Synch-Solutions 2006 © – Confidential © © Illinois K12 Regional Shared Services Initiative Illinois Association of School Business Officials Shared Services Capabilities for K12 Education Operational Overview & Panel Discussion Session IASBO 55 th Annual Conference Panelist/IASBO Copy

Synch-Solutions 2006 © – Confidential © © Illinois K12 Regional Shared Services Initiative Illinois Association of School Business Officials Meeting Agenda/Purpose Facilitate understanding and goals for shared services K12 Shared Services already in use Gain understanding of other shared services transformation efforts in government and commercial Questions & Answers

Synch-Solutions 2006 © – Confidential © © Illinois K12 Regional Shared Services Initiative Illinois Association of School Business Officials Introduce the Panel Team Rob Grossi, Bloom Township School Treasurer, his office currently manages a fully operational finance-finance/payroll shared services facility in support of 16 school districts in South Suburban Cook County Matt Miszewski, Chief Information Officer, State of Wisconsin and leading Wisconsin’s IT Shared Services Initiative Andy Estep, Deputy Director, State of Illinois Department of Central Management Services; CMS initiated a shared services model of consolidation and the effort has resulted in a initial realization of $529 million worth of savings. Amy Jo Clemens, Regional Superintendent, Regional Office of Education, Lee & Ogle Counties and IARSS Chairperson for the Illinois K12 Regional Shared Services Initiative Dan Fallon, Partner - Accenture Government Consulting Practice; Shared Services & Infrastructure Optimization; Accenture is one of the largest business consulting companies in the world and leads many state-level and country-level shared services efforts Mike Maher, Shared Services Practice Leader: K12/Government Shared Services, Synch-Solutions

Synch-Solutions 2006 © – Confidential © © Illinois K12 Regional Shared Services Initiative Illinois Association of School Business Officials Shared Services – Critical First Point SHARED SERVICES = ADMINISTRATIVE/OPERATIONS

Synch-Solutions 2006 © – Confidential © © Illinois K12 Regional Shared Services Initiative Illinois Association of School Business Officials Shared Services – Critical First Point Curriculum-side Services SHARED SERVICES = ADMINISTRATIVE/OPERATIONS (And this is not just about technology)

Synch-Solutions 2006 © – Confidential © © Illinois K12 Regional Shared Services Initiative Illinois Association of School Business Officials Panel Insight Regional Superintendent Amy Jo Clemens, is the Chairperson representing the IARSS interest in developing a shared services operating pilot (for 20 school districts) 1.In many aspects, school districts already leverage shared services, describe some of the areas. 2.Where do you envision school districts being able to best leverage a shared services operating model? 3.As an educator, what is the core mission of a school district? Are school districts holding true if there are better ways to achieve the “backoffice” operational/administrative functions? 4.In many states, much of the non-teaching aspect of school district operations are “outsourced” to 3rd party providers (Laidlaw, Sodexho, etc.); There currently is a proposal to create a regionally-based shared services platform that would be administered by the ROE’s, what do you believe is the risk for a local school district? (Joe McDonnell, Bremen Township to respond as well) 5.Why do you believe school districts are resistant to moving to a shared services model, yet so many districts are now facing significant financial challenges?

Synch-Solutions 2006 © – Confidential © © Illinois K12 Regional Shared Services Initiative Illinois Association of School Business Officials Shared Services – Represents Out-of-the-Box Thinking Traditional Operating Model Each School District Owns & Manages its Own Administration/Operations

Synch-Solutions 2006 © – Confidential © © Illinois K12 Regional Shared Services Initiative Illinois Association of School Business Officials Today – Faced with Significant Economic Impacts Operating Costs, Salaries, Healthcare, Special Education, etc., continue to spiral upwards, while Revenues, (referenda, tax base, interest) are not keeping pace (and in many cases, even declining)  Revenues Costs Balanced Budget Deficit Spending Number of Districts Financial Distress Operating Surplus

Synch-Solutions 2006 © – Confidential © © Illinois K12 Regional Shared Services Initiative Illinois Association of School Business Officials    Shared Services – Represents Out-of-the-Box Thinking Traditional Operating Model Each School District Owns & Manages its Own Administration/Operations

Synch-Solutions 2006 © – Confidential © © Illinois K12 Regional Shared Services Initiative Illinois Association of School Business Officials Shared Services The premise behind Shared Services relies on the fact that decentralized organizations can dramatically reduce operating costs, eliminate redundant headcount and improve the quality of services provided by centralizing non-strategic administrative functions..

