A few weeks ago Worthington Schools, Treasurer, Jeff McCuen released the 2013-2014 Comprehensive Annual Budget Document. In this incredibly detailed, 117 page document, community members can clearly see how Worthington Schools allocates the roughly 125 million dollars that the Worthington community has generously allotted for public schooling.
By reading through the report you gain a very simple understanding of the revenue and expenditure streams for the district. You’ll see how staffing levels differ at each of our 19 schools, and you’ll gain a better understanding of the budgets that each school has to work with. You’ll even see capital projects, debt service, and staff salary and benefit levels.
Jeff has been creating a comprehensive annual financial report for the past several years and if you are so inclined you can read previous reports on the Financial Services page of the district website. This historical view provides a nuanced view of district finances.
In my experience Worthington Schools has taken the lead on providing transparent financial information to our community. (BOE member, Marc Schare, wrote about this on his blog here) Mr. McCuen hosts a treasurer’s advisory committee made-up of community business leaders and all major financial decisions are run through this group and the Board of Education. This system of checks and balances assures that decisions are well thought out and conservative.
Furthermore, between the popular annual financial report each fall, and comprehensive annual budget document each summer, there is a wealth of information for every community members level of interest and financial expertise.
Ohio school district finance is complicated stuff. Jeff (with the assistance of TJ Cusick and Bryan Cottrill in his office) has done an excellent job of communicating the numbers and helping all of us understand what they mean. If you have some time, read through the (CABD). You’ll learn a few things about our school district that you may not have known.
Exponential Impact... 