By Becky Harvey
Patriot correspondent

Webster - The Webster Planning Board held its August meeting on Monday evening.  After months of public hearings, the plan for the new Hometown Bank, to be located at the corner of Gore Road and Thompson Road was finally approved by the board.  The only major remaining issue had been the road access to the bank.  Regulations require a certain turning radius which the banks engineer had not originally included in the plans.  The board did make a slight exception to the standing regulation, but made sure that the final plan will allow for at least twenty foot wheel-based.  Once the project begins, the existing paved area will be torn out and planted with grass.  The town insisted that the area where the pavement is not be left unpaved or unseeded over the winter.  They required that the construction company do the reseeding during a growing period.  There were assurances made that that should not be an issue and that, in fact, the seeding could be completed by mid-September.

Police station project update

Informal discussions regarding the new police station and Jimmy’s market continued.  As addressed at the June meeting , Brian Perry, Chairman of the Webster Police Station Building Committee, talked about the informal agreement between the town and Jimmy Nayfeh, owner of Jimmy’s Convenience Store to “trade” land and split the cost of a retaining wall.  According to Rick Lawrence, of Lawrence Associates, the architectural firm the town has retained for the construction project, the two parties have been working on a “gentlemen’s agreement and a hand shake at this point.”  Until they legally change the plot plan, things cannot move forward.  They basically wanted to know that the planning board approved of the concept of trading land to improve both sites for future construction.  Paul LaFrambroise, Chairman of the board, stated that they were all for it, but that until they went to the zoning board and finalized the trade, nothing more could be done from their side.

Salim Ayas, Nayfeh’s engineer, stated that though their plans had previously been approved, they were planning to submit some changes.  One minor change, which  LaFrambroise stated would be no problem approving, was changing the shape of the establishment, while keeping the same square footage.  One change that would not be minor and would require reopening a public hearing would be the possible addition of a drive-through for the market.  Perry announced that in appreciation for Nayfeh’s consideration, the town would pick up any costs associated with redesigns required due to the change of the plot plan.  Should Nayfeh go with the drive-through plan, the town would only pay for the part of the plan necessitated by the change.  The cost estimated by the board would be roughly $1200.  The board also stated that the town would waive any ANR fees associated with the division of the property.  Since the police department is part of the town, it would be like charging itself.

The last new information disseminated at the meeting was that a plot of land at Frederick Street, which is privately owned, but still made part of the architect’s plans for the new station was under a purchase and sale agreement,finally.  The plot is adjacent to the currently town-owned land upon which the new station will sit.  The plans for the new and improved station had been drawn up under the assumption the town would have acquired that land and therefore, the plans that have been drawn up all include the plot, as if it were already town property. General relief echoed in the meeting in regards to the fact that the land was finally under agreement.  All of the parties, according to Perry, were relieved that they did not have to resort to the taking of the land by eminent domain, which had been considered.  He stated that “we’re pretty much all businessmen here” and that everyone was happier when the “government stays out of things.”

In other business, one ANR (Approval Not Required) to subdivide two lots into three at 44 Ray Street was endorsed by the board.  The plan is to take two existing plots and create a third plot in the center, on which the owner will build a new home.  Two other ANRs were brought before the board, but due to issues with the frontage caused the board members to suggest both parties to consult the zoning board

An interview with Superintendent Barbara Malkas

Text and photos by Steev Riccardo

“This is very important work, it’s very powerful work, all of us can speak to those teachers that had an impact on our lives. We remember them and we remember them for life. Wouldn’t it be great if our future students felt that every one of their teachers had an impact on their lives.”

-- Barbara Malkas, Webster Superintendent of Schools

Webster - When you meet Barbara Malkas and spend some time with her, it’s quite easy to see why she was the unanimous choice to become Webster’s new Superintendent of School. Not only is she very knowledgeable and well educated, she’s also extremely “cool.”

Malkas, who was born and raised in Queens, New York, has an Amelia Earhart framed photo on the wall in her office and sports a bumper sticker on her car that reads “PHD Diva.” She definitely has personality and style to go with her impressive educational background and her freshness may be just what Webster needs.     

She attended St. Mary’s school in Queens and graduated from St. Michaels Academy, a school she said had great diversity. “I went to school with girls from Little Italy, Chinatown, Spanish Harlem, girls like me who struggled economically, and the girls who pulled up in limousines with drivers. That was a great learning experience.”