Synch-Solutions 2006 © – Confidential © © Illinois K12 Regional Shared Services Initiative Illinois Association of School Business Officials Panel Insight Matt Miszewski & Andy Estep, at the State level, both Illinois and Wisconsin are deploying shared services initiatives ; 1.Each of you, briefly describe the scope of services that Shared Services is/will be providing within your respective states. 2.What were the drivers that predicated the decision? 3.And where are you in the process? 4.How would you envision these same tenets being applied to school districts? 5.What do you see as the barriers and what/how do you believe those barriers could be removed to enable States to create the vehicle for School Districts to embrace a shared services administrative/operational model?

Synch-Solutions 2006 © – Confidential © © Illinois K12 Regional Shared Services Initiative Illinois Association of School Business Officials Shared Services in Public Sector - Education Shared Services The premise behind Shared Services relies on the fact that decentralized organizations can dramatically reduce operating costs, eliminate redundant headcount and improve the quality of services provided by centralizing non-strategic administrative functions The premise behind Shared Services relies on the fact that decentralized organizations can dramatically reduce operating costs, eliminate redundant headcount and improve the quality of services provided by centralizing non-strategic administrative functions. School Districts/Government Entities of Tomorrow Changing the Paradigm  Borrowing (Best Practices) from Industry & Leveraging to the Public Sector

Synch-Solutions 2006 © – Confidential © © Illinois K12 Regional Shared Services Initiative Illinois Association of School Business Officials Shared Services – Borrow from Industry & Leverage to Education Shared Services Operating Model Each School District Still Manages Its Own Administration/Operations, but Shares the Infrastructure & Support Costs and Functionality

Synch-Solutions 2006 © – Confidential © © Illinois K12 Regional Shared Services Initiative Illinois Association of School Business Officials We have put our public schools in a terrible bind by pitting our demand for high student achievement and a higher quality workforce against declining state and local funding. We have put our public schools in a terrible bind by pitting our demand for high student achievement and a higher quality workforce against declining state and local funding. 4 The above quote points specifically to a classic business case idiom: How can more be done with less?  Currently, there are 4 school districts under the School Finance Authority (SFA), 79 on the Financial Watch List and 111 on the Financial Early Warning List;  In 2002, 61% of the school districts were operating with deficit spending; In 2003, the number is projected to rise above 75%; Over 25% of the districts that have been operating with deficit spending have been doing it for > 3 years  Over the past 5 elections >65% of the proposed operational referenda failed.  Even with the recently announced increases in school funding, the number of schools that are reducing programs and cutting teachers & staff, continues to increase  As with School Districts, greater numbers of county & local government entities are being forced into deficit spending 4 The Condition of Public Education Illinois 2002 Report; Published by Illinois State Board of Education Operational Drivers

Synch-Solutions 2006 © – Confidential © © Illinois K12 Regional Shared Services Initiative Illinois Association of School Business Officials Shared Services SB 3000 Synopsis & Overview In September of 2004, Governor Blagojevich signed the 2004 Education Reform Act (SB 3000) 1 Within the vision of the legislation, the bill identifies ways to provide industry-driven, best-of-class operational and administrative solutions to help local school districts reduce their operating expenditures; Within the language of the Public Act ( ), the Illinois Legislature provides:  For the creation of Regionally-based Administrative Technology Services Centers;  ISBE will assist school districts in pooling administrative or other services and facilitate cooperation between school districts that may be able to achieve economies of scale through shared services;  The State Board of Education may exercise this power in cooperation with the Regional Superintendents of Schools  Participation is voluntary  Shared Services is not about school district consolidation, but to further enable local school districts to continue to maintain their local autonomy and control, while leveraging proven solutions to reduce their overall administrative and operational costs/expenses.

