2020 Business Conference Session Descriptions

Please notice that sessions are alphabetical by title.  At the end of each session description, you will see who the session is designed for.  Please make sure to read all the sessions to make sure you don’t miss one.

(F=Finance, P=Payroll, S=Student, G=General)


Auditing Potpourri
THU          2:00 PM
Listen to a school district auditor discuss the latest auditing findings and topics.  Topics will include public purpose expenses, grant tracking, use of donations and how to prepare for an audit.  Please bring your questions. (F)
Presenter: Brian Opsahl, Brady, Martz & Associates

Budgeting with SmartHr – New & Improved
THU          2:00 PM
FRI          10:45 AM
See how SMART HR’s budget module can help project next year’s payroll budget complete with employee step increases, salary and benefit increases. Come and see a preview of some of the new changes coming in the spring release. (F, P)
Presenters: Krista Kutzman/Stef Sylte, Smart Systems 

Financial Fitness!
THU        10:30 AM
FRI            8:15 AM
Are you financially fit and ready for retirement when it arrives? Join financial experts from Alerus who will explain what it means to be financially fit, and outline steps to help you be on a successful journey to retirement. (G) 
Presenters: Joe Keimig/LeeAnn Staffne/Brianne Stoffel, Alerus

Long Term Facilities Maintenance (LTFM)
THU         11:45 AM
FRI            8:15 AM
This presentation is designed to assist school districts and vendors in meeting the LTFM Revenue program parameters.  Example templates for specific information in regards to Resolutions/Extract of Minutes/Narrative information will be presented. (F)
Presenter: Sarah Miller, MN Department of Education

MARSS – 2020
THU         11:45 AM
THU           2:00 PM
What’s New in MARSS Reporting? Marilynn will cover all the new topics, edit messages and the common reporting mistakes that district staff make. This session will also allow users to raise questions and share experiences as time allows. (S)
Presenter: Marilynn Loeher, MN Department of Education

MCCC – 2020
THU         11:45 AM
THU           2:00 PM
MDE will present a review of the highlights of the changes for Minnesota Common Course Catalogue data submission. The rest of the presentation will walk through the MCCC data submission process that will include reading error messages, responding to errors and also how to review what has been loaded. The review of the data that has been loaded is needed to verify data loaded past receiving a ‘Processed’ on file submission. (S) Presenter: Karen Millette, MN Department of Education

MealsPlus - Nutritional Technology
FRI           10:45 AM
Find out how to optimize your lunchtime. Get a look at Meals Plus LunchApplication.com, cut your application processing times in half. We will also look at the multiple options to speed up your serving lines. (S)
Presenter: Anthony Adolph, Region 1

OSHA - Occupational Injury & Illness Recordkeeping
THU          10:30 AM
THU            2:00 PM
Maintaining an accurate OSHA log of recordable work-related injuries and illnesses is an important skill that benefits employers, workers, safety professionals, and government agencies. This session will discuss: recording of injuries and illnesses, differences between OSHA cases and workers' compensation claims, classifying cases, counting time, privacy cases, how many logs to keep, maintaining logs and creating a log summary and reporting log data to OSHA. (P)
Presenter: Dave Ferkul, MN Department of Labor & Industry

Password Cracking and Social Engineering 101
FRI            10:45 AM
Are you using the new standards for good passwords? Have you heard of a passphrase? What is social engineering and why should you be concerned about phishing and vishing? In this session, we will go over the how, what and why of password cracking. We will cover how passwords can be recovered and the tools and techniques used to crack passwords. The session will include a demonstration of the password cracking techniques and will help you protect yourself, your personal passwords and your organization's passwords. (G) 
Presenter: Jamie Maguire, High Point Networks

Payoff Process in SmartHR
FRI              8:15 AM
If you are a new payroll user, or want a refresher on payoffs, you’ll want to attend this session. We will review the - who, what, when, where and why of payoffs in detail. (P)
Presenters: Angie Potas/Mara Watterud, Region 1

PERA Reporting Potpourri 
THU           3:15 PM
FRI             9:30 AM
A look at a number of PERA reporting topics that are uncommon, but good to know, and a review of recent legislative changes. (P)
Presenter: Luis Argueta, PERA

Revenue Projections
FRI            9:30 AM
Turn those pupil units into money.  This session uses student data, the Levy Limitation & Certification form, and MDE’s new Revenue Projection Model (which includes the WhatIf spreadsheet) to project ‘formula’ revenue.  The revenue will be converted into UFARS accounts and incorporated into the Budget Workpapers in SMART Finance. (F) 
Presenter: Wayne Miller, Region 1             

