For some, public finance feels like a tangled world of numbers, interest rates and balance sheets. But for John Baracy, managing director and head of the California Public Finance Group at Baird, supporting school districts is a lifelong calling rooted in the fabric of public education.

Introduced to school finance at a young age, his connection to public education runs deep. Baracy’s father was a school superintendent in Arizona, providing an early window into the challenges and triumphs of district leadership and the financial challenges school districts face. At age 10, Baracy was walking the streets of Phoenix to campaign for a local school bond initiative for Arizona’s largest school district.

While he set out to pursue a career in accounting and finance during college in Arizona, an internship at a boutique investment bank influenced his trajectory.

Baracy discovered that public finance combined business skills, marketing, finance and accounting into a single, dynamic career – one with a tangible, public benefit.

Over a 30-year career, primarily in California, Baracy rose through the ranks at multiple acclaimed firms, sharpening his expertise and building relationships with school district leaders.

In early 2024, a unique opportunity drew him to Baird. Founded in 1919, Baird is an international employee-owned investment bank with a large capital base, giving the firm the ability to underwrite up to a $17 billion bond financing on any given day (as of June 2026.) While the firm had been underwriting bonds for California school districts for over 20 years and established a wealth management footprint in the state in 2007, it lacked a dedicated local public finance office.

Stepping in to manage and grow Baird’s California and West Coast public finance group, Baracy opened the firm’s first local public finance office in February 2024. While management is part of his role, his true passion is working directly with districts to underwrite bonds for California school districts with critical capital needs.

Today, Baird boasts over 85 employees across seven California offices and is a top-five negotiated senior/sole managing underwriter for California K-12 issuers (by number of issues, par amount or both*) since opening its public finance office in 2024.

What sets Baird apart is its large capital base and diverse investor distribution network. These robust and diverse relationships help drive down interest rates, saving valuable dollars for local districts.

Baracy has been aligned with CASBO for over two decades. He serves as the chair of the Associate Member Committee and helped bring Baird into the CASBO fold as a Premier Partner.

Through CASBO, Baird supports California’s K-12 education community by hosting seminars and speaking engagements to keep members informed of an ever-changing marketplace. Baracy is a former Coalition for Adequate School Housing (CASH) board member, and has been an education foundation board member for his public school district in Santa Monica for over 10 years.

“I’ve been really impressed with CASBO’s efforts to keep members informed on legislative advocacy, financial matters and AI, and how these topics will impact them,” Baracy says.

From his angle, the work is all about students’ futures. “We get to see the benefit of public education and the ways new school facilities can transform learning environments to help students attend college and become future leaders in an evolving world.”

*According to S&P Muni Deal Query for calendar years 2024, 2025 and first half of calendar year 2026.