We’re about to enter that crazy season again. No, we’re not talking about the holidays—we’re talking about the financial aid season. It seems like schools have reported an increase in financial aid applications every year for the past few decades, and there’s no sign this trend is slowing down.

Your school’s budget is dependent on your enrollment—even with a solid strategic financial plan. The loss of even one student can be enough to shake the foundation of your school’s plans. That’s why you have parents sign a contract when enrolling that includes your policy on full-tuition deadlines and penalties for late withdrawals. But, what happens when a family argues that your policies aren’t fair—and the courts side with them?

Q: This new legislation has me baffled! We have 12 participants out of 45 full-time employees. Our insurance company is jacking our rates up on our effective date of November 1, 2013—with the promise of increasing 35% to 65% next year. I don’t think it’s worth continuing to offer coverage for 12 participants when facing that sort of increase, but I think when looking at our measurement period data that we must. Can you explain what full-time equivalent means?

Q: What are our rights, and duties, for monitoring student (and staff) behavior “after-hours”?

If your school is on the smaller side, you might find yourself extended far beyond the traditional roles and responsibilities of Business Offer. You probably take on some of the duties of the HR person, and possibly even the Facilities Manager.

If a member of your faculty or staff is hospitalized, it may be appropriate for you, as Division Head, to visit the person. Your visit can offer support at a time when the employee feels most vulnerable, while showing him/her that you sincerely care.

In the private school world, social media objectives are commonly the responsibility of the Admission Office. However, social media is just as powerful for the Development Director as it is for the Admission Officer. If you’re not taking advantage of social media with your school’s constituuents and fans for fund raising and volunteering, then you’re ignoring one of your strongest sources for support.

When making personal solicitations during a capital/major gifts campaign, volunteers often end their visits by giving pledge cards to prospective donors. This can let a prospect “off the hook” because it eliminates the subtle pressure to act during the visit. Once the volunteer leaves, the pledge card may end up in a “to-do” pile on the person’s kitchen counter—or, worse, be misplaced or unintentionally tossed into the trash.

Last year’s Sandy Hook tragedy shook the nation. Since then, schools and districts have been trying to build risk management plans and drills to protect their students, faculty, and staff.

Every now and again, we like to put out a list of popular blogs relating to the world of education. As you know, blogs are a great way to stay current with trends as well as share your thoughts and ideas with the world. Here are a few we think are worth a look or two.