SchoolPay
THU           3:15 PM
FRI             8:15 AM
Fees! Fees! Fees!  Come see the enhanced integration between SchoolPay and Synergy using a new API process. Parents can now pay fees in ParentVUE with a single sign-on, and fee creation and payment information is passed between SchoolPay and Synergy seamlessly.…..Use SchoolPay to pay Course Fees – Activity Fees – Library Fees – Yearbook Fees – Misc. Fees – Hot Lunch payments.  (S)
Presenter: Alex Pollema, SchoolPay

SMART Finance/eR Open Forum
THU          3:15 PM
FRI          10:45 AM
Let’s get together and talk about SMART Finance and SMART eR.  We will share shortcuts, ideas, and recently installed new features.  We will also discuss the latest UFARS changes and how to use SMART Finance to verify UFARS reporting.  We will discuss the eR requisition process and the new reimbursement module.  We plan to share underutilized features in SMART Finance.  Bring your questions to share with the group. (F)
Presenters:  Travers Behlmer/Stacy Mead, Region 1


SMARTHR –  Back to Basics
THU        11:45 AM
We will look at reports, pay/deduction codes, the New Hire and Termination windows, using our tax spreadsheet to help with quarterly reporting and more.  This is basic information for the newest users of SmartHR. (P)
Presenters: Stacy Drees/Vicki Keller/Angie Potas, Region 1


Social Engineering: A Nontechnical Approach
THU        11:45 AM
Social Engineering is the use of deception to manipulate individuals into divulging confidential or personal information. Phishing is a common Social Engineering tactic. You also need to be aware of other avenues such as vishing, pretexting and baiting. This session will focus on the different types of Social Engineering attacks, what to look for and how to safeguard yourself and your school. (G)
Presenter: Jamie Maguire, High Point Networks

Special Ed Review
FRI            9:30 AM
This session will focus on the latest changes in Spec Ed Funding.  If time permits, discussion topics will also include keeping SEDRA data current and accurate, how MARRS data affects special ed, making sure current expenses are an accurate reflection of district data.  Use of special ed reports on MDE’s web site. (F)
Presenter:  Todd Travis, Midwest Special Ed Cooperative

Student Accounting for the Business Office
THU         10:30 AM
FRI           10:45 AM
Did you know that 99% of general fund state aid and levy is affected by student data? This session has the goal of informing the Business Office, Transportation, Spec Ed, or the Superintendent the importance of reporting MARSS data accurately in regard to financial calculations and the many programs that utilize this data.  Topics will include State aid and levy calculations, what calculations come from MARSS Fall data and MARSS EOY data.  We will also touch on reports to be utilized as tools to confirm data accuracy. (F) (S)
Presenters: Wayne Miller/Heather White, Region 1


Student Activities
THU           3:15 PM
FRI             8.15 AM      
This session is dedicated to accounting for Student Activities.  Under board control, not under board control, appropriate expenditures, proper procedures, etc. will be discussed.   A review of the new UFARS reporting requirements, the definition of administrative involvement, and the use of the new UFARS Fund numbers will be reviewed.  Bring your questions. (F)
Presenter: Sonja Parr/Brian Stavenger, Eide Bailly LLP

SYNERGY – Discipline & DIRS Reporting
THU         3:15 PM
This session will cover State DIRS reporting codes, and review how to properly enter in an incident. Required fields and frequently missed steps will also be discussed. Teacher referrals will also be included. (S)
Presenters: Cassy Peterson/Kadie Stoltz, Region 1

SYNERGY – Ed-Fi & CRDC Reporting
THU         3:15 PM
FRI           9:30 AM
Have you heard of the new Ed-Fi reporting process? If not, this is for you! Get an overview of Ed-Fi and changes it means for you and your district. Also, we will cover how to prepare your district for CRDC reporting for 19-20.  (S)
Presenters: Oscar Ortega, EduPoint/Heather White, Region 1


SYNERGY – Elementary Scheduling
THU         10:30 AM
Section linking, copying and moving students from sections, duplicating sections and the class assignment screen are covered in this session.  MCCC reporting is also included for the objective-based report cards. (S)
Presenter: Sam Thompson, Region 1

SYNERGY – Enrollment: The Breakdown
FRI            10:45 AM
Are you the person that deals with student enrollment in Synergy? Do you know what to do if you have duplicate students? What if you have an extra enrollment record hanging out there? This is for you! Learn how to merge student data, clean up enrollment records, and some of our tips and tricks we frequently use when helping you. (S)
Presenters: Becky Vedder, Region 1

