Leah Hauser, Sparta Area School District, wins 2020 George Gray WASBO New School Business Manager of the Year award
MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Association of School Business Officials (WASBO) has selected Leah Hauser, Director of Business Services, Sparta Area School District, as the recipient of the 2020 George Gray WASBO New School Business Manager of the Year award. She will be officially honored in January during the Wisconsin Association of School Boards (WASB) - the Wisconsin Association of School District Administrators (WASDA) - WASBO State Education Convention in Milwaukee, Wis.
This award was renamed in honor of George Gray, who was responsible for creating the School of Business Management Master of Science degree program at UW-Whitewater that trained several Wisconsin’s school business managers through the “Fairly Normal School District” budget mock Annual Meeting. Hauser was named George Gray WASBO New School Business Manager of the Year in recognition of her leadership in schools, innovative practices, and role in her community.
Just as George Gray before her, Hauser’s “skills curiosity, drive and caring are second-to-none.” Her business office is often described as running “like a well-oiled machine,” according to her nomination letters. Hauser also is “masterful” at making the complicated jargon associated with the business office easily understandable to the school board and community. In addition to being fiscally responsible, she was instrumental in reworking her district’s Teacher Compensation Model, which went from a complicated “selected performance” model to a detailed lane-and-step system that implemented incremental pay increases over a career. This was based on an actuarial study of every single employee in the district’s system. Sparta is in the middle of a major district expansion, including building a new elementary school, a new wing and selling two buildings. Hauser has been instrumental in every step of that process. Her planning goes far beyond the actual buildings, though, as she has created long-rang technology and staffing plans that have helped the district clearly prioritize resources.
As a leader in the areas of risk management and employee benefits, Hauser helped oversee various accident prevention projects that cut the number of incidents from 2015 to 2019 in half. She often serves as the district’s spokesperson on the Chamber of Commerce Board. One of her nomination letters notes that she was crucial in orchestrating the Sparta Area Young Professionals group. She also works with the Sparta Area Boys and Girls Club and can often be seen volunteering at local events like the Tail Gate Party with the Packers and the Sparta Santa Scrambler Race.
One of her nomination letters notes that “Ms. Hauser is a reflective, lifelong learner with a passion for ensuring our resources are providing the most that they can for the students we serve.”
This honor carries with it a $1,000 cash award for Hauser’s continued professional development, sponsored by Hays Companies.
WASBO provides professional development for school business staff, fosters a network of support, and advocates for funding that ensures outstanding educational opportunities for all children in Wisconsin.
Sparta Area School District wins 2020 WASBO Safety, Security and Wellness award
MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Association of School Business Officials (WASBO) has selected the Sparta Area School District’s Safety Committee as the recipient of the 2020 Safety, Security and Wellness award. The school district will officially be recognized during WASBO’s Fall Conference in October at the Osthoff Resort and Conference Center in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.
The Safety, Security & Wellness Award recognizes and promotes Wisconsin school districts for their efforts to create safe and healthy learning environments. This program is designed to help lessen districts’ financial burdens, while at the same time acknowledging their initiative, creativity and dedication to healthy, safe and secure schools. It also provides the opportunity for districts to share their bright ideas with their peers.
The Sparta Area School District is receiving this award due to the efforts of the district’s safety committee to lower its 2016 workers’ compensation mod of 1.31. This high of a mod meant the district was at risk of losing its worker’s compensation coverage. Due to the committee’s efforts, the district’s workers’ compensation mod has reached an all-time low of 0.76. This historic low for the district happened due to the committee’s efforts to create a culture of safety by improving safety communications, programming and best practices. Some of the efforts included:
- Creating a return-to-work program.
- Revising employee handbook language regarding the expectation of reporting injuries. All injuries must be reported within 24 hours of the occurrence, whether or not medical attention is needed.
- Implementing a nurse triage line.
- Creating a district-wide slip, trip and fall campaign and purchasing new signs and equipment to remind people to be safe.
- Displaying the message “no injury is too small” on forms, posters and staff communications.
- Transitioning the district’s paper injury forms into electronic forms through Skyward, which allowed for an easier analysis of trends.
At the beginning of this year, staff performed a “Safety Scavenger Hunt” in which they were encouraged to upload a picture of a safe activity listed on the scavenger hunt for the potential to win a prize.
This honor carries with it a $1,500 grant, sponsored by M3 Insurance, for ongoing risk management efforts.
WASBO provides professional development for school business staff, fosters a network of support, and advocates for funding that ensures outstanding educational opportunities for all children in Wisconsin.