Candidate for Vice President     

Bio | Vision Statement | Question and Anwer Forum | Interview

Ron McCulley, CPPO, RSBO
Director of Purchasing and Contracting
Douglas County School District
Castle Rock, Colorado

Ron McCulley is the Director of Purchasing and Contracting for Douglas County Schools in Colorado.  He has been a school official for the past 16 years. 

Ron has been a member of ASBO International for 10 years, serving on several committees and spending time visiting ASBO state meetings across the country.  He is a 2007 recipient of the Pinnacle of Achievement Award.

Ron is Past President of Colorado ASBO and is actively involved with the CASBO board and is a frequent workshop presenter. 

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Ron McCulley – Vision Statement

My vision for ASBO International focuses on the opportunities it provides for learning and networking and on retaining and recruiting membership.

ASBO is the perfect organization to provide professional leadership opportunities while providing a forum for learning and networking. In these challenging financial times there is an increased need for collaboration, sharing of ideas, and brain storming with professionals facing similar challenges.

ASBO needs to focus on membership retention and recruiting new members.  ASBO should be seen as the first source for school business officials looking for ideas and guidance. It is important to have a mentoring process in place for our existing members that consistently adjusts to our ever changing world and to the needs and expectations we must address daily.   Focusing on new members and reaching out to the various subsets in education keeps our ideas and professional development fresh and more encompassing.

Financial challenges provide new opportunities for ASBO.  As professional development funding decreases, we need to fill that void by looking for online learning opportunities. I think we have taken strides towards this with ConnectEd but we need to be proactive and be keenly aware of new technology and take advantage of using it to our benefit.

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Ron McCulley – Question and Answer Forum

Question 1 • Question 2 • Question 3 

Question 1: 
Given the perhaps permanent changes in the US economy with increased globalization and less funding for schools, what do you think are the most important areas that ASBO should focus professional development?

Technology has changed forever how information is shared and accessed.  We are now a world of people who can get anything right now and this has helped to make the world “flat”.  The effective use of technology is the key to globalization for any organization and especially for ASBO since education leads the way in teaching and using technology.  It is important for us to have access to workshops, training, and online webinars to allow our members options for professional development.  These additional conduits will make networking and learning easier for our members and allow them to be able to stay in touch and have training on demand on their desktop. 

In order to achieve globalization, we need to better understand the globe.  Professional development that focuses on school business operations in other countries will help us to bridge the gap.  Understanding the funding, spending patterns, the educational systems, and organizational charts will be the first step in determining how we can reach out and to whom.  We need to understand the needs of educational systems worldwide so we can show them the benefits they would realize partnering with ASBO International.

Question 2: 
How can ASBO increase its collaboration globally given the interdependent world economies and the outsourcing of education and distance on- line learning that is growing in K-12 education?

Budget minimizing across the United States could completely change the way education is delivered over time.  My school district has been one of the fastest growing in the country and we are still adding 1000 students per year.  But we have reached a point where the community is not as willing or able to fund additional schools or school expansions.  This is going to become a common issue for either building schools or updating schools and it is possible the brick and mortar buildings will someday become a thing of the past.  Issues with overcrowding and unsafe buildings will help to fuel the growth of online education and home school solutions. 

Adding a focus to understand how education looks in Europe, Asia, Canada, and all parts of the globe will help ASBO find the common ground for increased globalization.  Assuming similar financial challenges exist around the world, creating a platform to strategize solutions could provide a foundation for ASBO to approach school business officials internationally.  By doing so we establish a common ground which creates an initial step towards global collaboration

Question 3: 
With the launch of the SFO credential in 2010, what do you think are the next logical steps/directions for ASBO to pursue in regard to fostering awareness, promotion and acceptance of the SFO credential? What are the next steps, as you see it, for integrating the professional development ASBO or its affiliates provide with the new SFO credentialing exam?

We need to look to other accreditation programs to determine how they were successful in rolling out their programs and creating meaning in their accreditation. For example, looking at the AICPA and the steps they took to make CPA a universally accepted moniker would provide a road map.  The SFO is not something that will be universally accepted immediately, we need to be patient and start creating interest and excitement around the program.  Word of mouth is an essential method to relay the importance of this certification.  Within our individual districts and the state affiliates of ASBO we need to discuss the importance of this new designation.  As there is more discussion and as we have more people testing and receiving the CFO we will begin to attract more candidates.   Creating a rigorous curriculum that in and of itself is compelling enough to attract participation just by the content alone is an important element for progress of the program.

As we have new groups testing to receive their SFO we need to be able to modify some of our professional development opportunities so we can have breakouts related to this testing and preparation.  I think it is very important that we do not just teach to the test and be guilty of the same thing that we are accused of in our individual districts.  The program should contain both a rich curriculum and a challenging learning environment that results in a true enhancement in participants’ understanding of school business.  A sense of accomplishment and pride should be the end result in earning their SFO.  

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Ron McCulley – Interview

Listen to complete interview.

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