After high school Malkas earned a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry at St Joseph’s College in Brooklyn, NY.  “My goal at that time was to go into clinical chemistry and I got an internship between my junior and senior year working in a lab, and hated it.  I am not the type of person who should be in a lab all day, I am a people person.” 

Malkas decided to take a temporary teaching job at St. Xavier High School in Brooklyn. “I walked into the classroom and never looked back.  I love education, I love the field, for me, it has been my education that provided a path in life that is wonderful.  I see education as the key to a life. If you open your mind, you have the opportunity to have a life.”

Malkas continued to teach in both Brooklyn and Queens for a few more years before meeting her future husband, getting married, and moving to Western Massachusetts in 1986. She then taught for 2 ½ years at Pittsfield High School before being laid off unexpectedly, and had to work in Human Resources for 4 years.

As she had hoped, she found herself back in education before long and landed her first administrative position at McCann Technical School in North Adams.  At the same time, she raised a family and received a Master’s Degree and then a Ph.D from Sage College of Albany, NY.

Eventually she moved back to Pittsfield High School where she became the Assistant Superintendent for a year and then the Deputy Superintendent for the next four years.

This year she felt it was time to make the move to Superintendent and applied in six Massachusetts districts and was a finalist in four of them, one of which was the Webster job, which was her first choice.

“I wanted Webster and I was so happy that Webster wanted me.”

Malkas feels that Webster is very similar to Pittsfield and that is what interested her in the job. “The demographic profile is almost identical, which is what I wanted.”

“When you make a difference in a district like Webster, you know it, you know that you have accomplished something.  When you can truly make an educational difference for children that need it the most, it provides you a life.”

She knows that there are challenges with this job, one of them the attendance problem, which has lowered the graduation rate at the high school.  She acknowledges that “there definitely is an attendance issue.”

To address it, Malkas is part of a committee that consists of many of the key educational players in the school system, and their goal is to find out why the problem exists and fix it.

“We did a trend data analysis where we looked at our trends from 2008-09 through to today and our average daily attendance, which is part of our adequate yearly progress, a No Child Left Behind indicator, and it is very clear that this is an area where we need to have an aligned curriculum. We need to have engaging instruction. You can have the best program in the world but if the kids aren’t showing up and attending school, the kids don’t have access to it.”

“The attendance problem is significant enough for us to have it as a district wide goal and for me to establish it as a goal for my own personal performance.”

Malkas said that this attendance issue is a problem across the board and not just at the high school level.

“What we have not yet done and what we will do as we go forward with this school year is to look at and see if there is a pattern of poor attendance. If a student is hitting ninth and tenth grade and needing to repeat course work because they are not getting credit because of attendance issues, is that a matter that we see being replicated from their experience in middle school and their experience at the elementary level? If it is, then we will know that the targeted intervention has to be working with parents and students at the elementary level.  Or is really a secondary phenomenon?” 

Malkas feels that the attendance problem goes hand and hand with the graduation rate.

“We want a 100% graduation rate and right now we are below the state average and that is a concern.  A student who drops out of school in this day and age in this economy is doomed to a life of poverty.” 

“For the kids who are graduating we are doing a great job, those kids are able to access scholarships, they are attending two- or four- year colleges, they are doing fine. It’s how do we get more kids to get across the stage. These are not problems that the school system can solve in isolation; we really have to work with our community partners. It’s, how do we engage the Chamber in helping us develop career aspirations for students so that they understand that this is the level of education I need to attain in order to have the job I want?”

Malkas also is very aware and interested in finding a medium for social networking and the role it plays in schools today. “What most districts try to do is, they try to implement an all-or-nothing policy.  But anything we ever ban kids from, for years they have figured out a way to get around that ban.”

Although it’s early in the game, Malkas is leaning towards possibly utilizing social networking in the way that Burlington High School and other schools do, encouraging kids to use the tools, but use them in an effective and smart way.

In our interview, Malkas was open to answering anything that was put on the table.  When asked about the school cafeteria food and what could be done to improve it, she said, “Every district has this issue to deal with.”  

