Matthew Przywara School District of Lancaster Chief Financial & Operations Officer

1. Where do I report that?Coding Correctly to Maximize Funding(and other important monitoring measures) Matthew Przywara School District of Lancaster Chief Financial & Operations Officer mrprzywara@lancaster.k12.pa.us Laura Cowburn Columbia Borough School District Asst. to Superintendent Business Services lcowburn@columbia.k12.pa.us PASBO-2012

2. Purpose of Seminar • Maximizing revenues (limiting expenses) through: • Accurate records • Verifying data • Common errors • The emphasis is on ACCURACY of data to obtain proper financial results PASBO-2012

3. Aid Ratio • Personal Income Data • Department of Revenue Act 80 Report • Market Value Data • Trend of the State Tax Equalization Board Data PASBO-2012

4. How important is it to check the Act 80 Revenue Report for a school district Fictional White Rose S.D. PASBO-2012

5. Hypothetical – Personal Income AR PASBO-2012

6. Market Value • Market value has been defined by the Pennsylvania State Supreme Court: “the price in a competitive market a purchaser, willing but not obligated to buy, would pay an owner, willing but not obligated to sell, taking into consideration all the legal uses to which the property can be adapted and might reasonably be applied.” PASBO-2012

7. Assessment Appeals • Although the county board of assessment may not reassess an existing property because it has recently been sold, the sale of a property may alert a taxing district, such as a school district, to appeal the assessment based on the sales price. Taxing districts have the same right of appeal as property owners with regard to real property assessments. • This right was upheld by the Commonwealth Court in In re Springfield School District 26 and Vees v. Carbon County Board of Assessment Appeals.27 PASBO-2012

8. Market Value Trend Auditor General Jack Wagner Announces Audit of State Tax Equalization Board HARRISBURG, Pa., July 23, 2010 - Auditor General Jack Wagner said today that the Department of the Auditor General will conduct a special performance audit of the State Tax Equalization Board. Wagner said he received requests from several legislators and taxpayers asking him to conduct an audit of the board because of concerns over inaccurate market values of taxable real property being calculated by the board, which could have resulted in taxpayers facing inaccurate and exorbitant property tax increases. The State Tax Equalization Board was established as an independent board by the general assembly in 1947 to ensure equitable distribution of tax funds among the state’s school districts. The board came under scrutiny recently after it was determined that the board provided miscalculated market values totaling over $300 million to at least four central Pennsylvania school districts. Wagner is also concerned that additional school districts across the state may have received incorrect calculations from the board. If you are in a school district that equalizes taxes, bad data will immediately be noticed. But all schools should trend their market value. PASBO-2012

9. Trending Market Value This is Data for the Columbia Borough School District. The “base year” is 2005 – Lancaster County reassessment. Every other year is an “estimated” year or an “actual” year based on County submitted data as modified by other factors. There should not be significant “swings” except in the even data years. But there should never be a significant “negative” swing amount in the even data years unless there was a total loss of some significant property. PASBO-2012

10. Actual Instructional Expense • Data comes from the AFR • Detailed calculations are on the FAI under Reports • AFR data is reduced by: • New capital outlay (710,720,750 objects) • Reporting non-capital items, such as supplies, in 750 rather than 610 will reduce the AIE PASBO-2012

11. Actual Instructional Expense (cont.) • AFR data is reduced by: • Health Services • Reporting special needs nurses to 1000 rather than 2400 inflates the AIE • Vocational Education • Reporting non-approved vocational courses in 1300 rather than 1100 reduces the AIE TIP – USE APPROPRIATE ACCOUNT CODES – not District developed alternate codes in function/object combinations. PASBO-2012

12. Tuition Rate • Breakdown of elementary/secondary must be accurate • K – 6 is Elementary • 7 – 12 is Secondary • Prorating a Middle School Grades 6-8 • Is that accurate? • Could more actual expenses be tracked separately for Grade 6? (especially if an enrollment bubble) PASBO-2012

13. Tuition Rate • Tuition Rate – different from Actual Instructional Expense • 2010-2011 Columbia • Tuition Rates • Elementary - $ 9,677.71 • Secondary - $11,103.30 • Actual Instructional Expense • Per WADM $ 8,095.30 • Per ADM $14,244.79 • Charter School tuition • Non-special student $ 9,779.75 • Special Education student $22,939.67 PASBO-2012

14. Vocational Education • Reimbursement is provided for the following vocational programs: agriculture education, distributive education, health occupations education, home economics education (gainful), business education, technical education, trade and industrial education, or any other occupational-oriented program approved by the Secretary of Education. PASBO-2012

