HUTCHINSON, Kan. – The USD 308 Board of Education Monday celebrated a national award given the district for clarity in telling its financial story.
For the ninth consecutive year, the Board was presented with the award from the Government Finance Officer Association for a budget document Lori Blakesley, executive director of fiscal management for the district, and the Business Office produced for the 2012-13 school year.
Known as the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the document reviews in-depth district finances for the 2012-13 school year. The GFOA gave the document its Certificate of Achievement, the highest award the organization grants.
The 2012-13 CAFR was the ninth the district produced. The district received the certificate for its eight previous budget publications as well.
Unlike most school districts and other governmental units, USD 308 does not waive Generally Accepted Accounting Principles. The CAFR provides the public with budget information that would be comparable to that provided by any major business.
Blakesley works hand-in-hand with district auditors to produce the CAFR.