LEADERSHIP ACADEMY
Sheraton Sand Key Resort, Clearwater Beach
July 28 - August 2, 2022
New Heads' Institute
Sheraton Sand Key Resort, Clearwater Beach
July 28 - 30, 2022
Heads new to the headship, new to the state, or within the first three years of an FCIS headship
Topics include:
• Demographics and Uniqueness of FCIS Schools
• FCIS Accreditation • FHSAA / Florida Legislature • Governance • Financial Sustainability |
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• School Culture and Experiences of a New Head
• Legal Issues / HR • Fundraising • Marketing • Enrollment Management |
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In addition to the workshops, there will be time for informal discussions and shared experiences.
On Saturday, July 30, the full-day workshop will focus on fundraising: major giving, essential components of successful fundraising, building a culture of philanthropy, why leadership matters, hiring, attracting and retaining development professionals, and more. Dr. Peter J. Gallo, Director of Development at The Landon School in Bethesda, MD, will lead this workshop.
Consider sharing this experience with your Advancement/Development Officers, your CFO and your Board Chair.
Bring this team to the Saturday workshop for an additional $259 (Member) / $359 (Non-Member) per person. If interested, register your team members using a separate form available here.
Agenda
10:30-11:00 | Welcome
11:00-12:00 | Introduction to FCIS and Florida, Dr. Barbara Hodges, Executive Director, FCIS
12:00-12:45 | Lunch
12:45-1:45 | Demographics and Uniqueness of FCIS Schools, Dr. Barbara Hodges
1:45-2:45 | School Culture, Steve Salvo, Head, Saint Mary's Episcopal Day School
2:45-3:00 | Break
3:00-4:15 | Independent School Finance (or Why Independent Schools Are Bad Business Models), Palmer Ball, Palmer Ball Consulting LLC
4:15-5:30 | Changing Admissions and Financial Aid Focus from Student Headcount to Net Tuition Revenue, Palmer Ball
6:00 | Dinner
8:00-8:30 | Breakfast
8:30-8:45 | Introductions
8:45-10:30 | Legal Issues/HR, Suzanne Bogdan, Partner, Fisher & Phillips
10:30-10:45 | Break
10:45-12:00 | Governance, Dr. Barbara Hodges
12:00-1:00 | Lunch
1:00-2:15 | Enrollment Management, Steve Salvo
2:15-3:15 | FCIS Accreditation, Dr. Barbara Hodges
3:15-3:30 | Break
3:30-4:30 | Experiences of a New Head, Steve Salvo
4:30-5:00 | What’s On Your Mind, Dr. Barbara Hodges
6:30 | Dinner
Building an Engaging Development Program
Presenter: Peter Gallo, Ph.D., Director of Development, The Landon School, Bethesda, MD
8:30-9:00 | Breakfast Pastries and Coffee
9:00-10:30 | Governance; Essential Components of Successful Fundraising
10:45-11:00 | Break
11:00-12:00 | Annual Giving; Effective Prospect Research; Major Giving
12:00-1:00 | Lunch on own
1:00-1:45 | Capital Campaigns; Endowment
1:45-3:00 | Stewardship; Talent Management
3:00 | Farewell
Feedback from last year's participants: What did you find most valuable?
"Each session was valuable. As someone coming from a different state, this conference was relevant, applicable, tremendously helpful. One of the best I’ve ever attended."
"I really appreciated the practical advice and wisdom shared. I felt a real sense of belonging to something greater than just day-to-day."
"Great networking opportunity. I really appreciate connecting with peers."
"The chance to connect with other new Heads. Gain insight into the value of FCIS."
Registration Deadline: June 27, 2022
Cancellation & Refunds: Workshop refund requests must be made in writing and emailed to kdanger@fcis.org. There is a $50 per person processing fee through June 20, 2022, with no refunds after this date.
Questions? Please contact Alison Carlson at acarlson@fcis.org.
REGISTER HERE
PLEASE NOTE:
If you click on the Register Here button above and do not see the registration form, try a different browser.
(Safari, Chrome, Firefox, etc.)
