Strategic Alliance Partners

AmericanFidelityLogo-Color-360x120
EMPLOYEE BENEFITS/INSURANCE

As experts in employer benefit solutions, our salaried account managers deliver year-round support, help employers overcome benefit administrative challenges, and always offer a different perspective – a different opinion.

We strive to help education professionals succeed in benefits management. Visit our blog for helpful insights about employee benefits.

With 60 years of focus on the education community, our understanding into the needs and challenges facing your benefit program drives us to design effective solutions tailored for an easy benefit administration.

Ready for a different opinion? Contact us today!

Chris Cuevas
Regional Manager
3649 W. Beechwood Avenue, Ste. 103
Fresno, CA 93711
(559) 230-2107 ext. 329
chris.cuevas@americanfidelity.com

CASBO Premier Plus Partners

FACILITIES: Energy Efficiency Projects and Proposition 39

Led by a highly credentialed team with more than 300 years of combined industry experience, Climatec helps public agencies find general fund relief through renewed infrastructure and funding solutions. The firm has delivered thousands of successful energy efficiency programs to a loyal base of repeat public-sector clients using a customer-centric approach that has forged an unmatched track record of implementation success and savings performance. Climatec’s formula is based on transparency and vendor neutrality that empowers customers with options for upgrading to smarter, safer and more efficient facilities, providing immediate relief to their general funds and securing long-lasting economic development, revenue growth, community engagement and stakeholder benefits.

Ashley Cascio
Director Energy Services
2150 Towne Centre Place, Suite 200
Anaheim, CA 92805
(602) 400-2859
acascio@climatec.com

colbi
FACILITIES/FINANCE/CONSULTING: K-14 Construction Program Management Software Solutions & Support

COLBI’s mission is giving facilities, fiscal and business professionals control over their capital building program. COLBI is a software and support services company that provides tools, training and support to manage a school district’s capital building program. Their software tools (Account-Ability, QualityBidders, and COLBI Docs) provide seamless communication between a public agency’s facilities and fiscal departments and allows each department to work the way they need to. COLBI mirrors the district processes, internal controls and account-code string for easy reconciliation with the district’s financial system. Their software solution tools act as a front-end filter to show you how each decision affects your budget, contract, PO and project before ever hitting the fiscal system. This puts the owner teams in control to make informed decisions to tackle any issues before it’s too late. COLBI has established a solid reputation for strong internal financial controls, training and informed decision making to manage large capital building programs without adding district staff. From small programs to large ones, COLBI simplifies the complex by providing tools, training and technology to work the way school districts function.

Jon Patterson
Director of Sales and Marketing
13891 Newport Avenue, Ste. 150
Tustin, CA 92780
(714) 505-9544 (office)
(951) 377-4266 (cell)
jpatterson@colbitech.com

FISCAL/FACILITIES/HR: Fiscal/Budget Stabilization, Interim Reports, Facilities Owner Representation, Program/Project Management, Organizational Review, Efficiency Analysis, Classification/Compensation Study

EH&A specializes in consulting services to improve Fiscal, Facilities, Human Resources, and Administration departments. Our team members consist of former school district leaders, so we are proudly known as “School People Helping School People”. With our breadth of expertise, EH&A consults, services, advises, mentors, and guides districts to holistic innovative solutions. Along with Staff Augmentation, we also provide critical analyses such as Interim Reports, Facilities Master Plans, Classification & Compensation Studies, Growth/Declining Enrollment Evaluations, and Organizational Reviews. We are committed to facilitating positive community and social impact while focused on improving educational agencies for our students’ educational experiences.

Craig McAlpin
Director of Client Services
(949) 541-1902 cell
craig@ehanda.com

engie
FACILITIES: Energy Efficiency, Building and Energy Infrastructure, Renewable Energy Technologies, Water Conservation, Natural Resources Stewardship, STEM Education, Full-Service Energy Storage Provider

ENGIE North America is the only company that delivers comprehensive, integrated services across the entire energy value chain, making it a preferred provider to school districts, public sector organizations and other social infrastructure entities. ENGIE’s business strategy focuses on delivering safe, reliable, cost-effective and sustainable energy solutions that meet customer needs over the long term and contribute to a carbon-neutral economy.