“There are limitations that are part of the federal guidelines for nutrition and then there are limitations that have to do with budgetary restraints. It’s a constant work in progress. How can we provide a high quality product within the restrictions that we have?  There are opportunities for us to improve everything that we do, including the cafeteria food.” 

Speaking of improvements, Malkas also addressed maintenance concerns at the high school. “The new elementary school impacts grades K through 4, which means it impacts the middle school. The middle school is going to be reconfigured to grades 5 through 8 and  that impacts the high school, so this building project is really a district project, which is very exciting and gives us a lot of opportunities.”

“The intent is to move forward with the Park Avenue project and look at how we are using space at the high school.  It doesn’t need a new building, but it does need some work.” 

Ultimately, Malkas said that she will continue with many of the practices that are in place with the school committee, which she feels are good practices, but she also knows there is always room to grow and improve. “Communication is important, I have already posted on the school’s website, I will be posting on the school’s Facebook page and I plan on having some community forums at the beginning of the school year.”

She is also looking forward to working with another newcomer to Webster, recently appointed Bartlett High School Principal Steven Knowlton. “He is a veteran principal. I think the town is going to be very impressed with his drive and focus.  I think the staff is going to be really pleased with his clarity of vision. He is going to change the way we do business in his school and he has my full support.”

Lastly, so about the Amelia Earhart picture on the wall? “I admire Amelia Earhart, considering the time she lived in, she was a woman that flew planes, she was really stepping outside and taking risks, she loved what she was doing and she took those risks. I keep her picture here in my office to remind me that sometimes you have to take a risk, that’s living, if once in a while you step out and take that risk and do something that you can be passionate about.”

It was no risk bringing Barbara Malkas to Webster; she’s the real deal, kind of like Amelia Earhart.

Contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with your comments.

Talk of the Town closed

WEBSTER - Talk of the Town Pub & Grub in Webster had a fire Saturday morning, and will be closed for six to eight weeks as a result. Owner Mike “Nimzy” Niemszyk said the fire broke out in the kitchen when a freezer compressor overheated and a bag of linens nearby caught fire. Nimzy told us the kitchen will have to be gutted, the walls and ceilings replaced, and new appliances installed. He had officially opened the Main Street restaurant, formerly Isabella's, just five days before on August 6, after months of renovation and redecoration.

Nimzy called it “just another setback.”

Webster Fire Chief Brian Hickey described the order of events. Just prior to 5 a.m. the cook arrived at the building, opened the door, and was greeted by "smoke rolling out of the front door." He saw the fire in the kitchen, took a pan of water and put it out. "If he had been three or four minutes later," said Chief Hickey, "it would have been a conflagration."

The cook never had to call 911. It so happened that a police cruiser was driving by, saw the open door and the smoke, and called the fire department. The fire was out when they got there. "I feel bad for the guy (Nimzy)," said the fire chief. "He just opens up and this happens."

Soot and smoke from the fire has damaged the walls and many of the old photos, prints, posters, and Nimzy's collections of old telephones and other vintage memorabilia. Everything has to be removed from the building, he said, and then the walls have to be repainted and the carpeting replaced. Most of the decorations can be saved, fortunately.The work will start next Tuesday and will take six weeks or more to complete. Nimzy estimates the damage at $150,000.

Fall 2012 registration dates

GED Preparation and English for Speakers of Other Languages

Fall 2012 Registration for GED Preparation classes and English for Speakers of Other Languages classes is being held in Webster. These classes are made possible through the generosity of the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Webster Public Schools.

There are just two chances to enroll in this program each year. The dates and times for the Fall Registration are as follows:

GED Preparation Classes – Enrollment into the GED Preparation program is a three night process which will be held on August 21, 23, and 28 at 5:30 PM at Bartlett Jr/Sr High School, 52 Lake Parkway, Webster. Candidates must attend all three nights of registration to be enrolled in the fall semester.

ESOL Classes – Registration for the ESOL program will be held on Thursday, August 30 at 5:30 PM at Bartlett Jr/Sr High School, 52 Lake Parkway, Webster.

Classes are held on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 5:30 – 9:00 PM throughout the school year and students must be able to attend at least 80% of the classes that are offered. Classes will begin on Tuesday, September 4, 2012.

If you have questions, please feel free to call the Adult Basic Education staff at 508-949-8282 weekdays between 9 AM and 3 PM. Students do not have to register in advance.

