Survey Results From

1

• Survey Results From
• The Florida Association of School Business
  Officials
• Presented by
• Dean Pamela Lannon, Esq.
• Lynn University
• Don Helen Ross College of Education

2

• Survey Details
• Purpose?
• 26 items
• Administered through Survey Monkey
• Finance Directors of all 67 Florida School
  Districts were the targeted recipients
• 2 electronic appeals were made to recipients
• 33 (49) participated
• 26 (39) completed entire survey

3
What were the sizes of the responding districts?
28,000 28,500 32,000 37,500 40,637 42,008 42,112 4
3,178 63,000 65,000 67,182 70,000
88,881 126,965 209,000

• 2,120
• 3,084
• 3,150
• 4,859
• 5,060
• 5,100
• 6,150
• 6,600
• 7,481
• 7,711
• 12,191
• 15,600
• 17,860
• 21,629
• 24,673

4
How many employees currently work in your
districts finance office?
20 21 25 28 26 31 35 38 49 70 70 98 100
118

• 5
• 6
• 6
• 6
• 7
• 7
• 7
• 7
• 7
• 8
• 9
• 14
• 15
• 17

5
Division of labor?

• Accounts payable / receivable
• Payroll
• Purchasing / Procurement
• Budgeting / Position Control
• Budget analysts
• Federal Projects / Programs / Grants
• Capital Outlay Accounting
• FTE / Financial reporting /Forecasting
• Impact Aid
• Accounting
• Superintendent Administrative Support
• Fixed Assets
• Property
• Revenue Analysis
• Data Entry
• General Ledger
• Insurance
• Risk Management
• Business Manager

6
Importance of ongoing professional development
for staff?
85 of respondents indicated professional
development was important or very important.
7
Frequency of professional development for staff
72 of respondents indicated that staff member
receive professional development infrequently.
8
Value in staff certification(s)?
9
Openness to online training as a portion of staff
certification?
81 of respondents were open or very open to
on-line training.
10
Questions About You
11
How important is your professional development?
92 of respondents indicated that their
professional development was important for a
person in their position.
12
Frequency of your professional development?
81 of respondents indicated they receive
professional development often or regularly.
13
From whom do you receive your professional
development?

• District-Level Professional Development
• FASBO
• FSFOA
• FASA
• Conferences regional and national
• DOE Meetings
• CPE classes
• CPA meetings
• Finance Council

14
Effectiveness of your professional development?
89 of respondents rated their professional
development as effective or very effective.
15
Biggest challenges you face?

• Getting it all done
• Communicating with all constituencies
• Maintaining stable fund balance
• Not enough resources
• Budgeting
• Negotiations
• Tax base too small
• Annual Reports
• