SCUSD maintains fiscal excellence throughout administrative transition

The San Carlos Unified School District has gone through administrative changes in the past year, but one thing remains constant: The excellence longtime employees bring that keeps the district functioning at a high level.

A prime example of the consistency of the work being done is the district’s finance department, which has won multiple awards in recent years for its accounting practices.

“SCUSD has been recognized again and again for top-notch financial reporting, and Jennifer Kinnard and Nick Ferro have been a big part of making that happen,” says District Superintendent Shawn Pietila. “The work of the entire finance department has been key in keeping SCUSD’s finances transparent and trustworthy, giving the board, staff, community, and auditors confidence that we’re managing public funds responsibly.”

Since the 2019 fiscal year, the department has won the Association of School Business Officials International (ASBO) Certificate of Excellence, and since 2020 has received the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) Certificate of Achievement.

The awards indicate that the district has submitted reports that comport with national standards for clarity, accuracy and transparency.

They must also comply with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) rules, clearly explain the numbers, and meet all legal and professional reporting requirements.

Awards are based on the annual Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) submitted to the Arizona Auditor General's Office. It is then reviewed by a panel, which gives feedback on the application. The process can take six or seven months, but if the application is successful, the awards can raise the department's standing with the state.

“When you can win these awards and show that transparency, you know it's really good,” Ferro says. “It's a third party verifying through our independent audit that we're doing things the right way. It's not just me standing up, saying, 'Yeah, we're good.'” 

Thanks to continuity of leadership, low employee turnover, and a solid administrative transition plan, the department has been able to continue its performance without skipping a beat.

“It was really good to be able to put processes and procedures in place and get the staff pulled together,” Kinnard says. “The staff are the ones who did all the work, they're just great people, and they've been there a long, long time, so it was really more just supporting them doing the things that they knew were right, and then giving them the backing.”

Kinnard went to work for the SCUSD in 2019 after 16 years as a teacher and administrator for the Globe Unified School District. From the time she started, through her departure at the end of the last fiscal year, the finance department has received high marks from its peers and auditors.

She retired from SCUSD, but is still working as an advisor to new Chief Financial Officer Ferro, who has been with the district for more than a decade as a counselor, associate principal, and principal.

“Ms. Kinnard put a lot of these procedures in place, so I'm not gonna recreate the wheel,” Ferro says. “A lot of the things I've continued the way she's taught me, especially given the awards the department has received.”

Given his long tenure at the district and his degree in finance, the move seemed like a good fit for his career path, but his new role is quite different from what he has done before.

Ferro credits his staff — Melvalena Kitcheyan, assistant business manager; Barbara Simington, accounts payable; and Roberta Belavado, SAIS/Student Activities — for the overall success of his office and for making the transition as smooth as possible.

“It's a lot, but I'm gaining more confidence and understanding every day,” Ferro says. “Continuity in the department is huge. There hasn't been a lot of turnover, and we've had the same staff now for many years.”

Ultimately, Ferro sees the move as a new way of serving the students and the educational needs of a community that is often overlooked by those outside of San Carlos.

“What attracted me to the district is I loved the things that they were doing for kids,” he says. “Knowing I was coming up on the last years of my career, I really wanted to be somewhere where I can contribute in a positive way.”

The public can access the district's financial reports and documents at: www.scbraves.net/departments/business-services.

The district also expects to update its website design so it will be easier to navigate, with forms and other information easily available for the community.

There will also be a new app sometime this March that will allow students, parents and caregivers to keep up with the latest in the district. 

The platform will share real-time news and updates, provide event calendars and notifications, make district resources more accessible, and improve internal communication across schools and departments, according to Pietila.

“We’re rolling out the district-branded app through Apptegy, which integrates with our existing systems to make it easier for families, students and staff to stay connected,” he says. “This will be a great way for SCUSD to leverage technology in order to strengthen communication and community engagement.”

The new platforms are expected to go live at the end of March, allowing a test period before the beginning of the next school year.

The effort is being led by Mike Bernabe, the district’s information technology director, who is in his first year as leader of the department. He credits Pietila with setting the initiative in motion, but says he has been thinking about expanding platforms for a while.

“When I got the position as IT director, I was thinking about it, because I've seen a lot of schools already using an app so parents and students can see info about the school instead of going to the website itself,” Bernabe says. “It's going to make it a lot easier for parents that don't have an internet connection or a computer; they'll be able to use the app on their phone. Once a few people download it, it's going to spread and they'll be able to get information from the source instead of filtered through Facebook or other social media.”