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MCPS committee advances updated fiscal-responsibility policy to full Board with fiscal review condition
Summary
The Policy Management Committee moved a revised DAA (Fiscal Responsibility and Control) to the full Board for tentative action, with the condition it be reviewed by the Fiscal Management Committee. Staff said the draft removes duplicative procedural language and points readers to the district’s financial manual and existing state requirements.
The Montgomery County Public Schools Policy Management Committee on May 15 voted unanimously to send a revised DAA policy (Fiscal Responsibility and Control) to the full Board for tentative action, conditioned on review by the Fiscal Management Committee.
Why it matters: The draft trims duplicative procedural language from the policy and refers certain procedural details to the MCPS financial manual, which staff said is periodically updated for technical and legal changes. Staff said the revision is intended to clarify responsibilities and reduce repetition between policy and procedure.
Yvonne Alfonso Windsor, chief financial officer, told the committee the financial manual (developed in 2007 and updated regularly) is the operational repository for detailed procedures such as payroll adjustments tied to program implementations. Alfonso Windsor said monthly and category/object transfer reports continue to be provided to the Board as part of regular oversight.
Board members asked about external audits and risk management. Alfonso Windsor noted external single audits and the annual comprehensive financial report are required under Maryland law and COMAR, and so were not repeated in the policy as written because they are statutorily required. A Board member asked staff to consider adding explicit language referencing external audits; Alfonso Windsor agreed staff could add or clarify audit language if the committee recommended it.
Board members also raised the question of where risk-management guidance is recorded. Staff pointed out that a risk-management chapter exists in the financial manual and agreed to provide committee members the relevant material.
Motion and vote: The committee moved the DAA draft to the full Board for tentative action with the condition that the Fiscal Management Committee review it first; the motion passed unanimously.