Finance Institute
Demystifying Independent School Finance
Sheraton Sand Key Resort, Clearwater Beach
July 29, 2022 | 9:00AM - 3:30PM
Read more
Palmer formed Palmer Ball Consulting, LLC (www.palmerballconsulting.com), in January, 2016, as she embarked on a new career as a consultant specializing in project work for independent school financial operations. In addition to her consulting work, during Winter / Spring, 2016, along with NBOA, she was an adjunct faculty member of the independent school finance graduate class at the Klingenstein Institute at Columbia University in New York City. In 2017, she became the part time Executive Director of the Palmetto Association of Independent Schools, representing many of the top independent schools in SC. Before starting her consulting career, Palmer served as Business Manager at Spartanburg Day School (Spartanburg, SC) for 21 years, from 1995 to 2016. Prior to that, she was Vice President for Business and Finance at Converse College, her alma mater, for four years, following three years in the College’s Development Office. Before joining Converse, she was in the tax department at Price Waterhouse for two years.
Palmer was the recipient of NBOA’s prestigious Ken White Award in 2015, served two terms on the NBOA Board of Directors, and was elected to the Association of Business Officers of Independent Schools (ABOIS) in 2008. She served on the faculty of the NBOA Business Officer Institute (BOI) multiple times. She has presented NBOA’s long range financial model via deep dives, online classes, webinars, and presentations at a number of national and regional conferences, as well as presentations on data management and long range financial tools and data trustees and heads should have in preparation for strategic plan or accreditation visits, etc.
Who should attend?
Heads of School, Chief Financial Officers, Prospective Heads, and Senior Administrators
Consider sharing this experience as a team.
Agenda
Breakfast Pastries and Coffee
9:00-10:15 | Beach Room
Independent School Finance (or Why Independent Schools Are Bad Business Models)
This overview of independent school finance will address budgets, financial aid, net tuition revenue, general financial and miscellaneous information, tips and recommendations, benchmarking, and more. We will try to avoid getting too much in the weeds in order to focus on the big picture of schools and explain all the things you haven't understood or have wondered why it was done that way!
Changing Admissions and Financial Aid Focus from Student Headcount to Net Tuition Revenue (NTR)
As financial aid is becoming a larger and larger portion of school budgets, and thus a larger component of student recruitment and retention, schools need to change their budget focus and admissions goal setting from student headcount to Net Tuition Revenue (NTR). Participants will receive and review templates that allow a school to annually monitor and track their NTR, NTR per student, and NTR per grade. This session will also identify important financial aid metrics that schools should be tracking and monitoring year by year, with recommendations on how to identify and slow down or turn around negative trends.
Financial Planning Tools Each School Should Have
Accreditation and strategic planning are important processes (some might say necessary evils!) that require the school’s leadership to focus on the long term future and financial equilibrium of the school. In this session, we will identify questions school leaders should ask, and the corresponding data each school should have, in relation to the school's financial health, its recent history, and its future projections. Participants will review tools and sample presentation formats and will receive templates they can implement at their school, including net tuition revenue analysis, cost effectiveness by division, 5-year NAIS DASL stats comparison, 5-year DASL stats comparison with benchmark schools, faculty salary analysis with public schools and benchmark schools, 1-page financial dashboard, and more. Participants will leave with tools in hand that will assist their schools in obtaining the necessary data to make informed decisions as well as analyze, project, and present the future impact of those decisions to the leadership of the school.
Cost Effectiveness by Division
The Cost Effectiveness by Division template, prepared in conjunction with NAIS, uses several assumptions to allocate the revenue and expenses of the school between divisions. With this information, the school understands the operating loss (or surplus) of each division, the loss (or surplus) per student, and the tuition gap (if any) that needs to be covered through donations or investment earnings. Additionally, a supplemental spreadsheet calculates the costs per Lower School class section, and thus the breakeven number of students needed to cover the direct operating costs of each class section.
Feedback from last year's participants: What did you find most valuable?
"The spreadsheet templates are very helpful. Palmer had great benchmark data sheets to give to the board..."
"Can't pick one thing. Entire presentation and advice will help me in my role. "
"Presenter expertise and sharing spreadsheet templates ."
"...the financial planning tools."
