Accounting – Page 3 – FiscalShare

Category: Accounting

Schrödinger’s Excel

Or, how to be deadly and awesome at the same time Is Excel good or bad? It is both. Are you good at Excel or bad at it? Probably both. Excel is extraordinary. In the wrong hands it also can be a disaster, Excel is just a tool, like a chisel. It is inspiring in the hands of a skilled carpenter and murderous in

November 25, 2013 Short URLaccounting, analysis, business, candidate, data, Excel, fiscal, Herb Kelleher, hiring, job candidate, Management, Microsoft, Schrodinger, spreadsheet software, testing, workAccounting, Excel, Finance, Government, Management

Local Control Funding Formula: Nothing and Something

The California Department of Education has “updated” its reporting software by removing the previous revenue schedule and replacing it with, um, nothing. I am going out on a limb. I have created my own multi-year calculation. Please email me at support@fiscalshare.com if you want a copy. We are four plus months into the fiscal year,

November 7, 2013 Short URLaccounting, analysis, budget, calculation, California, California Department of Education, California school districts, CDE, Excel, government, lcff, local control funding formula, public education, public school finance, revenue forecasts, school district, school financeAccounting, Analysis, Daily Work, Data, Excel, Finance, Local Control Funding Formula

Taking a Position

The director and manager of school construction sat down in my office. They had made it clear that they needed to see me NOW. “What’s up?” “Well, you hired a supervisor. For the construction department.” “An accounting supervisor. Yes.” “We should have been consulted. After all, she works in our department.” “Yes, she’s physically located

October 15, 2013 Short URLaccounting, construction, construction accounting, hiring, hiring practices, human resources, job description, Management, Position control, positions, school district, school district business, school district jobs, supervisor, supervisor positionAccounting, School District Jobs, Working Together

We Don’t Need No %@# Standards?*

Imagine comparing two school districts’ test scores, where each district uses different tests. That would be meaningless, right? Yet, this situation exists on the business side of things. Legislation will require a calculation, but the implementation is unclear. Subsequent guidelines and regulations (if any) sometimes just cite the statute verbatim. For example, prior to the new funding formula, conversion

October 3, 2013 Short URLaccounting, analysis, business, data, Education Code, Excel, fiscal, government, problem solving, SARC, School Accountability eport CardAccounting, Analysis, Data, Excel

Creativity versus Rules

As I was preparing to leave a former position I spent most of my time writing instruction booklets. I knew that the new incumbent might be newly promoted or new to the business of education. This person might need a few guidelines. I have never regarded these instructions as rules. At best they are helpful

September 30, 2013 Short URLaccounting, boxes, business, creativity, customer service, Education Code, GASB, Management, outside the box, problem solving, productivity, rules, school districtAccounting, Working Together

When to Say No

I recently overheard two employees chatting with their supervisor. “We want to learn Excel” they said. “Can you teach us?” They do not need to know Excel for the work they do currently. Much of the time they are doing data entry. However the next position up the pay scale uses Excel extensively. The supervisor

September 29, 2013 Short URLaccounting, data, employee engagement, Excel, initiative, interview questions, job, job description, learning by osmosis, Management, MBA, problem solving, responsibility, school districtAccounting, Excel, School District Jobs, Working Together

Year End Closing Powerpoint

I have posted a Powerpoint presentation on the Year End Close. Yes it is one of those presentations with lots of text and no interesting pictures. However, not all presentations are of the Steve Jobs variety. This presentation is designed for school business professionals new to the year end close process, and it is designed

September 28, 2013 Short URLaccounting, analysis, business, CBO, checklist, daily work, data, death by powerpoint, Management, new year, powerpoint, powerpoint presentation, problem solving, public education, school business professionals, year end, year end closeAccounting, Daily Work, Data, Working Together

Shock Points: Hiring an Analyst Part II

I find that among the ranks of young and eager accounting graduates who enter school district business offices there is a certain percentage who go into shock soon after they first arrive. Despite our efforts to select someone who is both enthusiastic and capable, these “shock points” are generally in the following areas: Lack of knowledge

September 28, 2013 Short URLaccounting, analysis, analyst, budget, business, employee engagement, employment, expectations, getting fired, government, graduate, job requirements, jobs, Management, problem solving, public education, stepping upAccounting, School District Jobs, Working Together

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