15. Nurse Services • One school nurse for every 1500 students • Total of students INCLUDES non-public and private schools served by the district • Full-day CTC students are NOT included in the reimbursement count. • Half-day CTC students ARE included (count both home and away time) • IU students housed in the District buildings ARE included in the count. • All students FTE that a District nurse would tend to for medical purposes are counted. PASBO-2012

16. Charter Schools • PDE-363 – “eliminating” Federal “School Districts may include the federal portion of expenditure sub-functions that are not described in 24 PS 17-1725-A(a)(2) in the Deductions from Total Expenditures as provided for on the PDE-363.” • What does this mean??? PASBO-2012

17. Charter Schools • Back of PDE-363 - Deductions • Most functions state “(Federal only)” • 1200 is eliminated entirely • But added back for Special Education on front (May eliminate “Federal of Sub-function…”) • Federal IDEA expenditures – eliminate • Other “federal”? PASBO-2012

18. Charter Schools (cont.) • School District of Residence • Taxpayers don’t know their school district of residence, so – what are parents indicating to Charter Schools? • No verification process mandated • Need to obtain accurate address information to verify PASBO-2012

19. Charter Schools • FORM – “Based on budgeted expenditures” • INSTRUCTIONS – “Based on the most updated version of the General Fund Budget or the most currently available expenditure data for the school year immediately preceding.” • Use AFR data • Important to finalize prior fiscal year accruals/deferrals prior to August 31. PASBO-2012

20. Bonds and Plan Con • Plan Con Part H– Project Financing • Establishes the base for the • Temporary Reimbursable Percentage • 0.5% Reduction • Plan Con Part J – Project Accounting Based on Final Costs • Must be filed within three years of final payments • Establishes the Permanent Reimbursable Percentage • WHY WAIT THREE YEARS? PASBO-2012

21. Bonds and Plan Con (cont.) • Plan Con Part K – Project Refinancing • Reimbursement stops until Plan Con Park K is approved • Will be issued a NEW lease number and new % • Have PDE -2071 Application for Reimbursement completed and ready to go. PASBO-2012

22. Bonds and Plan Con • Delays in submission of PDE-2071 • Remember – • MVAR/CARF of the YEAR OF THE PAYMENT or could delay processing • Time forms to the bank – marked TIME SENSITIVE • Submit forms ASAP to improve cash flow PASBO-2012

23. Child Accounting • Foster Children (Section 1305) • Parents in District + Foster Home in District = Report as: Resident student (just like any other student) • Parents out of District + Foster Home in District = Report as: Non-resident Foster Child Result: State will pay the District Tuition Rate (considerably higher). PASBO-2012

24. Child Accounting (cont.) • Institutionalized Children (Section 1306) • Wards of State – PDE pays tuition rate • Must have appropriate supporting documentation • Placed in your district – parents are out of district • Non-resident: Report home district to PDE • PDE pays home district subsidy; home district pays your district tuition rate • Use Form PDE 4605 to establish home district • Placed in district – parents in district • Reported as a regular student – receive subsidy PASBO-2012

25. Child Accounting (cont.) Institutionalized Children (Section 1306) Special Education supplemental services: P/T, O/T, Speech, other significant services Not part of child accounting reporting – so: Bill to the District of Residency Bill to PDE if Ward of State PASBO-2012

26. Child Accounting (cont.) • 990 Mandatory Hours of Instruction • Deduction for subsidy per day or per hour if not met • ½ day CTC + ½ day SD • Total for instructional hours of both must reach 990 in order not to be penalized. Travel time does NOT count. • Coordination with CTC instructional schedule is critical PASBO-2012

27. Child Accounting (cont.) • Truant Students • Do not withdraw if actively pursuing truancy action • Result: eligible for subsidy instead of withdrawing them • Policy of unexcused days – 10 and withdraw* • Holding for more unexcused days can negatively affect the average daily attendance for things like NCLB *CBSD Policy PASBO-2012

28. Transportation Factors Included in the Subsidy • Financial Driven • STEB Market Value • Market Value Aid Ratio • Pupil Driven • Public Students Transported (Includes Charter) • Includes Hazardous • Non-Public Students Transported PASBO-2012

29. Transportation Factors Included in the Subsidy (cont’d) • Cost Driven • LEA Owned • Outside Contractor • Fare Based • Vocational Schools • Depreciation PASBO-2012

30. Transportation • Subsidy in question • SAEBG for 2012-13 Budget • What does this mean for the future? • Can no longer hang our hats on estimating a CPI increase • Transportation decisions will take a different approach • Allocation of resources will be based on educational needs PASBO-2012

31. Thank You&Questions PASBO-2012