Committee seeks mid-year budget visibility, clarifies year-end card cutoffs and rules for PD funds

Several committee members said board members should receive consistent mid-year budget reports so each member can see current balances and category spending. "Could we insert some language that says mid-year board members will be provided...their budgets just as a flat and consistent process," Dr. Anderson said, asking for an accessible summary of year-to-date balances.

Staff told the committee that a newly hired finance staffer is responsible for maintaining board budgets and will provide recurring access links to members and their staff. The committee discussed whether funds allocated for one fiscal year may be used for events in another; staff said purchases can be charged in one fiscal year for an event in another so long as the charge is made in the fiscal year in question, but operational constraints exist.

A finance staffer said the school board office shuts off credit cards earlier in June (around June 10) to allow reconciliations and ensure compliance with year-end close procedures. "It's around late June 10th this year, but it's generally around the beginning," the finance person said, noting members may need special authority from finance to make late purchases that should apply to the prior fiscal year.

Members asked staff to obtain a written clarification from finance about card cutoffs and special-authority procedures and to report back to the committee. The committee also discussed how professional development funds are currently administered and whether individual board members should have pull-down budgets; staff said conversations are ongoing about moving to more individualized budget management.

The committee did not take a formal vote on budget policy but directed staff to provide the requested written clarifications and to make budget links available to members and staff.