director for the Association of School Business Officials International, and Jim Westrum, Executive Director of Finance and Business for the Wayzata (MN) Public Schools, offered their insights on how advisors can successfully partner with school officials.
What School Officials Want
One cannot establish a relationship with and serve school employees without knowing what school business officials are looking for. Westrum offered an insider’s perspective, telling attendees that school officials are looking for three things:
- Operational excellence
- Value
- Customer intimacy
But that may not be enough, Westrum indicated, telling attendees that in addition to welcoming advisors meeting with teachers, “it does make sense to establish a relationship with a principal.” And, he added, “Never doubt the influence of a school secretary, as well as payroll and office managers.”
Lewis struck a similar tone. “The most important thing is to establish a business relationship with the principal and the office manager so there is trust. Those relationships will help with resolving issues in the future.” Not only that, he said, “every school business manager is looking for an advisor to help them recruit and retain teachers.”
In addition, Lewis argued, working with state officials is very important, as is finding out what challenges state affiliates are facing.
And what if an advisor has made a bad impression, or something happened to put the relationship between an advisor and school officials and personnel awry? In such an instance, Westrum said that the situation can be ameliorated “as long as we know you are aligned with our mission and vision and care about our employees,” adding that “we’re always looking for that personal touch.”
Security Concerns
Security is an increasing complication in meeting with and communicating with teachers and school officials. Measures taken to heighten school security and safety make it very difficult to actually spend time with them onsite.
Lewis noted that while there is much variation between states and school districts, “security is coming more to the forefront.” Westrum said that to help boost security, “We have background checks on everyone who comes into the building.” He added that “our buildings have become more secure, but we still welcome visits from advisors.”
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