Suzanne Gentilini
Senior Manager, Business Development
ENGIE Services U.S.
(714) 785-3025
Suzanne.Gentilini@engie.com

EMPLOYEE BENEFITS/INSURANCE: Insurance and Financial Services

Horace Mann offers a variety of products and services designed with educators in mind, including financial wellness education workshops on student loan debt relief, using DonorsChoose for classroom funding, understanding your retirement system benefits and more. They also provide insurance products that offer various discounts and unique benefits for educators, including auto, life, renters/homeowners and supplemental insurance, as well as retirement solutions and flexible benefit plan services. They also offer convenient payroll services to help make paying certain premiums easier.

Keith Jorgensen
Educator Programs & Partnerships Consultant
#1 Horace Mann Plaza
Springfield, IL  62715
402-290-3116
association.relations@horacemann.com

INSURANCE SOLUTIONS: Risk Management and Employee Benefits Specialists

Keenan was founded in 1972 and is part of the Accretive Insurance Solutions family of companies. We have a 50-year track record of serving schools, community colleges, health care organizations, and public agencies. Keenan provides innovative employee benefits, health benefits management, workers’ compensation, risk management, and property and liability programs throughout the country. For more information, call 800-654-8102 or 310-212-3344, email info@keenan.com or visit www.keenan.com.

Brad Keenan, Vice President
310-212-3344
bkeenan1@keenan.com

Jeffrey Mizokawa, Vice President
949-940-1760
jmizokawa@keenan.com

FACILITIES: Facility Consultants, Facility Financial Advisors, School Facility Planners (SFP) and Facility Compliance Services

California Financial Services (CFS) is a full-service municipal financial advisor and facility planning firm. The KeyAnalytics division helps school districts with project expenditure tracking and COC reporting, bond and state compliance/reporting, state SFP grant applications, developer fees/mitigation, and CFD formation and administration. KeyAnalytics’ mix of experienced professionals from the private and public sector means that they understand the school facility world from the perspective of the facility planner, the CBO, the superintendent and the board.

Michael Dodge, Senior Vice President
1420 Michele Way
Escalon, CA 95320-9570
(209) 595-0791
mdodge@calschools.com

Northern California:
(916) 780-7800 (Patty Paulsen)

Central California:
(209) 595-0791 (Michael Dodge)

Southern California:
(949) 282-1077

EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS/INSTRUCTION: Copy, Print, Furniture, Professional Development, Technology

Previously Office Depot Business Solutions Division, ODP Business Solutions™ is now more flexible and more innovative in how we focus on businesses while bringing nearly 30 years of knowledge and experience. From K-12 schools to Higher Ed, we offer solutions and services that empower staff and students for lasting success.  And, Supplier Diversity helps us identify and deliver innovative, quality products and services across all business channels. It provides support for local, small, diverse, disadvantaged businesses; creates an environment for innovation; opens new markets; and drives competition.

Sandy McGee
Sales Support | Office Depot, Inc.
Tel: 510.497.5567
sandy.mcgee@odpbusiness.com

BUSINESS AND FINANCIAL SERVICES: TPA, 403(b), 457(b), 401(a), 3121 Plan Services, Financial Planning, Retirement Advisors

SchoolsFirst Plan Administration has been administering retirement plans for school employees and providing comprehensive and flexible Third Party Administration Services exclusively to school districts in the state of California since 1982.  We currently partner with and serve over 350 school districts, including 10 County Offices of Education throughout California. We offer and administer pre- and post-tax 403(b) and 457(b) plans, as well as  401(a) and 3121 FICA Alternative Plans. SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union is a not-for-profit, Member owned, financial cooperative serving school employees and their families since 1934.

We believe in…”building the future for those who build the future”.

