Most employers offering health care are facing new COBRA provisions that are part of the $787 billion stimulus plan. For most employers, the deadline for compliance was March 1.

This article is also seen in the monthly ISM Update for Business Offices It is no secret that financial aid applications have been at an all-time high this year. Even some parents who don't necessarily need financial aid have been applying. There's nothing to lose in trying, right? They're right—there's not. But, it does create more paperwork and a need for more manpower in your business and admission offices. If you're finding the extra applications and requests for financial aid are starting to take a toll on your nerves (and everyone else in your office), first take a deep breath, and then look into some of the software programs available on the market—especially if you're using software now that's causing you headaches.

… lucky little critters have their own month! (Don't worry, we haven't lost our minds. We just needed a light lead into President Obama's delivery earlier this month.) October is also National Disability Employment Awareness Month, National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and National Depression Education & Awareness Month. In honor of it being National Disability Employment Awareness Month, and in response to President Obama's speech, ISM would like to share with you how this relates to private-independent schools.

The following is based on an article by Liz Pulliam Weston. Parts have been taken directly from her recent posting on MSN, "5 Life Lessons From the Recession". The past year has without a doubt been challenging. We've seen ups and downs, and unfortunately still have some way to go before we start to feel honest relief. But just as the Great Depression shaped our grandparents and parents, this recession lends some valuable lessons for all of us as well.

Although the warmer weather has slowed down the spread of the swine flu, experts are saying it'll be back in the fall with a vengeance. Read the Forbes.com article with latest statistics here. For those living in the Northeast, you're going to continue to feel the threat over the summer, extending into the fall, and perhaps growing in intensity as the cooler weather moves in. New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and other New England states continue to see new cases and deaths in spite of warmer temps.  

Or should they? You pay higher insurance premiums because they smoke, so why can't you fine them, or better yet, simply refuse to hire them? And what about obese faculty, or those who fail to control their blood pressure—shouldn't they be penalized?

Ahhh, summertime. Nicer weather encourages us to break out our t-shirts and shorts, spend more time outside, and to let our hair down, so to speak. What this can mean for your dress code, however, is—disaster. Letting your hair down can mean different things to different people. Tattoos and piercings may be revealed, skirts can get shorter, flip-flops may start flip-flopping down the halls, and shirts can grow tighter, thinner, and less concealing. How you deal with summer's inspired wardrobe is a delicate matter.

Are you looking for the perfect welcome-package stuffers for parent night? You might want to take the lead from some north Atlantic colleges and include sanitizers, pain relievers, hot water bottles, and thermal pjs along with your informational pieces. The swine flu is predicted to make another appearance this fall as temperatures cool down. If it's anything like last spring's occurrence, you'll want to have your students prepared.

Unfortunately, many students today are tempted by the excitement or escape that illicit drugs, alcohol, and tobacco seem to offer—61% of U.S. high-school students say that drugs are a problem in the schools, up from 44% in 2002, according to a survey from the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University.

Some of you may be experiencing more than the recession's decreased enrollment effects squeezing your budget—some of our charter school colleagues are unionized and with that comes union contracts demanding increased benefits and pay. Such stories are starting to make headlines; these stories could affect not just charter schools, but also private-independent schools.