Synch-Solutions 2006 © – Confidential © © Illinois K12 Regional Shared Services Initiative Illinois Association of School Business Officials By applying the “lessons learned” by industry, the opportunity exists today to create greater efficiencies, collaboration of services and value by the Regional Offices of Education to the local school districts and subsequently, to the communities that they serve. Greatest benefit of a shared services model is to dramatically reduce application/ infrastructure & operational costs. Additional benefits include:  Dramatically reduce operational redundancies within local districts, regionally and within the Illinois State Board of Education  Equalize and improve the overall support services capabilities across all districts  Provides for newest technologies, without the total cost of ownership (shared)  FTE reductions would be effected primarily with natural attrition and retirements – as opposed to layoffs or RIF actions  Enables local entities to continue to maintain autonomy and control K12 Business Case/Value Proposition

Synch-Solutions 2006 © – Confidential © © Illinois K12 Regional Shared Services Initiative Illinois Association of School Business Officials Panel Insight Dan Fallon, Partner at Accenture has been involved in Shared Services projects not only in the Public Sector, but also in numerous Fortune 500 efforts 1.Why do the majority of the Fortune 500 embrace shared services (collectively the State’s 878 school districts have combined budgets of about $23B which equates to somewhere between Coca Cola #89 and #91 Aetna, so Illinois K12 is a very significant collective entity), would some of those same reasons be applicable to school districts? 2.Over time many corporations got away from their core business, we are now seeing trends where those corporations are focusing their attention, back to their primary business, could the same rationale be equated to government/school districts? Are administrative/backoffice functions core or something that could be better shared/operated from a central capacity? 3.What are the areas that shared services could bring the greatest return/value? 4.What do you believe are the challenges that school districts face? Are they similar/different to Corporations and what did Accenture do to mitigate those challenges?

Synch-Solutions 2006 © – Confidential © © Illinois K12 Regional Shared Services Initiative Illinois Association of School Business Officials What we have heard from you   Trust  Works ok now, why change?  Who’s going to pay for this?  We do not want to lose control of our data!  Where is this working now?  Significant business process and change management requirements  Initial trade-off of development and implementation costs to justify cost reductions and savings – threshold ROI  Requires significant collaboration, participation (“buy-in”) and commitment by districts to gain economies of scale/efficiencies  Would require intra and inter-district cost (re) allocations  Political  Political implications/impacts  Fear  Fear of loss of locally based jobs The (proverbial) well is running dry, we must seek aggressive and alternative solutions to enable our communities to continue to achieve Illinois’ K12 educational objectives  A member of the Illinois State Senate, January, 2005 The (proverbial) well is running dry, we must seek aggressive and alternative solutions to enable our communities to continue to achieve Illinois’ K12 educational objectives  A member of the Illinois State Senate, January, 2005

Synch-Solutions 2006 © – Confidential © © Illinois K12 Regional Shared Services Initiative Illinois Association of School Business Officials Closing Comment & Questions Comments by the Panel: Shareholder or taxpayer value, are they the same and if so, do you believe that shared services could better enable school districts achieve their core mission more effectively? Why? Questions (copies of the presentation and supporting material has been provided to IASBO and can also be found at which is a site specifically focused upon K12 Shared Services information)

Synch-Solutions 2006 © – Confidential © © Illinois K12 Regional Shared Services Initiative Illinois Association of School Business Officials Panel Insight Rob Grossi, Bloom Township School Treasurer, his office currently performs the financial function/support for 16 south suburban school districts; 1.Highlight the scope of services 2.Although 13 of the districts are required by statute to use your office, 3 additional school district and 1 ROE office are now leveraging the services that your office provides. Why are these additional school districts now using your office’s services? 3.Is cost the sole driver or is there additional intrinsic drivers/value? 4.How significant have the impact been for the 3 new school districts to change their operations, and although the benefits have yet to be fully realized, overall what do you believe the opinion will be? 5.As a benchmark, what do you believe your overall cost is to run these school district’s payroll?