SYNERGY – Gradebook Troubleshooting
THU         10:30 AM
Come learn some helpful hints on troubleshooting Gradebook and TeacherVUE. (S)
Presenter: Alyssa Purrier, Region 1

SYNERGY & MARSS
FRI            8:15 AM
This is specific to how information should be entered for MARSS reporting purposes. Discussion points: Calendar/Bell Schedule/State Requirements View, Percent of Enrollment/Course Enrollment/Term Definitions, MARSS Extract Process/review MARSS extract log/errors to review. Come find out if the method you have in place is working the most efficiently for you so you can focus more of your time in other areas. (S)
Presenters: Becky Vedder/Heather White, Region 1


SYNERGY – Mass Scheduling
FRI          8:15 AM
This session will review the setup and process for using Mass Scheduling included the setup for Online Course Registration.  This will include school scheduling options, creating multiple option sets, running reports and finalizing schedules. (S)
Presenters: Sam Thompson, Region 1

SYNERGY – New Features & Functionality
THU           2:00 PM
This session will provide a review of the new features and functionality that is found in the most current Synergy releases. Some of it may be review for you, some of it may be new! (S)
Presenter: Alyssa Purrier, Region 1

SYNERGY – OLR
THU         10:30 AM
This session will give an overview of the Online Registration module, and allow discussion between Region 1 and districts about recommendations and best practices for use and implementation. If your district is currently using or is interested in implanting the module, come see a standard setup, as well as hear discussions on other options. (S)
Presenters: Cassy Peterson/Kadie Stoltz, Region 1

SYNERGY – Query
FRI             9:30 AM
Query is a powerful tool for Synergy users. Learn how to create queries, labels, and reports, along with some useful tips and other helpful features in query. (S)
Presenter: Alyssa Purrier/Sam Thompson, Region 1

SYNERGY – Tips & Tricks: Back to the Basics
THU         11:45 AM
FRI             9:30 AM
Join us in the annual Tips and Tricks class with an added refresher of those tidbits we introduced when we first trained your district. Do you remember everything we said in training, probably not and that’s okay! Learn all the new tips and tricks that make Synergy more efficient. (S)
Presenters: Student Staff, Region 1

TimeClock Plus –  Tips & Tricks
FRI        9:30 AM
New to TimeClock Plus? This session will cover the basics of how to effectively use TimeClock Plus including: widgets, reporting, automation, filtering, and much more! (P)
Presenter: Mara Watterud, Region 1

TRA – Leaves
FRI         8:15 AM
Are you reporting Leaves of Absence correctly to TRA? This session will cover all types of leaves, explain the differences in each type and what data is required from the employer when reporting to TRA. (P)
Presenter: Margaret Sullivan, TRA

TRA – Overview
THU         2:00 PM
This session is geared towards “new” payroll staff, HR, and business managers. It will cover the basics of payroll, secure communication, year-end, and the employer contributions increase. If you’re new to TRA reporting this session will be sure to answer many of your questions. (P)
Presenter: Margaret Sullivan, TRA

UFARS Review
THU         10:30 AM
THU         11:45 AM
Learn about the new reporting requirements for 2019-2020.  A State Department representative will discuss the latest UFARS changes and requirements in school finance, a review of 2018-2019 reporting errors, reporting deadlines and the use of MDE’s web site.  Bring your UFARS questions with you. (F)
Presenters:  Molly Koppes/Deb Meier, MDE


Wage Theft–Requirements, Mistakes & Best Practices
THU        10:30 AM
THU        11:45 AM
Wage theft occurs when employers do not pay their workers what is owed them for the work they have performed. It’s estimated up to 40,000 Minnesota workers pursue complaints of wage theft each year because they have been denied a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work.

Legislation was passed in May 2019 invests $3.1 million in new funding over the next two years in the Department of Labor and Industry's (DLI's) enforcement of the state’s wage and hour laws. The law created additional protections for workers, including adding criminal penalties for employers who commit wage theft, and adding new requirements for all Minnesota employers. This session will cover the wage theft law’s requirements, common employer mistakes, and best practices. (P)
Presenter: Dave Skovholt, MN Dept of Labor & Industry 

Workers' Compensation and Your District
THU          3:15 PM
FRI          10:45 AM
An in-depth presentation that will show you how your district’s workers' compensation premium is calculated, as well as how to control it with proper reporting and claims management. (P)
Presenter: Casey Holland/Guy Oseth, Vaaler Insurance