15222 Del Amo Avenue
Tustin, CA 92780

Darin Ditmar
TPA Relationship Specialist
(800) 462-8328, ext. 2028371
dditmar@schoolsfirstfcu.org

Daniel Christofferson
TPA Relationship Specialist
(800) 462-8328, ext. 2028688
dchristofferson@schoolsfirstfcu.org

Jacinda Lazarus
TPA Relationship Specialist
(800) 462-8328, ext. 2028812
jlazarus@schoolsfirstfcu.org

FACILITIES/FINANCIAL SERVICES/PUBLIC FINANCE/UNDERWRITING: GO Bonds, COPs/Leases, CFDs, Refinancing/Refunding/Restructuring Bonds

With California offices in Los Angeles and San Francisco, STIFEL is the No. 1 underwriter, by par amount and number of issues, of K-12 school district bonds in California and the U.S. (Thomson Reuters for the time period 2018 through 2022). Stifel’s public finance professionals specialize in helping school districts raise capital to build and maintain essential infrastructure using general obligation (GO) bonds, certificates of participation (COPs) and special tax bonds (CFDs). Having the largest and most experienced municipal banking and underwriting group in California, Stifel works with school districts to develop and implement financing strategies that allow them to operate and optimize the important work they do.

Erica Gonzalez
Managing Director
One Montgomery Street, 36th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94104
(415) 364-6841
egonzalez@stifel.com

CASBO Premier Partners

PURCHASING

Amazon Business for Education combines the selection, convenience and value customers have come to know and love from Amazon, coupled with features tailored to the needs of educational institutions to drive compliance and increase visibility. Amazon Business provides simplified access to hundreds of millions of products and suppliers including business-only pricing, cost saving quote and bulk ordering tools, Business Prime benefits for all users, approval workflows to balance staff empowerment with purchasing controls, purchasing system integrations, payment solutions, dedicated customer support and more. Learn more at  http://business.amazon.com/en/work-with-us/education.

Amazon Business for Education, California Team
amz-casbo@amazon.com

FACILITY MANAGEMENT/COMPUTER SOFTWARE: Cloud-Based Operations Management Software

The global leader in intelligent asset management solutions, Brightly’s sophisticated cloud-based platform leverages more than 20 years of data to deliver predictive insights that help users through key phases of the entire asset lifecycle. More than 12,000 clients worldwide depend on their complete suite of intuitive software. Paired with award-winning training, support and consulting services, Brightly helps light the way to a bright future with smarter assets and sustainable communities.

Amanda Fletcher
Senior Event Manager
11000 Regency Parkway, Suite 110
Cary, NC 27518
(919) 616-8716
amanda.fletcher@brightlysoftware.com

INSURANCE SERVICES: Health Care Benefits

The California Schools Voluntary Employees Benefits Association (VEBA) was started in 1993 through the combined efforts of school superintendents and representatives of both the California Teachers Association and the California School Employees Association. VEBA provides health care benefits for education, municipal and public agency employees that are effective, affordable and of the highest quality and value.

Heather Simonson
VEBA Ombudsman
1843 Hotel Circle S., Suite 300
San Diego, CA 92108
(619) 616-1556
heather_simonson@ajg.com

CONSULTING SERVICES: School Business and Education Finance, Governmental Relations

With considerable experience, expertise and connections to key decision-makers in California and Washington, D.C., Capitol Advisors Group provides services to local education agencies, statewide associations and private-sector companies, including government relations, school finance consulting, and strategic consulting and public relations. Experts in school business and education finance, they serve as an important resource to school business professionals to provide an independent perspective of, and help with, the complexity and dilemmas that accompany the daily work of school business.

Barrett Snider
Partner
925 L Street, Suite 1200
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 557-9745
barrett@capitoladvisors.org

Carahsoft Technology Corporation logo
TECHNOLOGY CONTRACTS: Golden State Technology Solutions
Carahsoft Technology Corporation is the nation’s leading provider of technology solutions for the private sector. Through their contract program Golden State Technology Solutions, CASBO members can enjoy reduced pricing and simplified ordering on their entire portfolio of edtech products and managed service offerings. Choose from Learning Management Systems, Student Safety & Security, Content Management & Data Analytics, Workforce Readiness, Education Funding Services, MultiCloud, IoT, Cybersecurity, and more. For more information or to request a quote, contact Golden State Technology Solutions at gsts@carahsoft.com or (571) 591-6070.

