e-News Home
From the President
Solutions Central
Trends in Education and their Relation to Facilities
Welcome New Leaders
Member Spotlight: Elaine MacLachlan
Successful Academy Programs
A Sad Farewell
Senator Flanagan Named Chairman of Senate Education Committee
Scholarship Announcements
2011 Advocacy Day
Legislator Profile: Cuomo
News from SED
Management Corner
A funny thing: Making humor work in the workplace
Green Existing Schools Toolkit
Mark Your Calendars!
- Advocacy Day
March 15, 2011 – Albany
- Critical Issues Summit
March 31, 2011 – Albany
- Leadership Weekend
April 28-30, 2011
Pearl River Hilton
Pearl River, NY
- Annual Conference and Expo - Connecting Communities of Learning
October 2-5, 2011
Saratoga Springs
NYS Association for Superintendents of School Buildings & Grounds, Inc.
119 Washington Avenue, Suite 300
Albany, NY 12210
800.359.SBGA toll free
518.465.0563 ph
518.465.0579 fax
info@sbga.org
www.sbga.org
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January 2011
Message from the President
 Dear SBGA Members,
Happy New Year! I’d like to take this opportunity to once again thank you for your membership and give a glimpse of what 2011 has in store.
- Enhance Communications – We're working to enhance our website and further develop our online capabilities. We’re also increasing the functionality of our online membership directory, and making it easier for members to find each other and our Business Partners.
- Implement Online Registration Systems – Along with enhancing our website and modes of communication, we’re working towards going paperless. With all of the tools available today, our members will be able to register for education and training events, and even renew your membership, immediately online.
- Strengthen Certified Director of Facilities (CDF) Program – This program is designed to help our members highlight their dedication to excellence in school facilities management while demonstrating your commitment to professional development. Congratulations to those of you who have achieved this designation, and I urge the rest of you to consider taking your career to the next level.
- Engage Membership at All Levels – This is an incredibly interesting time in New York State and membership is critical to the continued success of school facilities professionals. Whether you’re from a large or small district, the Director of Facilities or Head Custodian, SBGA is committed to providing the information and resources to succeed in your career so that your district continues to thrive in the community.
Again, thank you for your continued support of our great organization. It is an honor to serve as your president during such a unique time. I look forward to seeing many of you throughout the year, and encourage you to remain active in the Association.
In partnership,
William Blosser, CDF
SBGA President
Monroe-Woodbury CSD
Solutions Central
At this time in particular, SBGA's members are facing great challenges around facilities department budgeting and staffing. By diluting budgets and staffing, students, faculty, staff, administrators and communities suffer. We've created a page on the website to help our members navigate these challenging times. Our goal for this page is to provide resources, help identify solutions and offer best practices and real-life examples so that you can continue providing healthy, safe, clean learning environments for New York State's school children.
Visit this page and share it with your fellow members. Please send us any templates, resources, or stories to share with your colleagues. This will be an evolving page, and we appreciate your input.
Trends in Education and their Relation to Facilities
In a recent article on the National Clearinghouse for Education Facilities, an article presents fifteen trends that are redefining education in the United States -- and how each relates to the field of school facilities. Some trends are broader, such as those dealing with general population changes impacting on education. Others are specific to education, including trend information on changes in the teaching corps, school size, and organizational structure of schools.
Click here for the full article (a pdf download).
Welcome New Leaders
With the start of the New Year, we'd like to welcome the following new leaders!
- Jim Ryan, Genesee Valley BOCES - Genesee Valley Chapter Director
- David LaLonde, Thousand Island CSD - Northern Chapter Director
- Christian Hansen, Brockport City SD - Central Western Chapter President
- Mike Aiken, CDF, Cincinnatus CSD - Mid-State Chapter President
Congratulations Bob Williams! In recognition of 30 years in the school facilities management profession and as a member of SBGA, the North Country Chapter presented Bob with a plaque at their December 2010 meeting. We wish Bob all the best in retirement!
Member Spotlight: Elaine MacLachlan
SBGA is excited to launch a new feature of our e-Newsletter - the Member Spotlight. Each month we'll highlight one of our members and the great job they're doing for New York State's school facilities. This month we are featuring one of the 2010-11 Comissioner Mills Scholarship recipients, Elaine MacLachlan.
Name: Elaine MacLachlan
District: Skaneateles CSD
Chapter: Mid-State
Title: Custodial Coordinator, Assist Superintendent of School Buildings and Grounds
How long have you been in the school facilities profession?
I have served as a custodial coordinator since 2007, however I officially started in the profession in 2001 as a custodian.
 What prompted you to work in the school/education setting?
I originally had been working as a legal secretary. When my kids were old enough to attend school, I realized it would be very convenient to have the same schedule as they did and be in the same environment.
What is your current role?
I am the Custodial Coordinator for the Skaneateles School District, and my duties include overseeing the custodial staff as well as assisting the Superintendent of Building and Grounds, Vinny Sicignano, in the daily operations of the School District.
What did you do before your current position?
Along with my previous job as a legal secretary, I also worked as a county laborer for many years before I became involved with school facilities management.
READ MORE >>
Successful Academy Programs
December 7-8 marked the Association’s 5th Annual School Facility Managers’ Academy and 2nd Personnel Management Academy. More than 70 members attended the Academies, and traveled from across the state to hear from our expert faculty. Faculty for both Academies included staff from the New York State Education Department Office of Facilities Planning, sage SBGA members and other experts in the fields of legal and Civil Services issues, communications and employee management and motivation.
Visit us online to view our speakers' presentations and photos from the program.
