Leonard Dietzen shared insights on the keys to successful bargaining during a presentation for the Florida School Finance Officers Association on June 17, 2024. Leonard emphasized that an important key to successful bargaining is a well prepared CFO. He further shared what financial officers can do to ensure everyone has a precise financial state of their board finances early in the bargaining process.

Leonard also shared that CFOs are key to educating the Board and superintendent on the impact and financial cost of new legislation and the potential costs of various proposals from the union. He discussed at length the impact of recent legislation on the PERC (Public Employee Relations Commission) Recertification Petition process. He shared that when districts fall below the 60% dues paying membership requirement, it triggers new requirements that will eventually lead to an election by the unit members employees. He discussed the procedures and answered questions from the audience on compliance with PERC deadlines. Because these petitions are complicated, legal counsel is often recommended to ensure proper compliance.