Clark Hill Attorney Barbara A. Ruga to Present “Public Act 152: The Silver Lining in the Cloud of School Finance”

GRAND RAPIDS, MI

– Clark Hill attorney Barbara A. Ruga will co-present “Public Act 152: The Silver Lining in the Cloud of School Finance” Tuesday, November 1, 2011 from 2 – 4 PM at the Ottawa Area Intermediate School District in Holland, MI. Along with Doug Derks of Gallagher Benefit Services, Barbara will discuss strategies and opportunities in light of Public Act 152.

Barbara A. Ruga

is a member of Clark Hill’s Education & Municipal Practice Group and the firm’s Labor & Employment Law Practice Group. For more than 30 years, Barb has been advising and counseling public school districts and businesses on a wide variety of labor and employment law issues. Barb has extensive experience negotiating teacher contracts in a context of scarce resources. Barb advocates for prevention through education, and to that end specializes in training programs for management.

Barb is a highly sought after presenter, regularly delivering employment seminars and training programs statewide and nationally to businesses and associations. Barb has been a frequent lecturer for the Michigan Negotiators Association for the past 10 years – presenting at their semi-annual conferences, annual training institute, and winter mini-series. This winter, she presented a keynote address, “Communication Strategies and Responding to Pressure Tactics,” during the Michigan Association of School Boards, Michigan Association of School Administrators and Michigan School Business Officials’ co-sponsored seminar. More recently, she helped MASB & MSBO members understand the “New Era of Tenure” and has traveled the State speaking on the new school law reforms.

Barb is a published author in the National School Boards Association’s Leadership Insider (2010), and a past contributing author to the Institute of Continuing Legal Education in Michigan [Wrongful Discharge and Employment Discrimination Law (ICLE, Second Edition, 1994 and updates) and Employment Law in Michigan (ICLE, 1997 and updates)].

Barb has been recognized by her peers as a leader in the school labor negotiations field through the prestigious Harlow Claggett award, received in 2007 for her contributions to public school labor negotiations. In 2011, she presented at both the National Council of School Attorneys and the North American Educators Negotiators Association.