Hydroplane race set for Labor Day weekend

By Patriot staff

Webster - More than 70 hydroplane powerboats will compete in the Second Annual Thunder on the Lake Race September 1 and 2, with some of them speeding atop the water at 160 miles an hour.

Local racer Mike Grendell and the Webster Lake Hydroplane Racing Association are gearing up for this year’s race, which will  again be largely funded by the American Canadian Hydroplane Racing Association.  Grendell hopes to see participation at the event grow from last year and have it become one of the top race sites in the US, he said.

The two day-long events takes place at Memorial Beach, giving spectators a great view of the race. There will be food and souvenir vendors, as well as a beer garden. “We’re happy that the town allowed us to have a beer tent this year,” said Grendell.

The association is lining up local providers for the services the race requires, including the cranes, tents, fencing, and communications, to support the local economy. The 70 race teams that come in for the weekend also boost local business. They all need to sleep and eat, Grendell  notes.

Grendell himself has participated in nine races so far this year with his two hydroplane boats, one a 2.5-Liter, the other a Grand Prix class boat which he bought this spring.  His first time out on it, in a race in Stuart, Florida, in April, he flipped upside down going 145 miles an hour. From the Stuart News, “'I hit a roller, and a gust of wind caught me under the right sponson and over I went.' The boat took off into the air, rolled over toward its left, landed on its roof, then somehow bounced to wind up right-side up. The cockpit cover was broken. Grendell collected his senses and stood up, eliciting applause from the concerned crowd of onlookers.”

Grendell has named both of his racing boats “Bad Influence.”

His team has done well in the races. “We’ve had a great year so far,” he said. The 2.5 class boat has had two wins this year, in Syracuse, NY, and Kent Island in Maryland. The Grand Prix class is 7^th in high points in the country.  “We’re consistent, finish every race, and accumulate points, competing against people with $100,000 budgets.”

Last year’s race was popular with local residents, and Grendell believes spectator numbers will increase as the word spreads. The town hall got some great response from last year’s attendees. See box.

Any town vendors interested in having a booth at the race should call Grendell at 508-922-3794 or email him at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Space is available for a small fee.

Text and photos by Steev Riccardo

WEBSTER - Ted Avlas, who serves as the Assistant to the Superintendent for Business for Webster Schools, was awarded the 2012 Bridges to the Future Scholarship last week.

The Bridges to the Future Scholarship program is sponsored by MetLife Resources to recognize and support aspiring and new school business officials who are ASBO International members, have five years or less experience in the field of school business administration, and are interested in further developing their professional network with colleagues, strengthening their skills and development.

The program awards each of 20 honorees with a $2,000 scholarship to attend the ASBO International Annual Meeting and Expo in Phoenix, AZ, October 12-15, 2012. Recipients will attend a special pre-conference workshop and networking luncheon at the Annual Meeting and have free access to the ASBO International Live Learning Center, which features more than 95 hours of professional development education from the 2012 Annual Meeting sessions.

“Long term, I would hope that the experiences through which school business officials collaborate with one another and share ideas, best practices, and solutions, utilizing state-of-the-art technologies and methods, will allow for well-informed decision making and action for years to come,” said Avlas. 

Avlas, who graduated from Bartlett High School in 1969, went on to get his Bachelors in Business from Fort Lauderdale University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  

He worked for the Webster Five Cents Savings Bank from 1980-2008, most recently as the Vice President of Branch Administration.

In 1988 Avlas was elected to the Webster School Committee and served as the chairman for nine of the ten years he was on the committee.  “I got very involved, obviously, with the school district and worked very closely with superintendents over the years and with Ed Kunkel, who was the business manager at the time.”

“When Ed (Kunkel) retired in 2008, I thought long and hard about making a career move, and after talking it over with my wife, I decided to give it a shot. I was very pleased when I got the position.”

Currently Avlas is going through a transition period under newly hired Superintendent of Schools Barbara Malkas. 

For more information, please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Date:  Sunday, August 5, 2012
Location:  Memorial Beach, Webster

MORE PHOTOS FOLLOW

On a beautiful Sunday morning, friends of the late Karen Ruda gathered early at Memorial Beach to honor their friend and hopefully raise some funds for a worthy cause.

