Education News

AGA Chapter Educational Event Opportunity

AGA Chapter Educational Event Opportunity Has Been Extended Through 2006

Chapters! Don’t miss this opportunity to host the nation’s top state and local government financial accounting and reporting experts! Provide CPE at your AGA chapter for only the cost of the speaker’s travel.

The AGA National Office is pleased to extend a special opportunity to AGA chapters. Through December 31, 2006, Jay Fountain, CGFM, retired assistant director of Research, and Wilson Campbell, CGFM, project director, SEA Program, Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB), are available as educational event and conference speakers.

Visits are being planned for areas where government entities have submitted performance and accountability reports to the AGA through its Service Efforts and Accomplishments Program.

Benefits of a visit to your chapter or region include:   

• A dynamic two- or four-hour presentation of GASB's Service Efforts and Accomplishments (SEA) and performance reporting efforts (greatly changed from previous visits)
   

• New! In areas where a government entity was a recipient of AGA’s Certificate of Achievement in Service Efforts and Accomplishments Reporting, the GASB speaker will invite a representative from the recipient organization to participate in the presentation.
   

• Conceptual basis for use and reporting of performance measures
   

• "Managing for results." What it is, how to do it, examples of its use
   

• Characteristics of successful performance measures
   

• Reporting performance information: suggested criteria for effective communication with examples from state and local governments reporting results
   

• What is happening now and where is managing for results and performance reporting likely to go?
   

• NEW! GASB user guide to understanding performance reporting (released in July 2005, the Government Service Efforts and Accomplishments Performance Reports: A Guide to Understanding can be obtained free via www.seagov.org or by contacting GASB at 800.748.0659)
   

• Overview about AGA's SEA Program, which helps state and local governments produce and improve performance reports, recognizing those that are deemed outstanding

o       Examples of reports of participating governments Draft Review Guidelines

o       Charter participating governments

o       Opportunities to serve as a program reviewer

• Presentations can be tailored to underscore or expand certain components and address specific chapter requests
   

• Copies of GASB's Government Service Efforts and Accomplishments Performance  Report—A Guide to Understanding and the report summary will be made available at no charge
   

• Option to add a one-hour GASB update on financial reporting standards to your chapter's presentation

WHO PAYS FOR IT?

The GASB speaker costs are underwritten by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. These visits are offered to AGA chapters for only the cost of the speaker's travel (including transportation, hotel and meals). Chapters are encouraged to coordinate speaker visits with other chapters in the region to share in the travel costs. If a chapter cannot afford to cover all of the speaker's travel costs, contact GASB so arrangements can be made.

WHAT IS EXPECTED OF THE CHAPTER?

To make the GASB visits more comprehensive and beneficial to all involved, the chapter needs to identify one or more governmental entities in its area that either has implemented a performance measurement system or is in the process of implementing one and would be willing to share their experience as part of the program. Also, chapters should understand that to make the GASB visits more efficient, effective and economical, the GASB speakers will prioritize their commitments so that they can visit entities using performance reporting in the area of the chapter as part of their research work. So chapters interested in participating in this initiative may be asked to be flexible in scheduling the presentations.

ARE YOU IN?

AGA’s National Office will arrange the requests and serve as the liaison between the GASB and chapters to coordinate visits. To take advantage of this unparalleled opportunity, complete the GASB Speaker Request Form so that AGA staff can coordinate the visits.

GASB Speaker Request Form

For More Information

If you would like more information about this exceptional GASB visit opportunity, contact Evie Barry, MS, at ebarry@agacgfm.org.

Ø GASB’s efforts, visit www.seagov.org

Ø AGA’s SEA Program, visit www.agacgfm.org/performance/sea

Ø The National Center for Civic Innovation’s Sloan Foundation funded grants designed to encourage state and local governments to apply the GASB’s suggested performance reporting, visit gpr@nationalcenterforcivicinnovation.org