by Alex Serena
Staff Writer
The University of La Verne held an informational workshop for the Los Angeles County Office of Education to attract qualified candidates to the many openings in the field of school of business management.
The event was held Tuesday in the West Dining Room. The workshop was designed to recruit experienced master of business and public administration graduates to fill positions such as assistant superintendent, business manager and director.
“The LACOE is collecting a pool of around 100 candidates to fill openings in the field of school business management,” said Assistant Director of Career Development and Placement Jill Bergman.
As the largest intermediate educational agency in the United States, LACOE recently established the Business Personnel Recruitment Center to attract qualified candidates to the field of school business management. It is a resource for individuals to provide development, networking opportunities and referral services to management positions within the public education industry.
Once the number of qualified candidates is reached, “interviews for open positions will probably start in late spring, early summer,” added Bergman.
The speaker from the BPRC was Assistant Director Greg Magnuson.
“The need for quality fiscal management in the business side of school is enormous. The Philosophy of school business management is to make the most bank for the buck, then to allocate that money and resources back into the classrooms,” he said.
He offered insight on what type of people school districts are looking to hire. In the past, people were promoted from the inside to fill open positions in management, but now districts are looking for outside personnel with differences such as real estate and accounting experience. “Don’t underestimate how your training speaks to the needs of what school districts are looking for,” Magnuson said. “Job openings in the business side of public education is growing.”
School districts in the state are looking for dedicated professionals to oversee accounting, finances and operations. Skills sought include being able to manage multi-year operation budgets and financial systems. Qualifications also include having strong business leadership for personnel and plant operations staff. The event was attended by more than 40 people interested in leadership in the business field.
Future workshops are planned in LA and Orange counties. Qualifying students and alumni with management experience can contact LACOE’s BPRC. For more information, call (562) 922-6144.