Register for both the Finance Institute and the Fundraising Institute for a reduced rate:
$470 (Members) | $670 (Non-Members)*
* Bundled option is available per registrant and
cannot be divided between two registrants.
REGISTER HERE
PLEASE NOTE: If you click on the Register Here button below and do not see the registration form, try a different browser. (Safari, Chrome, Firefox, etc.)
For any questions or more information regarding refund, complaint and program cancellation policies, please contact Alison Carlson in the FCIS office at 813-287-2820 or acarlson@fcis.org.

Fundraising Institute
Advancement at Independent Schools
Sheraton Sand Key Resort, Clearwater Beach
July 30, 2022 | 8:30AM - 3:00PM
Who Should Attend?
Heads, Trustees, Directors of Advancement/Development, and Chief Financial Officers
Consider sharing this experience as a team!
Read more
COVID-19 and Innovation
Relationship Between the Development Office and Business Office
Annual Giving
Major Giving
Capital Campaigns
Endowment
Inspiring a Culture of Philanthropy
Agenda
Breakfast Pastries and Coffee
9:00–10:30AM | Beach Room
• Governance
Define the roles and relationships of Trustees, Heads and Chief Advancement/Development Officers in board development.
• COVID-19
Shifting from Wrestling to Web-Ex-Working through a pandemic creates space for creativity and innovation that could have lasting effects .
• The Relationship Between the Development Office and Business Office
We do not count the same, but we must "reconcile" our differences.
Break
• Annual Giving
A new paradigm to consider for building a successful annual giving program
• Major Giving
Learn to conduct good research on potential major donors; a must to identify and cultivate your next top leaders and donors.
Lunch on own
• Capital Campaigns
Are you ready? Understanding how and when to execute a capital campaign.
• Endowment
From formation to stewardship
• Inspiring a Culture of Philanthropy
Building an effective stewardship program is essential for a successful fundraising program.
"I appreciated 'walking thru the process' - start to finish and differentiating between the three levels of fundraising. I also enjoyed hearing personal experiences from both Peter and Nick."
"It was a good overview for one of my new team members and led to broader discussions about our work once the institute was over."
"The knowledge of the presenter."
"The practical examples and relevant information."
Register for both the Finance Institute and the Fundraising Institute for a reduced rate:
$470 (Members) | $670 (Non-Members)*
* Bundled option is available per registrant and cannot be divided between two registrants.
REGISTER HERE
PLEASE NOTE: If you click on the Register Here button below and do not see the registration form, try a different browser. (Safari, Chrome, Firefox, etc.)
View Complaint Resolution Policy
For any questions or more information regarding refund, complaint and program cancellation policies, please contact Alison Carlson in the FCIS office at 813-287-2820 or acarlson@fcis.org.

Aspiring Administrators' Institute
Sheraton Sand Key Resort, Clearwater Beach
July 31 - August 1, 2022
(Just kidding, sort of)
Lower School Principal,
Canterbury School of Florida
Jennifer Geimer
Middle & Upper School Director,
The Cushman School
Upper Division Head,
Berkeley Preparatory School
Head of Middle School,
Carrollwood Day School
Barbara Beachley
Consultant & Director of Organizational Learning and Development
Independent School Management (ISM)
Read more
Key Take-Aways:
• Important questions to pose when considering a transition to administration
• An understanding of what academic leadership is and what to expect as an academic leader
• An opportunity to consider your own motivations, strengths, and challenges
• A network of talented, like-minded peers from other independent schools in Florida
• Ideas for next steps
• Electronic folder of resources
What did you find most valuable?
"The presenters were authentic, full of wonderful tips and ideas, and utilized the time wisely. I came away from this inspired and with many ideas that I will implement right away."
"Panel & participant discussion and Q & A, peer collaboration, Barbara’s workshop exercises and reflections, Barbara’s handout for our reflection and follow up, Simon Sinek’s 'Why?' factor when leading."
"Creating my "why" and using this to direct my decision making as a leader."
"The personal experiences of the presenters, the tips they shared, and the small group size were most valuable. The activities were great and now we have those as take-aways that we can use in our own situations. Everyone was so friendly, personable, relatable, and kind with offering advice, sharing opinions, and talking about the pros and cons of administration."