Golden State Technologies Team
Carahsoft Technology Corporation
Tel: (571) 591-6070
Email: gsts@carahsoft.com

INDEPENDENT AUDITS:  K-12 Districts, Bonds, Facilities Grants, Charters, and Forensic

Christy White’s Certified Public Accountants provide exceptional audit and consulting services for peace of mind, fiscal accountability, and constituent transparency.  LEAs are our single core business.  We are your school finance and audit experts.  Let us help you establish excellent internal controls, build compliance, prevent and detect fraud, implement new accounting requirements and achieve business efficiencies.  We love helping the business of education and look forward to working with you!

Christy White, CPA, CFE
President
348 Olive Street
San Diego, CA 92103
(877) 220-7229
cwhite@christywhite.com

BUSINESS AND FINANCIAL SERVICES: Financial Planning

Formerly AIG Life & Retirement, Corebridge Financial is one of the largest and most established providers of retirement solutions and insurance products in the United States, with a long and proven track record of serving our clients. At Corebridge, we’re passionate about giving people the power to help them reach their financial goals.

We deliver an expansive portfolio of products to serve your unique needs. And we proudly partner with financial professionals and institutions to make it possible for more people to take action in their financial lives for today and tomorrow.

At Corebridge, we believe no one achieves a financially secure future by accident–great things happen when people take action.

CASBO is not a client of an Corebridge Financial; CASBO receives compensation in the amount of $15,000 annually to offset expenses related to the partnership program. The compensation creates an incentive for CASBO to have Corebridge Financial as a sponsor instead of other entities for which CASBO does not receive compensation.

Keith Poch
Regional Vice President, Western Region
2901 Douglas Boulevard, Suite 150
Roseville, CA 95661
(916) 780-6014
keith.poch@corebridgefinancial.com

BONDS/BUSINESS, CONSULTING AND FINANCIAL SERVICES

As one of California’s leading financial advisors to K-14 districts, Dale Scott & Company (DS&C) seeks to improve public education and strengthen communities by helping school districts get the funding they need for success. Working side-by-side with districts, DS&C draws on forward-thinking strategies based on innovative, yet practical, solutions that positively impact communities and their schools for years into the future.

Dale Scott
President
548 Market Street, Suite 44410
San Francisco, CA 94104
(415) 956-1030
casbo@dalescott.com

Mark Farrell
Senior Financial Advisor
1600 Rosecrans Avenue
Building 7, 4th Floor
Manhattan Beach, CA 90266

(415) 956-1030
casbo@dalescott.com

LEGAL SERVICES: Education Law

For over 40 years, Dannis Woliver Kelley (DWK) has devoted its entire practice to serving public school districts, county offices of education and other educational organizations. From bond finance to business and technology, construction to litigation, board ethics to students’ rights, collective bargaining to charter oversight, DWK provides outstanding legal representation and preventive and practical counsel on key issues surrounding your core mission — the education of students.

Rachel K. Brilliant, Special Counsel
200 California St, Suite 400
San Francisco, 94111
(415) 543-4111
rbrilliant@dwkesq.com

TECHNOLOGY: Records Retention

EdFiles firmly believes that permanent personnel, student and administrative files that are vital for educators to serve their students, employees and communities must be preserved and backed up, conveniently and securely accessible electronically and, lastly, available to institutions of all sizes and budgets. EdFiles facilitates the permanent retention and exchange of organized and secured educational records … not paper!

Janet Cardines
Customer Success Team
PO Box 2434
Fullerton, CA 92837
info@edrecords.org
(833)-EDFILES or (657) 217-3260

EMPLOYEE BENEFITS/INSURANCE: Retirement Planning and Life Insurance

The key to a comfortable retirement starts with you! At Equitable Financial, we understand the challenges that come with retirement planning, and are committed to helping you through every stage of life. Whether you are beginning your career, changing jobs, or nearing retirement, you can count on us to help reach your savings goals.

We have the experience to help make an impact on your financial future. With Equitable Financial, you’re not just investing in a 403(b); you’re working with a company with a background of generations in the financial services industry.

