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Curated resources to help the business office answer top questions related to COVID-19 concerns.  

To put it mildly, the pandemic is complicating most schools’ planning for the 2020-2021 school year. School leaders are attempting to reopen campuses while providing for social distancing and contagious disease protocols, alongside preparing for other very real challenges, including the possibility of intermittently returning to distance learning, financial uncertainties and unexpected expenses, new regulations and communicating with a community deeply concerned about the health of their loved ones. 

As part of NBOA’s recent flash survey, respondents asked for resources to help tackle these challenges. Since this crisis began, we have endeavored to provide support to our diverse membership that will help you make the decisions appropriate for your school. Below we’ve listed some of the common questions and identified some key resources to help develop your schools’ answers.

What does “the new normal” look like?

• Webinar Recording: The Next Normal: Enrollment Trends and Strategies in Uncertain Times
• Article: Navigating the Semi-Normal
• Article: Impossible Is Off the Table: Lessons Learned During COVID-19
• White Paper: 20-21 Reopening Strategies
• Webinar Recording: Combining Forces: How Private Schools Can Leverage M&A to Survive and Thrive 
• Webinar Recording: The Financial Impact of COVID-19: Survey Results, Scenario Planning and Financial Modeling  

What steps should our school take to keep our campus safe?

• Article: Considerations for Reopening Independent School Campuses
• Tool: Checklist for Reopening Independent School Campuses
• Webinar Recording: Seizing the Opportunity to Thrive During COVID-19
• Tool: Rosner Campus Space Planning Tool
• Discount Purchasing: PPE Procurement
• Template: Contagious Disease Waiver for Students
• Federal Guidance: CDC Pandemic Protocols
• State Guidance: Guidance for Schools Creating Pandemic Mitigation Plans
• White Paper: Lear Safe Work Playbook

How do I perform projections and stabilize our finances in such an unstable environment?

• Tool: The Long-Range Financial Model for Independent Schools 
• Tool: Composite Financial Index℠
• White Papers: Financial State of the Industry & Key Financial Indicators of Vitality for Independent Schools
• Tool: NBOA Financial Dashboard
• Webinar Recording: Stewarding Endowments through the COVID-19 Crisis
• Webinar Recording: The Financial Impact of COVID-19: Survey Results, Scenario Planning and Financial Modeling  

How do I justify taking a PPP loan, and how do ensure forgiveness?

• Article: PPP Primer for Independent Schools: 5 Things You Should Know
• Federal Guidance: SBA & Department of Treasury FAQs for the PPP Program
• News Update: Loan Period Extension Granted for Borrowers
• Webinar Recording: Telling Your School’s Financial Story and Validating the PPP
• Webinar Recording: The SBA's PPP: How Independent Schools Can Support Their Good Faith Certification and Prepare for a Possible Audit

How do I support my school community during this stressful time?

• Article: Wellness Reimagined: Two Schools’ Approach During COVID-19
• Webinar Recording: Employee Considerations: Questions About Returning to Campus
• Tool: Employee Leave Options 
• Federal Guidance: FFCRA: Questions and Answers

It looks like remote teaching and administrative work may end up being longer term than we thought. What should we be doing to adjust to this new situation?

• Webinar Recording: Performance Management in the Age of COVID-19
• Article: Successfully Managing Remote Employees
• Webinar Recording: Boundaries in a Remote Learning Environment
• Discussion: Recording Zoom Classes
• Article: Remote Hiring Considerations
• Discussion: Remote Onboarding
• Discussion: Employee Agreements