Thank you to all leaders who participated in this event, and congratulations to all Academy and Personnel Management Academy participants. Save the date for this year's Academy - December 6-7, 2011!
A Sad Farewell
Carl Van Etten, CDF died Sunday, December 26, 2010 at his home in McGraw, NY surrounded by his loving family. Carl retired from the Cortland City School District in 2009 after 23 years as a Facilities Manager in the Dryden and Cortland School Districts. Carl graduated from Tompkins Community College with a degree in Business Management and Construction Management. Carl received his Certified Director of Facilities (CDF) accreditation in 2005.
Carl loved to fish, play golf and spend time with friends and family. He was a leader, a mentor and a good man. He is survived by his wife Melinda, daughter Sara, son Chris and three grandchildren. He will be missed.
Senator Flanagan Named Chairman of Senate Education Committee
Senator John Flanagan (2nd Senate District), has been selected as the Chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Education.
 The selection, which was announced by Senate Republican Leader Dean Skelos, will help Senator Flanagan expand his role in the fight to protect the educational system of both Long Island and the entire State of New York. In this new position, Senator Flanagan will have a clearer and more effective voice in shaping the educational goals of our state and the future of the state’s children.
READ MORE >>
Scholarship Announcements
Preparing the Future…One Scholarship at a Time
The 2011 Fred Hack Memorial Scholarship program is underway! Promotional materials have gone out and the application in now available online. Dependent children of our Active and Affiliate members can apply for this scholarship, offered each year to help defray the high cost of education. We encourage you all to take advantage of this valuable member benefit.
2011 Advocacy Day
Join us for SBGA’s 2011 Advocacy Day and support your school facilities! The New York State Legislature needs to hear a unified message from our Directors of School Facilities. This year’s Advocacy Day will take place Tuesday, March 15 in Albany. Click here for the registration brochure.
You are encouraged to participate in this important annual advocacy effort, as we meet with state legislators to advance our legislative priorities, and communicate the important role Directors of School Facilities play in providing a safe, healthy learning environment for the state’s K-12 public school children. If you’re interested in participating this year’s event, contact your Chapter President or Association headquarters. We look forward to seeing you in March!
Legislator Profile
Governor Andrew Cuomo
 Andrew M. Cuomo, elected the 56th Governor of New York State on November 2, 2010, has a lifelong commitment to public service and the proven leadership skills to make government work for the people of the state.
Prior to his election as Governor, Andrew Cuomo served four years as New York’s Attorney General. As the state’s top legal officer, he made restoring public trust in government and protecting New York taxpayers the top priorities of his administration.
As Attorney General, Andrew Cuomo brought national reform to the student loan industry, uncovered fraud within the largest health insurers in the country, protected investors from abuses on Wall Street, and made the Internet safer for children nationwide. His groundbreaking investigations into the state pension system ended decades of government corruption in New York and set a model for public pension funds across the country.
READ MORE >>
News from SED
Click Here for the latest newsletter from the New York State Education Department’s Office of Facilities Planning. Some of the highlights include:
**Also, be sure to read up on the new CPSC guidelines for playgrounds!
Management Corner
Don’t get strangled by the ‘grapevine’
Informal workplace communication—otherwise known as the grapevine—has a powerful impact on employees. You can’t tear out the grapevine completely, but you can manage it better. Here’s what you need to know:
- Boredom feeds the grapevine. Employees with a lot of interesting work to do have less time to chat and trade rumors than workers with too much time on their hands, or a workforce that’s not challenged by its day-to-day tasks. Keep an eye on how busy and challenged your employees are, and adjust people’s assignment to minimize the opportunity to gossip.
- Rumors fill in an information vacuum. Even busy employees will find opportunities to contribute to the grapevine if you don’t let them know what’s going on. When news is passed around by word of mouth, it quickly becomes distorted and misunderstood. Make regular communication with your staff a priority, and stay in touch with other managers to make sure you’re not sending conflicting messages to different departments.
- Some employees thrive on perpetuating the grapevine. Information is power, and some of your employees will find ways to use that power no matter what you do. Identify the sources of rumors and gossip so you can set them straight and provide them with tasks to occupy their time and imaginations more thoroughly
--Adapted from the Career Magazine website
A funny thing: Making humor work in the workplace
Times were tense, and everyone blamed the boss. When he called a staff meeting, the team all agreed that they were not going to hold anything back. They all came in ready to unload. Then, just as he was about to call the meeting to order, the boss pulled a paper target out of his briefcase and taped it to his chest.
The resulting laughter defused an uncomfortable situation and helped get the group focused on seeking solutions rather than assessing blame.
Such gambits can be risky. But if you keep three basic rules in mind, you can effectively use humor to break an anger cycle:
- Point the laughter toward yourself. Don’t poke fun at an angry adversary. The joke has to be on you.
- Never use humor to avoid a problem your employees are angry about; you add insult to injury if you make light of it.
- Know your audience. Don’t use humor with a humorless individual, truly irate customer, or sensitive subject. Pick your moments.
Once you’ve broken the tension with a laugh, acknowledge the problem and start looking for solutions.
--Adapted from Making Humor Work: Taking Your Job Seriously and Yourself Lightly, by Terry L. Paulson (Crisp Learning)
Green Existing Schools Toolkit
We have spent a lot of time talking about green and sustainable schools and the benefits it has on facilities' budgets and student learning. Visit the US Green Building Council for The Green Existing Schools Toolkit. This Toolkit and accompanying training resources will help schools and school districts green their existing portfolio of facilities and achieve LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance certification.
Parting Shot
Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school.
-- Albert Einstein
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