Kelsey McCarthy
Strategic Relationship Manager, California
Assistant Agency Manager, No. California/Hawaii
275 Battery Street, Suite 700
San Francisco, CA 94111
(415) 276-2216
kelsey.mccarthy@equitable.com

LEGAL SERVICES: Education Law

Fagen Friedman & Fulfrost LLP represents nearly 400 of California’s educational institutions and related agencies. From bargaining to business and facilities, F3 provides full legal services. Districts across California rely on this recognized leader in real property, energy and education technology. For legal updates, please subscribe to F3’s NewsFlash.

Peter Fagen
Partner
6300 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(323) 330-6300
pfagen@f3law.com

LEGAL SERVICES: Education Law

For more than 35 years, Lozano Smith has been recognized as a preeminent leader serving hundreds of K-12 school districts throughout California. The firm’s unmatched culture continues to foster innovative and tailored legal services in every area of education law, including: charter schools, facilities and business, governance, investigations, labor and employment, litigation, public finance, public safety, special education, student services, technology, and Title IX. Lozano Smith’s eight offices throughout California provide clients with local and statewide expertise, ultimately giving clients the accessibility they deserve

Harold Freiman
Partner
2001 North Main Street, Suite 500
Walnut Creek, CA 94596
(925) 953-1620
hfreiman@lozanosmith.com

MeTEOR EDUCATION™: Methods, Tools, Environments + Relationships

Founded on relationships built through discovering the current needs of today’s learner, MeTEOR Education brings together best practices in educational services, innovative tools for measuring student engagement, best-in-class learning spaces, and research-driven design for optimal support and enhanced experiences.

Kevin Beck, ALEP, Managing Director, California
1318 E. Shaw Avenue, Suite 415
Fresno, CA 93710
(800) 699-7516 (office)
(916) 997-9232 (cell)
kbeck@meteoreducation.com

FINANCIAL SERVICES/BONDS

Piper Sandler & Co. is a leading financial services firm for California school and community college districts. Our expertise in financing options such as general obligation bonds, certificates of participation, community facility district bonds, interim/bridge financing and short-term notes (TRANS/BANs) can assist your district in reaching its financial goals. A proud partner with CSBA California Cash Reserve Program TRAN pool financing, Piper Sandler has one of the largest and most experienced teams of dedicated education finance professionals in California and takes pride in creating and implementing superior financial solutions for their clients.

Mark Adler
Managing Director
Public Finance Investment Banking
(310) 297-6010
mark.adler@psc.com

PUBLIC WORKS / EDUCATION / CONSTRUCTION: A – Z Procurement Software for School Districts

PlanetBids is an award-winning “Software as a Service” (SaaS) company offering a modular suite of innovative and best-in-class digital solutions to help procurement teams streamline traditionally time-consuming bid management practices. With 22+ years of industry knowledge, experience and service, PlanetBids is recognized as the leading purveyor of web-based Procurement solutions that are easy-to-use, configurable, reliable and secure. The company’s proprietary PB System™, designed, developed and serviced in California, offers all key procurement modules of choice: Vendor, Bid, Contract, Prequalification, Project Evaluation and Insurance Certificate Management, Emergency Operations and Bid Spec Library. PlanetBids’ highly trained and knowledgeable staff, many of them former procurement professionals, is continuously enhancing the PB System™ with added features helping users save time and better communicate with the vendor community.

Alan Zavian
CEO / Co-Founder
13263 Ventura Blvd.
Studio City, CA 91604
(818) 992-1771 ext. 110
alan@planetbids.com

FACILITIES/FINANCIAL SERVICES/PUBLIC FINANCE/UNDERWRITING: California Education Bond Underwriting

Raymond James is consistently among the leading K-12 municipal bond underwriters in California and the nation. Its seven-member California Education Finance team brings experience, professionalism and integrity to financing K-12 school bond programs and prides itself on providing creative solutions, top-notch service and low borrowing costs, supporting its clients’ efforts to act as true stewards of taxpayer dollars. Raymond James’ extensive distribution network of 11,400 financial advisors in the U.S., Canada and overseas translates to low cost bond financings for California K-12 school districts and their taxpayers. In 2018, 2019 and 2020, Raymond James was the #1 ranked underwriter of negotiated California K-12 school district general obligation bonds by either par amount or number of issues and #2 in 2021 and 2022 (per Bloomberg).

