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Original Date: 08/08/1994
Revision Date: 01/18/2007
Information : Financial Management System
Stafford County Schools have initiated a re-engineering of its financial management systems. This process, begun in 1985, entails automating and formalizing the accounting, purchasing, and budgeting processes.
Stafford County's Financial Manual provides an example of this re- engineering effort. The manual includes information on all situations in which administrators, instructional staff, or volunteers may address financial issues and/or procurement. Because of the county's rapid growth and large budget, all personnel who handle finances are instructed in the manual's use. This ensures consistency of guideline application. Sections consist of:
General information and miscellaneous guidelines.
Cash receipts, sales and fund raising.
Purchasing and accounts payable.
Activity funds that deal with non-state or county appropriated funds.
Fees and charges.
Payroll, benefits, and deductions.
The manual includes both explanatory text and sample forms and provides a basis from which the auditing authorities develop their annual auditing plans and procedures. The document is continually updated to meet improvements or changes in school system operations or in State and County laws and regulations.
A critical component to the manual's success is the willingness of the personnel managers in the finance department to listen to their customers, many of whom are not professional accountants or business people. There has been a documented willingness to modify the system to be "people" friendly rather than requiring the user to accommodate the computer system and rules.
For more information see the
Point of Contact for this survey.
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