Schedule and Sessions
1:30-4:30 | Are you sure you want to do this? (just kidding, sort of) | Gulf Room
Join us for a panel discussion as we explore the peaks and valleys of day-to-day life as an administrator. Workshop participants can expect to examine and affirm their own professional talents and interests and develop a vision for their professional career planning. It will be well worth your time and effort if you have an interest in learning more about different paths into educational administration and the life of a school principal.
Presenters: Claudine Cieutat, Lower School Principal, Canterbury School of Florida; Jennifer Geimer, Middle School Director, The Cushman School; Ryan Jordan, Upper Division Head, Berkeley Preparatory School; Chuck Maddox, Head of Middle School, Carrollwood Day School
6:00 | Dinner | Beach Room
What to Expect in the Transition from Classroom to Administration | Gulf Room
This workshop is designed for classroom teachers who are considering a shift to administration and new administrators who have found themselves surprised by some aspects of their new role. Led by a former classroom teacher and academic administrator, this interactive workshop will help you gain greater clarity about where you are and where you want to be in your career journey. You will explore your own motives, consider your answers to important questions, examine the primary responsibilities of academic administrators, gain insights into the differences between teaching and administration, and understand the challenges new administrators face.
Presenter: Barbara Beachley, Consultant | Director of Organizational Learning and Development, Independent School Management (ISM)

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Introductions
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What is your “why” for working in education?
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How does being an administrator align with and support your “why?”
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What is the role of academic administrators?
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How does administration differ from teaching?
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What are your current strengths that will support your success as an academic administrator?
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What are your opportunities for growth?
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If you still think you want to be an administrator, what are possible next steps?
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If you think you’d rather stay in the classroom, how can you transform your current role to address some of the motives that had you consider administration?
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What questions do you still have?
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What are some takeaways from today’s discussion that could support you in your role?
-
What questions do you still have?
Registration Deadline: June 27, 2022
REGISTER HERE
PLEASE NOTE:
If you click on a Register Here button above and do not see the registration form, try a different browser.
(Safari, Chrome, Firefox, etc.)
New & Nearly New Administrators' Institute: New Event!
New & Nearly New Administrators' Institute
Sheraton Sand Key Resort, Clearwater Beach
July 31 - August 2, 2022
Barbara Beachley
Consultant & Director of Organizational Learning and Development
Independent School Management (ISM)
Read more
Schedule and Sessions
Sunday, July 31
6:00PM | Welcome & Dinner | Beach Room
8:00AM | Breakfast Pastries & Coffee | Gulf Room
8:45AM | What to Expect in the Transition from Classroom to Administration | Gulf Room
This workshop is designed for classroom teachers who are considering a shift to administration and new administrators who have found themselves surprised by some aspects of their new role. Led by a former classroom teacher and academic administrator, this interactive workshop will help you gain greater clarity about where you are and where you want to be in your career journey. You will explore your own motives, consider your answers to important questions, examine the primary responsibilities of academic administrators, gain insights into the differences between teaching and administration, and understand the challenges new administrators face.
8:45-10:15AM | Session 1
• Introductions
• What is your “why” for working in education?
• How does being an administrator align with and support your “why?”
10:15-10:30AM | Break
10:30 -11:45AM | Session 2
• What is the role of academic administrators?
• How does administration differ from teaching?
11:45AM-12:45PM | Lunch
12:45-2:00PM | Session 3
• What are your current strengths that will support your success as an academic administrator
• What are your opportunities for growth?
2:00-2:15PM | Break
2:15-3:30PM | Session 4
If you’re an aspiring administrator…
• If you still think you want to be an administrator, what are possible next steps?
• If you think you’d rather stay in the classroom, how can you transform your current role to address some of the motives that had you consider administration?
• What questions do you still have?
If you’re a new administrator…
• What are some takeaways from today’s discussion that could support you in your role?
• What questions do you still have?
6:00PM | Dinner at The Columbia (optional, advance sign-up required)
Tuesday, August 2
Great schools need great teachers to deliver the mission with excellence. After an exhausting and difficult few years, schools everywhere are being further challenged by a severe teacher shortage and increasing rates of teacher attrition. Whether you are already facing challenges with faculty recruitment or retention or are anticipating it in the near future, this workshop is designed to help you understand and address the root causes of teacher attraction and attrition to ensure your efforts are most successful.
Over the 2021-2022 school year, ISM has been conducting a research study to measure teacher, student, and parent attitudes toward the teaching profession, teacher intent to stay in or leave the profession, and primary causes of teachers deciding to stay in or leave their schools. These brand new findings, in combination with the ongoing research ISM has been conducting on faculty culture since the late 80’s, will form the basis of the work we will do together to generate action steps to alleviate your recruitment and retention challenges. Bring your team to engage in this important conversation together!
- Introductions
- What is your vision of yourself as an academic leader?
- The importance of a personal-professional WHY to faculty culture and change management
- Faculty Culture: The primary responsibility of academic leaders
- Fostering a growth-focused, student-centered, mission-aligned culture
- The relationship between leader well-being and faculty culture
- The Latest Research
○ Perceptions of the teaching profession
○ Why teachers are choosing to stay or leave
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Reflection: What are your school’s specific challenges?
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Action Planning: What specific actions will you take in the coming year based on take-aways from today?
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Open Q&A
Who should attend? Administrators new or nearly new to their administrative position
New & Nearly New Administrators Registration: $725 (Members) | $825 (Non-Members)
Registration Deadline: June 27, 2022
REGISTER HERE
PLEASE NOTE:
If you click on a Register Here button above and do not see the registration form, try a different browser.
(Safari, Chrome, Firefox, etc.)
Administrators' Institute: Financial Assistance Available!
Administrators' Institute
Sheraton Sand Key Resort, Clearwater Beach
July 31 - August 2, 2022
Read More
Tim Fish is the Chief Innovation Officer at NAIS. He has deep roots in the independent school community and a long history at McDonogh School (Maryland). Before joining NAIS in 2016, Tim was the school’s associate headmaster.
In his role at NAIS, Tim leads internal innovation efforts and is a member of the Strategy Lab team. The team develops deep partnerships with member schools to co-create tools and frameworks that build capacity for designing and implementing strategy and innovation. Tim also oversees IT, data, application development, and co-hosts the New View EDU podcast.
Tim was also the founding president and CEO of the FolioCollaborative, a nonprofit community of more than 175 schools worldwide, focused on working together to build a flexible faculty/staff development process grounded in strong relationships and meaningful conversations.
Tim is the co-author of the book Leadership and Technology at Independent Schools. He started his career as a 4th-grade teacher and has served as a founder, board member, and consultant for a variety of education and technology-related schools, organizations, and companies. He has served on six non-profit boards and is currently serving on the board of Viewpoint School, a 1200 student K-12 school in Los Angeles.
Tim has an undergraduate degree from St. Francis University and an M.Ed. from George Mason University. Tim is also the father of four children (The Four Fish Sticks). Tim and his wife, Diane, live outside Baltimore, Maryland.
Consultant & Director of Organizational Learning and Development Independent School Management (ISM)
Read more
Bring your administrative teams!
Who should attend? Heads, Assistant Heads, Division Heads, Academic Deans, Deans of Faculty, Deans of Students, and Department Chairs
Schedule and Sessions
9:00AM | Building a Post-COVID Strategy for the Future | Beach Room
Join an energizing session designed to provide the context and tools you need to gain a clearer picture of the future and develop an effective strategy for a new era. In the morning, NAIS’s Tim Fish will share practical ways for school leaders to approach a strategic design focused on the student experience. In the afternoon session, Tim will look at how we build the culture and teams we need to bring our unique vision to life. This workshop will be filled with personal reflection time and in-depth table discussions. School teams of up to six people are welcomed and encouraged.
Presenter: Tim Fish, Chief Innovation Officer, National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS)
6:00 PM| Dinner at The Columbia (optional, advance sign-up required)
Great schools need great teachers to deliver the mission with excellence. After an exhausting and difficult few years, schools everywhere are being further challenged by a severe teacher shortage and increasing rates of teacher attrition. Whether you are already facing challenges with faculty recruitment or retention or are anticipating it in the near future, this workshop is designed to help you understand and address the root causes of teacher attraction and attrition to ensure your efforts are most successful.
