In this episode, Yuri Calderon, Assistant Superintendent of Business Services at Orange Unified School District, discusses what it truly means to lead with students at the center — even from the business office. Yuri shares his philosophy of removing the "business hat" and instead focusing on aligning every dollar and resource as close to the classroom as possible. He reflects on lessons learned across his career in Santa Barbara, small and rural districts, and now Orange Unified, making a compelling case for why small districts are often the most innovative. Yuri also dives into the power of replicating and iterating on great ideas, what a thriving school actually looks like when you walk through the doors, how to align vendor and architect partnerships around what matters most for kids, and why reading — not AI summaries — remains his go-to tool for continuous learning.

About Yuri Calderon:

Yuri serves as the Assistant Superintendent of Business Services for Orange Unified School District, leading all financial and operational functions for a 42-school system with an annual budget exceeding $400 million. He oversees budget development, multi-year financial planning, and fiscal strategy to maintain long-term structural stability in a complex public funding environment.

Yuri also partners with the Superintendent and Board of Education to drive strategic decision-making, strengthen organizational effectiveness, and ensure transparent, data-informed governance. He is committed to building high-performing systems that maximize resources in support of student success.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yuricalderon/

ycalderon@orangeusd.org

Learn More About Kay-Twelve:

Website: https://kay-twelve.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kay-twelve-com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kay_twelve/

Episode 330 of the Better Learning Podcast

Kevin Stoller is the host of the Better Learning Podcast and Co-Founder of Kay-Twelve, a national leader for educational furniture. Learn more about creating better learning environments at www.Kay-Twelve.com.

For more information on our partners:

Association for Learning Environments (A4LE) - https://www.a4le.org/

Education Leaders' Organization - https://www.ed-leaders.org/

Second Class Foundation - https://secondclassfoundation.org/

EDmarket - https://www.edmarket.org/

Catapult @ Penn GSE - https://catapult.gse.upenn.edu/

Want to be a Guest Speaker? Request on our website

In this episode, David Marshall, CSC Contract, Grant and Operations Manager for the Center for Schools and Communities — a division of the Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit based in the Harrisburg area — brings a unique vantage point to the conversation: an engineering background, 16 years in corporate America, 12 years as a facilities director, and now seven years as a business manager. That combination of technical, operational, and financial experience shapes everything about how he approaches his work.

Learn More About Kay-Twelve:

Website: https://kay-twelve.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kay-twelve-com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kay_twelve/

Episode 326 of the Better Learning Podcast

Kevin Stoller is the host of the Better Learning Podcast and Co-Founder of Kay-Twelve, a national leader for educational furniture. Learn more about creating better learning environments at www.Kay-Twelve.com.

For more information on our partners:

Association for Learning Environments (A4LE) - https://www.a4le.org/

Education Leaders' Organization - https://www.ed-leaders.org/

Second Class Foundation - https://secondclassfoundation.org/

EDmarket - https://www.edmarket.org/

Catapult @ Penn GSE - https://catapult.gse.upenn.edu/

Want to be a Guest Speaker? Request on our website

In this episode, Maureen Oakley, a school business professional at Pottstown School District in Southeastern Pennsylvania, brings a refreshingly candid and relatable voice to the conversation about what it's like to build a career in school finance — and why the field is at a critical inflection point. A South Jersey native and lifelong Philly sports fan, Maureen stumbled into school business the way many do: looking for a job with a pension, landing in payroll, and discovering that working close to kids in a mission-driven environment was far more satisfying than corporate accounting.

Learn More About Kay-Twelve:

Website: https://kay-twelve.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kay-twelve-com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kay_twelve/

Episode 327 of the Better Learning Podcast

Kevin Stoller is the host of the Better Learning Podcast and Co-Founder of Kay-Twelve, a national leader for educational furniture. Learn more about creating better learning environments at www.Kay-Twelve.com.

For more information on our partners:

Association for Learning Environments (A4LE) - https://www.a4le.org/

Education Leaders' Organization - https://www.ed-leaders.org/

Second Class Foundation - https://secondclassfoundation.org/

EDmarket - https://www.edmarket.org/

Catapult @ Penn GSE - https://catapult.gse.upenn.edu/

Want to be a Guest Speaker? Request on our website

In this episode, Nicholas Erickson, Director of Technology Services at Waynesboro School District in South Central Pennsylvania, shares what it's like to be the person responsible for everything with a plug — from pencil sharpeners to AI and robotics. With 18 years in education, 16 of them at Waynesboro, Nick offers a grounded and collaborative perspective on how technology serves as the connective tissue that holds a modern school district together.