On Sunday August 5^th, members of the Webster Fire Department and Ladies Auxiliary got together to sponsor the first ever Karen Ruda Memorial Bike Run to honor the memory of their friend and co-worker.  Karen was a long-time dispatcher for the Webster FD, and a single mom.  She was described by members of the department as their “mother hen,” who did her job exceptionally well and didn’t shy away from difficult tasks that were handed to her from time to time.  She really was the heart of the fire and rescue services.

The members of the Webster Brotherhood of Firefighters, a fraternal organization within the fire department, got together after Karen’s passing and decided to keep the promises they made to Karen; to honor her memory and help take care of her 12 year old daughter Haleigh.  They want to help save monies to send Haleigh on to college following her high school days, and provide her with a quality education to set her up for all the challenges of her life.

They decided to run two annual events, the bike run and a golf tournament in September.  The bike run was an idea that was brought forth by Webster Board of Health Agent Cathleen Liberty.  An avid motorcyclist, she told Brotherhood members that bike runs are routinely run as fundraisers, and even though she did not know Karen or her daughter, she felt it was the best way to pay tribute to an employee who contributed so much to the town she loved.  She also felt that Haleigh is in a difficult position, growing up without her mom.

About 50 bikes showed up at Memorial Beach to take part in the run on Sunday.  The ride rolled along the back roads of Massachusetts and Connecticut, with the ride terminating at the Sportsmen 200 Club on Sutton Road in Webster.  There, motorcyclist fed on hot dogs, hamburgers, and other summertime delicacies.  It was a great day to ride – and to remember a truly remarkable woman and help out her daughter.

Special to The Patriot

Seniors and retirees who want deeper conversation than the weather and their aches and pains are finding meaning, direction, and friendship through Wisdom Seekers, a book-and-discussion group now in its second season.  The group meets Tuesdays through October from 10:30 a.m. to noon in the conference room at Chester C. Corwin Public Library in Webster.

Founder  Sheri Sinykin is a member of the original Wisdom Seekers chapter in Arizona, where she spends the winter, and longed to bring the spirit of the group to southcentral Massachusetts when she moved here recently.

Last season members read and discussed From Ageing to Sage-ing: A Profound New Vision of Growing Older by Zalman Schachter-Shalomi and Ronald S. Miller.  This season members selected Wayne Dyer’s interpretation of the Tao Te Ching: Change Your Thoughts—Change Your Life: Living the Wisdom of the Tao.

Sinykin believes the Law of Attraction is at work in guiding new members to the group.  Donna Rawson of Thompson was led to Wisdom Seekers after her unique t-shirt prompted a conversation with two group members from her water aerobics class.

“I'm so happy I've found this group!” Rawson said.  “I have been wanting other women in my life who are interested in the same things as myself: spiritual connection, emotional maturity, and personal growth. To find all of this in Webster is an added blessing.  I love the fact that we meet once a week to discuss whatever is happening in our current lives in relation to the meeting topic.”

She reports that every meeting has something valuable to her own experience. “Participating with these wonderful women has brought me many insights,” she said.

The group is open to welcoming new members even in the middle of the season.  For those whose interest may be piqued, Wisdom Seekers are people who are curious about the world and who have a desire to learn and grow emotionally and spiritually.  They live with a passion for truth and devote the necessary energy to reflect on what it means to be wise.  They have made a decision to embark on the journey of a lifetime to discover the lessons one must learn to become wise elders instead of elderly.  They live in the present instead of the past with regrets or the future with anxiety.

Members ask the question: “We are living longer, but for what purpose?”  They search to find their purpose for living in this third phase of life.  Instead of the present model for aging that is focused on the diminishment of the body and mind, members seek to become vital and active members of society and to bring wisdom to a nation and world that sorely need a new, more positive view of the future.

Among the discussion topics are conscious living/conscious aging, life review, forgiveness, love, gratitude, mortality, intuition, inner wisdom, and finding meaning and purpose.  Books are read aloud in the meeting, with discussion free-flowing when inspired by the text.

BUSINESSES IN THE NEWS

Ryan's Clam Shack at 152 Gore Road in Webster opened without too much fanfare two weeks ago, and it has already attracted good business, especially on weekends, according to manager Christopher Moussa.