Over the 2021-2022 school year, ISM has been conducting a research study to measure teacher, student, and parent attitudes toward the teaching profession, teacher intent to stay in or leave the profession, and primary causes of teachers deciding to stay in or leave their schools. These brand new findings, in combination with the ongoing research ISM has been conducting on faculty culture since the late 80’s, will form the basis of the work we will do together to generate action steps to alleviate your recruitment and retention challenges. Bring your team to engage in this important conversation together!
- Introductions
- What is your vision of yourself as an academic leader?
- The importance of a personal-professional WHY to faculty culture and change management
- Faculty Culture: The primary responsibility of academic leaders
- Fostering a growth-focused, student-centered, mission-aligned culture
- The relationship between leader well-being and faculty culture
- The Latest Research
○ Perceptions of the teaching profession
○ Why teachers are choosing to stay or leave
-
Reflection: What are your school’s specific challenges?
-
Action Planning: What specific actions will you take in the coming year based on take-aways from today?
-
Open Q&A
Feedback from last year's participants:
What did you find most valuable?
"I loved many of the topics Simon discussed during his presentation. His method of silent reflecting was very powerful. He made me rethink many of the things I do as an educator, colleague, and administrator. I also enjoyed being put into groups with people from various schools. This allowed the opportunity to network with educators from different schools."
"Time of fellowship and conversation."
"Dedicated time to bond with and work together with my team was priceless."
"Connecting with other administrators and gaining new insights into professional development for teachers."
"Time with colleagues to discuss thoughts and ideas presented during the sessions."
"Collaborating with other school leaders and sharing best practices."
"Being able to think about things at a high level. Being able to spend time with my administrative team to gear up for the year. Connecting with peers from other schools."
Registration: $725 (Members) | $825 (Non-Members)
Registration Deadline: June 27, 2022
REGISTER HERE
PLEASE NOTE: If you click on a Register Here button above and do not see the registration form, try a different browser. (Safari, Chrome, Firefox, etc.)
Private school leaders may submit for travel reimbursement through the Florida Department of Education for the following pre-approved FCIS event, using this link.
> FCIS ADMINISTRATORS' INSTITUTE (100% reimbursement)
Please note, at this time, travel reimbursement is only for leaders – Heads, administrators, and any other “school leaders” that fit the ESSA definition of a school leader. Teachers are not eligible at this time.
Sheraton Sand Key Resort is located at: 1160 Gulf Boulevard, Clearwater Beach, FL 33767
Hotel Room: $177 (plus applicable taxes)
Participants are expected to make their own hotel reservations. Registration fee does not include the price of the guest room. To make a reservation online, here is the link: Sheraton Sand Key Resort. By phone, call (727) 595-1611, and mention that you are part of the FCIS Leadership Academy. Once the room block is sold out, there may not be rooms available at this rate.
Registration and Hotel Deadline: June 27, 2022
To receive the FCIS group rate at the resort, reservations must be made on or before this date.
Cancellation & Refunds: All hotel cancellations must be made directly through the hotel and in accordance with hotel policy. Workshop refund requests must be made in writing and emailed to kdanger@fcis.org. There is a $50 per person processing fee through June 20, 2022, with no refunds after this date.
Questions? Contact the FCIS Office at 813-287-2820.
Private school leaders may submit for travel reimbursement through the Florida Department of Education for the following pre-approved FCIS event, using this link.
> FCIS ADMINISTRATORS' INSTITUTE (100% reimbursement)
Please note, at this time, travel reimbursement is only for leaders – Heads, administrators, and any other “school leaders” that fit the ESSA definition of a school leader. Teachers are not eligible at this time.
Acknowledgement of Risk and Safety Procedures: Participation in FCIS’ in-person events signifies an attendee’s acknowledgement of the highly contagious nature of COVID-19 and voluntary assumption of the risk of exposure or infection by attending the in-person event. Attendees agree to comply with all COVID-related procedures, including distancing and masking, that may be implemented by FCIS, in accordance with CDC, state, local, and hotel requirements and recommendations.