School Finance Template Boot Camp
(formerly Budget Boot Camp)
TASA’s School Finance Template Boot Camp (formerly known as Budget Boot Camp) has long been considered a valuable asset to administrators. Recent changes to school finance formulas, including implementation of the new $100,000 homestead exemption and additional tax compression, have made the revenue estimation process more of a challenge than ever. This hands-on session will break down the steps to template completion one by one, and staff will be available to work with you individually and answer questions. The next School Finance Template Boot Camp will be conducted in conjunction with the 2025 TASA Midwinter Conference.
This event should not be confused with the TASA/TASB/TASBO Budget Cohort for Texas District Leaders event that will be held at the Austin Convention Center during the TASA Midwinter Conference.
About the Boot Camp
School finance experts from the Texas Association of School Business Officials (TASBO) give administrators the opportunity to:
Complete and/or update the latest release of the state funding template under guided instruction.
Project state and local revenue for the previous, current, and future school years for current and future planning purposes.
Monitor the under/over payment of Foundation School Fund state aid for the current school year.
Ask questions and dialogue about other school finance-related items of interest.
Very Important: Participants will need to gather the information/items on this list prior to the start of the School Finance Template Boot Camp and bring their laptops to use during the training.
Boot Camp Facilitators
Dr. Amanda Brownson
Deputy Executive Director, TASBO
Amanda Brownson has worked in public education for more than years and in Texas school finance for more than 15. She served as the director of State Funding at TEA, where she oversaw the distribution of the state’s nearly $20 billion Foundation School Program. Prior to that, she worked as a consultant at Moak, Casey & Associates, where she assisted school districts with revenue projection, conducted research, and provided legislative support. She holds a Ph.D. in Education Policy and Planning.
Janét Spurgin
Chief Research Officer, TASBO
Janét Spurgin came to TASBO from the Legislative Budget Board, where she managed the Public Education Data Analysis team. She has a long history of building and maintaining school financial data models used to calculate state aid and developing tools to evaluate education funding proposals. Janét also worked for 19 years at TEA in the Divisions of School Finance and Fiscal Analysis, Interagency Coordination, Research and Program Evaluation, and Governmental Relations.
Karen Wilson
Policy & Research Associate, TASBO
Karen Wilson recently retired from Spring Branch ISD, where she had served as Associate Superintendent for Finance since January 2006. She began her career in school business in 1984 in Katy ISD then moved on to Dallas ISD, where she was Deputy Superintendent of Business Services and Associate Superintendent for Financial Services. Karen brings a wealth of hands-on experience as a CFO and can provide practical, real-world advice.
Omar Garcia
Investment Banker, BOK Financial Services
Omar Garcia is employed by BOK Financial Services, a public finance firm and a subsidiary of BOK Financial Corp. He is part of a team that offers underwriting and financial advisory services on school district bond issues and other related matters. Garcia previously served as director of statewide school finance at the Region 13 ESC for nine years and was employed by TEA for 28 years, holding various positions, including working in the Audit Division for four years. He retired in 2002 as the senior director of the Division of State Funding after 24 years of service in that division.
CPE Hours
School Finance Template Boot Camp offers four hours
of Continuing Professional Education credit.