Opening a clam shack had been a dream of his for several years, but the opportunity didn't arise until the All-American Cafe went out of business recently. The Clam Shack building is on the same site as The Lodge restaurant, owned by Christopher's father Eli, who, with two brothers, bought the property in 1985. While the family itself always ran The Lodge restaurant, the smaller building next to it was rented to others as a breakfast and lunch place.

This time Christopher was there to get a new business started, and he had some good experience. He went to UMass Amherst, where he received a degree in exercise science. After interning at UCLA at its collegiate athletic training center, he decided he didn't like the field after all, there were no jobs, and there was no money in it, he explained. So, four years ago he joined his brother Nayef in operating The Lodge. Eli had bought out his brothers seven years ago, Christopher told us, and now spends just a few hours a week there doing bookkeeping. Together Nayef and Christopher manage all aspects of the business, the hiring, firing, cooking, ordering, everything, he said. They'll both be involved in Ryan's Clam Shack operations too.

The Clam Shack is a “quick service restaurant,” for people who are on the run, in a hurry, or don't want to eat alone in a full service restaurant. About 80 percent of the business has been take-out, said Christopher. Thus, it's catering to a different clientèle than The Lodge.

Ryan's specializes in seafood, of course, offering whole belly fried clams, clam strips, clam fritters, fried haddock, sea scallops, lobster rolls and clam chowder. Dinners come with fries and cole slaw, There are hot dogs and chicken tenders for the kids.

Christopher told us the clam fritters are his father's special 30-year old recipe, the onion rings are hand cut, and the corn chowder is a homemade, milk-based version. He uses milk for the chowder, rather than cream, because it makes for a thicker broth and gives it a better texture. He plans a weekly promotional special.

To finish it off, there's ice cream, the famous Bliss brand, made in North Attleboro. It's a very high end, quality ice cream, Christopher said.

And where does the name Ryan come from? It's the name of his three-month old nephew. Christopher told us a little about his family's naming traditions. Eli originally came to the US from Lebanon and a few years later brought over his two brothers. The family is Catholic, and so, while their last name is Lebanese, all the children's given names are Christian, except for Nayef's who is named after his grandfather, according to family tradition. Their other brother's name is Michael.

The restaurant is open Tuesday through Sunday from 11:15 a.m. to 8:45 p.m. and closed on Monday. Call ahead for takeout at 508-461-6416.

Christopher is glad the restaurant is open and his 80-hour work week can come to an end.

WEBSTER, MA – July 26, 2012 – Ted Avlas, Assistant to the Superintendent for Business, Webster Public Schools, has been named an Association of School Business Officials (ASBO) International Bridges to the Future Scholarship recipient. The Bridges to the Future Scholarship program is sponsored by MetLife Resources to recognize and support aspiring and new school business officials who are ASBO International members, have five years or less experience in the field of school business administration and are interested in further developing their professional network with colleagues, strengthening their skills and development.

“Exceptional leadership from school business administrators is an important factor of what our schools need to succeed. Avlas’s work ethic and dedication to this field, demonstrate the quality of standards for emerging leaders in this area,” said Derrick Kelson, vice president, MetLife. “MetLife is proud to support the development efforts of the Bridges to the Future Scholarship Program recipients.”

The program awards each of 20 honorees with a $2,000 scholarship to attend the ASBO International Annual Meeting and Expo in Phoenix, AZ, October 12-15 2012. Recipients will attend a special pre-conference workshop and networking luncheon at the Annual Meeting and have free access to the ASBO International Live Learning Center, which features more than 95 hours of professional development education from the 2012 Annual Meeting sessions.

John D. Musso, CAE, ASBO Executive Director, notes, “The Bridges to the Future Scholarship Program is a premier professional development experience and it provides us the opportunity to welcome Avlas, along with the other scholarship recipients, to the field and recognizes his excellent work. ASBO is pleased to honor him and other promising school administrators through this program.”

About ASBO International

Founded in 1910, ASBO International has over 5,000 school business management professionals as members. With an average budget oversight of $125 million annually, ASBO International members are the finance decision makers in school districts around the world.

ASBO members are employed in K-12 school districts, community colleges, universities, and state departments of education. They manage the business side of school district operations, including the areas of budgeting, purchasing, and financial management; facility operations and maintenance; human resources; technology; transportation and security; food service; health care; and much more. www.asbointl.org/