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Fiscal review urges clearer job descriptions, more automation in Bellflower Unified finance operations
Summary
A consultant presentation to the Bellflower Unified School District recommended clarifying job titles, rebalancing duties within fiscal services, adopting blanket purchase orders and using electronic budget checks to reduce manual work and improve procurement oversight.
Matt Phillips of School Services of California presented a functional fiscal services review to the Bellflower Unified Board on Jan. 28, recommending the district update job descriptions for its fiscal staff, rebalance workload and expand use of technology to reduce manual tasks.
Phillips told trustees the audit found multiple staff with the same job title—five positions labeled “senior accounting assistant”—creating ambiguity about duties and pay alignment. “The 1st 1 … is, to identify and clearly define the job duties of each of the position,” Phillips said, recommending updated job descriptions and clearer hierarchy within the department. He recommended that accounting managers supervise senior accounting assistants to create a career ladder and to shift payroll oversight directly to the fiscal director.
The report also urged greater use of blanket purchase orders for high-volume vendors, and activating electronic edit checks in the finance system so sites cannot submit requisitions that exceed budget lines. Phillips said those changes would cut repetitive work for buyers and allow staff time for price-shopping and vendor management. District staff said they have already implemented some recommendations, updated job descriptions for recent hires, and created video-based procedure guides to support staff training.
Trustees asked about contract “not to exceed” controls and whether the district’s systems flag invoices that would exceed a PO. District staff described a two-step check involving the district and the Los Angeles County Office of Education. The district also shared a comparative staffing analysis showing Bellflower ranks near the middle of similar districts and concluded the work distribution—not total headcount—was the main issue.
District leaders said the hiring of a new fiscal director and reallocation of duties has already lightened pressure on senior accounting assistants. The board requested staff return with implementation timelines; district staff said they expect to finish role alignment and public-facing job summaries in the coming months.
