Tier I Annual Update

Tier I Annual Update 2012-2013 CASBO Class SM401A

A.C.A. §6-20-2204 Required Tier 1 Training • Superintendent, Education Service Cooperative Director, Open-enrollment Public Charter School Director, General Business Manager. • 12 hours of initial training. • 4 hours of annual update training.

A.C.A. §6-20-2204 Required Tier 1 Training (Cont’d) • ADE has approved the following AASBO courses for the 12 hours of initial training: • SF101A, Revenues • SF101B, Expenditures • SM102, Ethics and Audit Compliance • PS101, Introduction to Purchasing • SM401A, School Management Issues & Updates • SF401A, School Finance Issues & Updates

A.C.A. §6-20-2204 Required Tier 1 Training (Cont’d) • If employed by July 1, Tier 1 training must be completed by December 31 of the same calendar year. • If employed after July 1, Tier 1 training must be completed by December 31 of the following calendar year. • Failure to complete the required training by December 31 shall constitute an accreditation citation.

A.C.A. §6-20-2204 Required Tier 1 Training (Cont’d) • If a person fails to obtain the required training by December 31 and fails to cure the deficiency by March 1 of the following calendar year without filing a request for an extension as determined from the records of ADE, that person shall be unable to continue in his or her position.

A.C.A. §6-20-2204 Required Tier 2 Training • Four hours of annual training for employees who are involved in the process of recording and/or reporting of financial transactions but: • Do not make decisions about selecting codes, or • Have a limited number of codes that they can use • School district trainers are required to attend Tier 1 training. • Training materials should be based on Tier 1 material and focused on the specific needs of school district employees.

A.C.A. §6-20-2204 Required Tier 2 Training (Cont’d) • Maintain annual files and records indicating all employees who are required to have Tier 2 Training and those who have completed Tier 2 training in the district office. • Provide ADE with assurance statement regarding the completion of Tier 2 training by the required individuals. (This is pulled in State Reporting Cycle 7 – June 15)

A.C.A. §§ 6-20-2204 & 6-20-2205 Sanctions-Tier 1 & 2 • Standards citation - Tier 1 only, school districts and open-enrollment charter schools • Admonishment - Tier 1 only, education service cooperatives • Fiscal distress - Tier 1&2, school districts and open-enrollment charter schools • Sanction - Tier 1 & 2, education service cooperatives

PURCHASING

State Buying Authority • Office of State Purchasing (OSP) has authority over the procurement practices of State Agencies only. • Public Schools are allowed by law to purchase off the Statewide contracts, but are not mandated to do so. • Utilizing state purchasing is a way for school districts, charters, and coops to make sure the cost is fair and reasonable.

Cooperative Purchasing – A.C.A. §19-11-249 Any public procurement unit may either participate in, sponsor, conduct, or administer a cooperative purchasing agreement for the acquisition of any commodities or services with one (1) or more public procurement units or external procurement activities in accordance with an agreement entered into between the participants. Such cooperative purchasing may include, but is not limited to, joint or multiparty contracts between public procurement units and open-ended state public procurement unit contracts which are made available to local public procurement units.

What does this mean? That Arkansas governmental entities may utilize a purchasing agreement established by another governmental entity or established cooperative that has issued, reviewed and awarded a contract to a supplier where all the procurement laws of Arkansas were followed. See Taps and TCPN; §19-11-249 controls over usual bid requirements of § 6-21-304, A.G. Op. 2006-042

Schools & Cooperatives • If a school is approached by a vendor who has a contract with a Cooperative Entity (such as US Communities, TIPS/TAPS, NJPA, NIPA, etc.) their administration should review the contract to see if it meets their school district’s procurement requirements and is a good value purchase. • Must meet the state’s bid requirements for OSP to include as approved. • If it has been bid, then it meets threshold.

How do I know if a particular contract meets these requirements? If a cooperative agreement is on the Office of State Procurement Contract Website, it has been through that review. http://www.arkansas.gov/dfa/procurement/pro_contracts.html#coop If it is not on the OSP website, the buying entity must review the solicitation documentation used by the originating entity/cooperative to ensure compliance with Arkansas laws.

Benefits of using a Cooperative Contract Convenience Obtain advantages of volume purchases Combines qualities so that each entity will obtain the best value Reduces administrative costs of purchasing

School District Buying Authority • School districts function under separate purchasing laws from State Agencies. • The laws are found in A.C.A. §§ 6-21-301 thru 6-21-306 and give authority to the respective school boards.

Procurement • A.C.A. 6-21-303 requires the school board to develop policies to outline the method for soliciting bids and allows the board to adopt other rules governing procurement. • School boards may wish to develop rules that allow certain types of commodities and services to be bid for multiple years. (copiers, maintenance, custodial, substitutes, banking) • Include procedures for terminating and/or maybe an annual renewal process. • Include a clause that allows termination if future school board fails to budget funds to pay the contract.

