A little-noticed provision of the proposed California state budget requires greater accountability in the San Francisco Unified School District and county budgets.
Unlike most other school districts, there is no independent oversight of the school district’s budget. Most school districts must have their budgets reviewed and approved by an independent county superintendent.
But San Francisco is both a city and a county, and it has a unified school district (SFUSD) sharing the same boundaries. SFUSD administers both the school district and the San Francisco County Office of Education.
Because the school and county boards of education are the same people, they report to themselves. This is hardly a recipe for careful and independent review.
SFUSD’s ongoing money challenges have not gone unnoticed in Sacramento. Right now, the district’s budget is under state oversight because, using a technical term, it has been a “financial mess.” Finance 101: Don’t spend more money than you have.
To help avoid this situation in the future, the governor’s proposed budget bill tightens the reins.
Here is how:
New independent county oversight
The SFUSD county superintendent must now contract with a different county’s office of education to review disbursements of the school district. San Francisco’s district and county superintendent is the same person. (Wisely, they figured out it is not a good idea to oversee yourself.)
New state oversight
The state superintendent of public instruction may audit the SFUSD budget’s expenditures and internal controls.
New school board obligation
The SFUSD board must notify the state superintendent of public instruction of its proposed actions on the recommendation.
State can say ‘no’ to an SFUSD expenditure
– The state can review financial management and internal controls.
– The state may withhold payments to the superintendent and school board for failure to comply with the state review of financial management.
This proposal in the budget bill is the first step in creating greater accountability. The budget must be approved by the legislature by June 15.
You might want to let your elected officials know that you think this is a good idea.
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