From: California School Boards Association
Sent: April 8, 2008
Subject: California School News State Budget Alert

Mandated-cost claim service can help plug holes in local budgets

Appropriately, school districts are seeking advice on steps they can take now to prepare for the 2008-09 state budget. Anticipating these fiscal pressures, CSBA began a process several months ago to identify ways to assist schools in maximizing revenues in order to avoid cutting programs.

Mandate reimbursement continues to be an important component of revenue for schools, in both the near term and in future years. It is important to remember that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's budget currently includes $150 million in mandate funding for prior years. In addition, CSBA and its Education Legal Alliance field a lawsuit and have prevailed at the trial court level to ensure ongoing reimbursement of the claims process itself. And prospects are very good that this will be upheld on appeal.

Given the importance of securing the most appropriate and accurate mandate firm among the choices that exist, CSBA reviewed proposals from three leading mandate-claim preparation companies to select a partner in providing this service to school districts. After reviewing proposals for quality, pricing, compliance record and reputation, CSBA entered into a partnership with School Innovations & Advocacy to begin offering mandated-cost reimbursement claiming services to school districts and county offices of education across the state. We encourage districts to utilize the CSBA/SI&A program to prepare mandate claims, in order to retain every dollar of reimbursement to which schools are entitled.

Find out more about Mandate Prep at SI&A and CSBA's District Services.