Procurement (Cont’d) • Bid threshold for purchase of commodities is $10,000. • Per 6-21-301 Commodities means: “all supplies, goods, material, equipment, machinery, facilities, personal property, and services, other than personal and professional services, purchased for or on behalf of the school district.” • Per 19-11-801(b), “competitive bidding shall not be used for the procurement of legal, financial advisory, architectural, engineering, construction management, and land surveying professional consultant services. • Per 19-11-801(c) may elect to not use competitive bidding for other professional services not listed in (b) with a 2/3 vote of board.

Procurement (Cont’d) • All bids may be rejected and a contract negotiated. • All bidders must have reasonable opportunity to negotiate • Items MUST NOT be split between purchase orders to make the purchase under $10,000.

Procurement (Cont’d) • Bid Solicitation Exemptions (6-21-305): • Emergency • With written statement from superintendent • Commodities available only from federal government • Utility services regulated by state or federal agency • Used equipment and machinery (school buses +2 years to be considered used) • Single source • With written statement from purchasing official See Appendices for copy of FIN-09-071, April 28, 2009

BIDS • Do not write specifications to eliminate or restrict competition or include name or identity of any specific vendor. • Notify in writing all prospective bidders who have asked to be notified of bids • Provide an adequate time for a response • Include a response form to be notarized by the agent of the bidder • The wording for the form is found in A.C.A. §6-21-304(a)(4)(A)

School Buses • The school board has jurisdiction over the purchase of Types, A, B, C, and D school buses. (A.C.A. 6-21-304) • The Academic Facilities and Transportation Commission, with the assistance of an advisory committee, shall provide minimum specifications for buses.

School Buses (Cont’d) • School Board may request the State Procurement Director to take bids on their behalf. • If the district solicits the bids they must provide the OSP: • A copy of the bid Specs • List of bidders • Any correspondence • Bid tabulation • Copy of bid award

School Buses (Cont’d) • A School bus is considered “used” 2 years after the date on the manufacturer’s certificate of origin. • If the body of the school bus is installed by other than the manufacturer of the chassis, the bus becomes used 2 years after the date of issuance on the certificate of origin issued by the entity that installed the body on the chassis. • Purchases of used school buses are not subject to approval by the OSP nor bidding procedures prescribed by law.

ETHICS

Ethics-School Board Members • A.C.A. §6-24-105 states that: “it is a breach of the ethical standards of this chapter for a board member to contract with the public educational entity the member serves if the board member has knowledge that he or she is directly or indirectly interested in the contract.” • A public educational entity may not initially employ a board member’s family member during the member’s tenure of service for compensation in excess of $5,000 unless the Commissioner of Education issues a letter of exemption approving the contract based on unusual and limited circumstances.

Ethics-School Board Members (Cont’d) • Any family member employed before the board member’s tenure may continue in employment but may not be promoted if compensation will increase more than $2,500. • Family members may be employed as a substitute teacher, cafeteria worker, or bus driver for no more than 30 days per fiscal year. • Non-employment contracts with a board member or family member of a board member are prohibited if the total transactions or contracts will total $5,000 or more during a fiscal year—unless the Commissioner of Education issues a letter of exemption based on unusual and limited circumstances.

Ethics-Administrators • A.C.A. §6-24-106 states: “it is a breach of ethical standards of this chapter for an administrator to contract with the public educational entity employing him or her if the administrator has knowledge that he or she is directly or indirectly interested in the contract.” • Family members of an administrator may be employed by the educational entity that the administrator serves without approval from the Commissioner of Education. (but cannot be initially employed as a disbursing officer without approval from the Commissioner)

Ethics-Administrators (Cont’d) • To contract with other public educational entities, an administrator shall first get approval from the board employing the administrator and then shall get approval from the Commissioner. • Rules Governing Ethical Guidelines and Prohibitions for Educational Administrators, Employees, Board Members, and other Parties included in Appendices

Ethics-Employees • A.C.A. §6-24-107 states: “it is a breach of the ethical standards of this chapter for an employee to contract with the public educational entity employing him or her if the employee has knowledge that he or she is directly interested in the contract.” • If the total transactions or contracts with an employee total $5,000 or more for a fiscal year, the contract(s) must be approved by the Commissioner.

Ethics-School Board Approval • A school board’s approval of a contract under A.C.A. §6-24-101 et seq. must be documented by a written resolution adopted after discussion in an open meeting. • Must state the unusual and limited circumstances that make the contract necessary.

Ethics-Approval by Commissioner • To seek Commissioner’s approval of a contract, an educational entity must send the resolution, along with any other relevant data, to the Commissioner via certified mail. • The Commissioner, after reviewing the resolution and other data, will approve or disapprove the contract within 20 days of receipt of the resolution.

Ethics-Approval by Commissioner (Cont’d) • If the Commissioner requests additional information in order to rule on a request, the Commissioner will approve or disapprove the contract within 20 days of receipt of the additional information. • If the Commissioner does not respond within the specified number of days, the request is deemed to have been approved by the Commissioner. • No approval may be granted for more than two consecutive fiscal years.

