Finance – FiscalShare

Category: Finance

Lottery Budgeting Basics (California)

This post, another in the “Basics” series, is designed to fill in some of the gaps that can exist for new employees in school finance. I remember when I first started at a school district and was confused by the fact that the attendance data used in Lottery revenue calculations seemed to bear no resemblance to actual ADA. Also, the

April 3, 2015 Short URLCalifornia Lottery, school fundingAccounting, Basics, Budget, Finance, Public Schools

Grants, Entitlements, and Carryover

When I started working at a California school district one of the first things I had to learn was the difference between a grant and an entitlement. A few years ago the state accounting manual was revised to refer to funding sources (resources) as either those with a fund balance or those with unearned revenue and no fund balance.

June 14, 2014 Short URLcarryover, entitlements, fund balance, grants, unearned revenueAccounting, Basics, Finance, Government, Management, Procedures and Practices

Excel Mastery is What Exactly?

I used to think that the more Excel formulas you knew and the more adept you were at macros, the more you could claim Excel mastery. I have changed my mind. Those who create complex spreadsheets that are beyond the skill and understanding of their users are pushing the program beyond it’s useful limits. Spreadsheets

May 17, 2014 Short URLadvanced Excel, Excel mastery, spreadsheet design, spreadsheetsAccounting, Analysis, Data, Excel, Finance, Procedures and Practices

How to Align Your Budget

Ever since I started working at a school district in 1991, there have been repeated cycles of discussion about aligning the budget to the strategic plan, board goals, or instructional outcomes. The account code structure was not designed for this task. California overhauled and standardized its codes about 15 years ago. It created an instructional

May 5, 2014 Short URLStandardized Account CodeAccounting, Data, Finance, Government, Local Control Funding Formula, Productivity, Public Schools

Annotated Timeline for School Funding (California)

When I first started out in California school business, I was a bit confused by the state’s revenue certifications and re-certifications. I wished I had an overview of the entire process. So – here’s one I put together: Annotated Principal Apportionment Timeline This does not contain enough detail to be used instead of your complete annual calendar,

February 8, 2014 Short URLaccounting, California, California school districts, Education Code, principal apportionment, public education, public school finance, school financeAccounting, Finance, Laws and Regulations, Local Control Funding Formula, Procedures and Practices

An Interview Question on a Mission

If you are going for a leadership role in the Business Services section of a school district, you are probably going to be asked something like the following in an interview. If we hire you into this role, how will you advance the mission of the school district? Not Recommended: You created this position so I don’t have to tell

February 7, 2014 Short URLcareer development, communication, education, employment, hiring, interview, interview question, job, job interview, mission, question, school finance, strategic plan, strategy, workCareer Development, Finance, Government, Human Resources, Management, Public Schools, School District Jobs, Working Together

How Can I Talk to You About School Spending?

There are always a few diehard policy wonks and spending watchdogs at school board meetings. District staff know their names. We greet them with a polite nod and sometimes stop for a brief chat. In a larger district you’ll see the occasional print reporter recording and taking notes. Every now and then a television crew will show up to get

January 30, 2014 Short URLbest practice, communication, government spending, lcff, local control funding formula, politics, public education, public participation, public school finance, public schools, school board, school board meetings, school district, school district business, voters, voting, watchdogsFinance, Laws and Regulations, Local Control Funding Formula, Public Schools

Sutter Brown: Philosopher King, I mean Dog

I think I officially have a crush on Jerry Brown. What chief executive on earth in an address to the combined legislature of his state would hand out playing cards featuring his dog? The various playing cards have a picture of his dog on one side, with cute doggy sayings about budget restraint. The other side of each

January 22, 2014 Short URLCalifornia, governor, Jerry Brown, playing cards, politics, state of the state address, Sutter BrownFinance, Government, Laws and Regulations

Billion with a “B” for iPads

I highly recommend the following commentary in the LA School Report: If iPads are the answer, what’s the question? The author interviewed tech savvy LA Unified students, who also happen to be in the target demographic for the iPad purchase (students of color in south LA and Watts). One of the student responds: “What I’m struggling to

January 21, 2014 Short URLanalysis, best practice, budget, business, California, California school districts, community engagement, decision process, government, government spending, instructional technology, iPad, iPads, laptop, lcff, local control funding formula, Management, notebook, parents parental participation, public education, public school finance, public schools, school district, school district business, school districts, school finance, technologyFinance, Government, Public Schools, Technology

Resources for Aspiring School Business Leaders

Continuing my series for future school business leaders, I offer short commentaries on some of the most useful technical and policy resources for California school business aspirants. In no particular order, here they are: 1. School Services of California. This is a subscription service. If you are in California it is likely that your school district is a

January 20, 2014 Short URLaspiring leader, auditor, business, California, California Department of Education, California school districts, career development, CASBO, CCR, Code of Regulations, Edjoin, Edsource, Education Code, fcmat, Google alerts, government, government spending, leadership, legislative analyst, Management, policy issues, PPIC, public education, Public Policy, public school finance, public schools, Sacramento Bee, school district business, school finance, School Services, technical expertiseCareer Development, Finance, Government, Laws and Regulations, Local Control Funding Formula, Management, Procedures and Practices, Public Schools, School District Jobs

Follow Blog via Email