Learn More About Kay-Twelve:

Website: https://kay-twelve.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kay-twelve-com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kay_twelve/

Episode 318 of the Better Learning Podcast

Kevin Stoller is the host of the Better Learning Podcast and Co-Founder of Kay-Twelve, a national leader for educational furniture. Learn more about creating better learning environments at www.Kay-Twelve.com.

For more information on our partners:

Association for Learning Environments (A4LE) - https://www.a4le.org/

Education Leaders' Organization - https://www.ed-leaders.org/

Second Class Foundation - https://secondclassfoundation.org/

EDmarket - https://www.edmarket.org/

Catapult @ Penn GSE - https://catapult.gse.upenn.edu/

Want to be a Guest Speaker? Request on our website

In this episode, Wayne Gehris, Chief Financial Officer for the Reading School District, delivers one of the most compelling full-circle stories in this entire PASBO conference series. A proud Reading graduate (class of '93) who attended a high school of 5,000 students before heading to nearby Albright College, Wayne spent 17 years in public accounting before getting a call that would change everything: Reading was on the verge of a state takeover, and a team was being assembled to turn it around. Twelve years later, he's still there — and the work is anything but finished.

Learn More About Kay-Twelve:

Website: https://kay-twelve.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kay-twelve-com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kay_twelve/

Episode 328 of the Better Learning Podcast

Kevin Stoller is the host of the Better Learning Podcast and Co-Founder of Kay-Twelve, a national leader for educational furniture. Learn more about creating better learning environments at www.Kay-Twelve.com.

For more information on our partners:

Association for Learning Environments (A4LE) - https://www.a4le.org/

Education Leaders' Organization - https://www.ed-leaders.org/

Second Class Foundation - https://secondclassfoundation.org/

EDmarket - https://www.edmarket.org/

Catapult @ Penn GSE - https://catapult.gse.upenn.edu/

Want to be a Guest Speaker? Request on our website

In this episode, Siobhan McMahon, Deputy Executive Director of the Association of School Business Officials (ASBO) International, pulls back the curtain on the organization that supports roughly 11,000 school business professionals across North America. She shares how ASBO works behind the scenes — not in classrooms or districts, but providing the tools, resources, professional development, and advocacy that allow school business officials to do their jobs effectively.

Learn More About Kay-Twelve:

Website: https://kay-twelve.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kay-twelve-com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kay_twelve/

Episode 317 of the Better Learning Podcast

Kevin Stoller is the host of the Better Learning Podcast and Co-Founder of Kay-Twelve, a national leader for educational furniture. Learn more about creating better learning environments at www.Kay-Twelve.com.

For more information on our partners:

Association for Learning Environments (A4LE) - https://www.a4le.org/

Education Leaders' Organization - https://www.ed-leaders.org/

Second Class Foundation - https://secondclassfoundation.org/

EDmarket - https://www.edmarket.org/

Catapult @ Penn GSE - https://catapult.gse.upenn.edu/

Want to be a Guest Speaker? Request on our website

In this episode, Lori McCoy, Director of Food Services at Colonial School District in the Philadelphia suburbs, brings a refreshingly different perspective— one focused not on budgets or buildings, but on what students eat, how they eat, and why it matters deeply for learning. A registered dietician with nearly 20 years in the role, Lori oversees food service operations across seven schools serving 5,700 students daily, managing everything from breakfast and lunch programs to catering, vending, kitchen equipment procurement, and staff HR.

Learn More About Kay-Twelve:

Website: https://kay-twelve.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kay-twelve-com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kay_twelve/

Episode 325 of the Better Learning Podcast

Kevin Stoller is the host of the Better Learning Podcast and Co-Founder of Kay-Twelve, a national leader for educational furniture. Learn more about creating better learning environments at www.Kay-Twelve.com.

For more information on our partners:

Association for Learning Environments (A4LE) - https://www.a4le.org/

Education Leaders' Organization - https://www.ed-leaders.org/

Second Class Foundation - https://secondclassfoundation.org/

EDmarket - https://www.edmarket.org/

Catapult @ Penn GSE - https://catapult.gse.upenn.edu/

Want to be a Guest Speaker? Request on our website