Ethics-Approval by Commissioner (Cont’d) • A.C.A. §6-24-105(b)(1)(ii) provides that the determination of “unusual and limited circumstances” shall be at the sole discretion of the Commissioner. Because of this, the Commissioner looks at each request on a case-by-case basis. • If you have questions or need assistance with a request for an exemption, please call the ADE Attorney’s Office at 501-682-4227.

Ethics – for Arkansas Educators • Allegation – Any written and signed statement by any person with the Arkansas Department of Education local school board, Arkansas State Board of Education, or public school superintendent of this state and subsequently filed with the Professional Licensure Standards Board (PLSB) claiming that an educator has breached one or more of the Standards of Professional Conduct as set forth in Rule. An allegation may also include4 a finding made in an audit report forwarded to ADE by the Arkansas Legislative Joint Auditing Committee pursuant to A.C.A,. 6-117-426.

Ethics for Arkansas Educators (Cont’d) • Standard of Professional Conduct: • Standard 1: An educator maintains a professional relationship with each student, both in and outside the classroom • Standard 2: An educator maintains competence regarding skills, knowledge, and dispositions relating to his/her organizational position, subject matter, and/or pedagogical practice. • Standard 3: An educator honestly fulfills reporting obligations associated with professional practices. • Standard 4: An educator entrusted with public funds and property honors that trust with honest, responsible stewardship.

Ethics for Arkansas Educators (Cont’d) • Standards of Professional Conduct – cont’d • Standard 5: An educator maintains integrity regarding the acceptance of any gratuity, gift, compensation or favor that might impair or appear to influence professional decisions or actions and shall refrain from using the educator’s position for personal gain. • Standard 6: An educator keeps in confidence secure standardized test material as well as information about students and colleagues obtained in the course of professional service unless disclosure serves a professional purpose or is allowed or required by law.

Ethics for Arkansas Educators (Cont’d) • Standards of Professional Conduct – cont’d: • Standard 7: An educator refrains from using, possessing and/or being under the influence of alcohol, tobacco, or unauthorized drugs while on school premises or at school sponsored activities involving students. • Ethical Violation is one involving acts or omissions on the part of an educator, when the educator knew, or reasonably should have known, that such acts or omissions were in violation of the Standards of Professional Conduct as set forth in Rule. • An ethical violation does not include a reasonable mistake made in good faith, or acts or omissions undertaken in reasonable reliance upon the advice of a supervisor.

AUDITS

Audit Findings for 2010-2011 • Findings based on 97% of audits having been reviewed by ADE (262 of 272). • 65 had no findings (25%)

Audit Findings for 2010-2011 (Cont’d) • Findings in Rank Order: • Segregation of duties /Internal Control • Exceeded Budget /Unallowable Cost • Misstatements missed by internal controls • Davis-Bacon • Federal cost principals (time certifications) • Fixed assets not recorded in inventory

Audit Findings for 2010-2011 (Cont’d) • Findings in Rank Order-cont’d: • Buy American • Incorrect employee payroll • Bank Reconciliations (accuracy/timeliness) • Misappropriation of funds • Child Nutrition inaccurate record keeping • 40% Pullback Errors • Conflict of Interest • Failure to get bid or performance bond

Audit Findings for 2010-2011 (Cont’d) • Other findings included: • Failure to record Accounts Payable or Accounts Receivable • Failure to record interest earned on CD. • Salary schedules not reflecting actual pay practices. • Personnel contracts not handled properly and in a timely manner • Uninsured and uncollateralized bank balances

Audit Findings for 2010-2011 (Cont’d) • Other findings included: • District did not contact applicable private schools for possible participation in federal programs. • Failure to provide a performance bond on a construction contract • Failure to comply with debarment procedures for federal funds. • District had Activity Accounts with deficit balances

BUDGETS

Common 2011-12 Budget Errors • Not budgeting Property Tax Revenue to 11120 and 11125. • Improper accounting of debt including QZABs and QSCBs from proceeds to payoff. Districts are responsible for budgeting to the proper codes as listed in the Arkansas Financial Handbook

BUDGET MISCONCEPTIONS • Budgeting revenue to equal expenditures in the ACSIP plan when part of the revenue is already in the carryover balance. • Cash on-hand or Carry-forward balance is NOT Revenue in the current year. • If it cannot be receipted to CASH (increase to Cash (DR) and an increase to Revenue (CR) It is NOT Revenue.

BUDGET MISCONCEPTIONS • YES, the budget can be adjusted in APSCN AFTER the cycle 1 budget submission. • The cycle 1 budget submission remains the “official budget” submitted to the ADE. • Isolated Funding cannot be used to meet the 9% Maintenance and Operation rule. Requirement is determined by using 9% of FOUNDATION FUNDING ONLY

2012-13 BUDGET & FINANCIAL REVIEWS • GT Requirement • 9% M & O Requirement • Debt (proper coding) • Food Service • Revenues • Expenditures • Fund Balances • Categorical Funds • Capital Expenses • Taxes • Athletics

POSTINGS to WEB

Tier I Annual Update