John R. Baracy
Managing Director
10250 Constellation Boulevard, Suite 850
Los Angeles, CA 90067
(424) 303-6406
john.baracy@raymondjames.com

– OR –

Randy Merritt
Managing Director
209 Avenida Del Mar, Suite 207
San Clemente, CA 92672
(949) 485-5903
randy.merritt@raymondjames.com

SAFETY/SECURITY/RISK MANAGEMENT: Insurance JPA for Schools (P&L)

ReLiEF is a non-profit, member-owned-and-operated California joint powers authority (JPA), serving public schools since 1986. ReLiEF currently serves 450 local education agencies, representing in excess of 2 million average daily attendance and $65 billion in total insured values.

Leslie Delozier
Assistant JPA Manager
P.O. Box 4328
Torrance, CA 90510
(310) 212-3344
ldelozier@keenan.com

Digital Automation and Energy Management Technologies

Schneider Electric’s purpose is to empower all to make the most of their energy and resources, bridging progress and sustainability for all. They call this Life Is On. Their mission is to be your digital partner for Sustainability and Efficiency. Schneider Electric drives digital transformation by integrating world-leading process and energy technologies, end-point to cloud connecting products, controls, software, and services, across the entire lifecycle, enabling integrated company management, for homes, buildings, data centers, infrastructure, and industries. They are the most local of global companies. They are advocates of open standards and partnership ecosystems that are passionate about our shared Meaningful Purpose, Inclusive, and Empowered values.

Rachel Rucker
Senior Marketing Specialist
Sustainability Business, Schneider Electric
(469) 346-9484
rebecca.rucker@se.com

School Status logo
CONSULTANTS: Mandates (Risk Management) and Attendance Management

SchoolStatus, the K-12 success platform, helps districts increase the quality and frequency of school-family communications and combat chronic absenteeism. With more than two hundred million successful school-home interactions and millions of users across all product lines, SchoolStatus drives meaningful results for districts and schools across the US.

Lauren Duke
Events Manager
SchoolStatus
(850)822-4878
lauren.duke@schoolstatus.com

CONSULTANTS/LOBBYISTS: Management Consulting, Governmental Relations, Collective Bargaining Support, Accounting, Finance, Facilities, Human Resources and Special Education

School Services of California, Inc., (SSC), founded in 1975, is the premier business, management and governmental relations resource for school agencies in California. SSC’s consultants are recognized experts in school finance, management and education policy.

John Gray
President/CEO
1121 L Street, Suite 1060
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 446-7517
johng@sscal.com

FACILITIES: Energy Efficiency and Facility Solutions, Building and Energy Infrastructure and Planning, Renewable Energy Technologies, Energy Storage, Water Conservation, Project Financing

SitelogIQ is a leading independent U.S. energy efficiency and facility solutions company operating in California since 1987. We are a national provider of energy efficiency and master facility planning solutions, offering the full range of design engineering, construction, management, energy, and lighting solutions. We’re focused on partnering with our customers to address their facility needs and help them improve the health and safety of their building environments, while also making them more energy efficient and sustainable. We’re incredibly proud of the work we do and the impact it has to people, our planet, and facility performance.

Sarah Kennedy
Business Development Lead
sarah.kennedy@sitelogiq.com

EDUCATION MATERIALS/INSTRUCTION: Furniture, Instructional, Janitorial & Paper

Southwest School & Office Supply is the largest privately held school supplier in California, offering next-day delivery with employee drivers, online ordering, blanket purchase-order controls, experienced sales consultants and local customer service personnel.

Aja Stickler
VP of Sales & Operations
3790 De Forest Circle
Jurupa Valley, CA  91752
(909) 980-7777
aja.stickler@southwestschool.com

EQUIPMENT/FURNITURE

As America’s largest manufacturer and supplier of furniture and equipment for K-12 schools, Virco continues to give customers the unparalleled advantages of working with an experienced U.S. manufacturer. Visit their facility in Torrance, California!

Josh Nachlinger
Regional Sales Manager, Pacific Coast Region
2027 Harpers Way
Torrance, CA 90501
(951) 331-8609
joshnachlinger@virco.com