Operational Expectations
While the Mission and Student Achievement Goals are the major drivers of what happens in the school system, the Board also has concerns about how the system operates. These operational expectations express those concerns to the Superintendent and staff. Continuous monitoring by the Board will provide the means for judging whether compliance with the operational expectations has been achieved.
A. Budget: The Superintendent will develop a balanced, clearly presented, needs-based budget that optimizes resources and meets the community’s expectations and the School Board’s goals. The Superintendent will:
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Develop a budget that reflects a multiyear perspective, analyzes the current financial condition of FCPS, presents long-range financial needs, and demonstrates support for Board priorities and annual goals.
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Develop a budget based upon an analysis of each budget category in a five-year period, including:
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The amount received and spent during the previous three years;
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The amount budgeted currently; and
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The amount budgeted for the next fiscal year.
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Present budget and reporting documents that describe assumptions upon which the budget is based and identify significant trends and changes, and provide budget and financial information in a consistent, understandable, transparent, and easily accessible format.
B. Financial Management: The Superintendent will manage financial affairs in a fiscally accountable, transparent manner consistent with School Board budget and goals, maximizing effectiveness and conserving resources. The Superintendent will:
- Ensure that resources are expended in accordance with the budget and School Board expectations.
- Receive, process, and disburse funds under controls consistent with generally accepted accounting principles, including:
- Settling all debts in a timely manner;
- Maintaining complete and accurate financial records;
- Conducting an annual audit of all school division funds and accounts by an independent auditing firm.
- Base purchases upon prudent judgment and sound financial practice, including comparative pricing as appropriate, while taking into account long-term quality and cost.
- Maintain reasonable insurance coverage on school division property and against liability losses to Board members, staff members, and the school division itself.
C. Food and Nutrition Services: The Superintendent will operate a self-supporting child nutrition program within Federal guidelines that promotes healthy choices and wellness.
Reasonable Interpretations and Indicators
The Board expects the Superintendent to apply reasonable interpretations to its statements of Student Achievement goals and Operational Expectations, and to present those interpretations to the Board as part of the monitoring process. The Board recognizes that strategic choices will be based upon those interpretations, and therefore the interpretations of the Superintendent must be reasonable. The Board further recognizes that there may be serveral potential interpretations to the Student Achievement Goals and the operational Expectations, all falling within the relam of "reasonable." The Board will accept any interpretation made by the Superintendent, as long as the Board considers it to be reasonable.
May 11, 2009 - Revisions to Indicators
February 22, 2007 - Budget and Financial Management Interpretations and Indicators
The Board has established an annual calendar and work plan for its work, which includes scheduled monitoring throughout the year of each stated student goal, and scheduled monitoring of each operational expectation. The Superintendent will provide thorough and detailed monitoring reports as prescribed in the annual calendar. The Board will respond to each monitoring report indicating one of the following: 1.) acceptance of the report as evidence of satisfactory performance; or 2.) expectation for improvement based on the conclusion of a majority of the Board.
March 9, 2009 - Budget and Financial Management Monitoring Report | Executive Summary
March 10, 2008 - Budget and Financial Management Monitoring Report | Executive Summary
April 23, 2007 - Budget and Financial Management Monitoring Report | Executive Summary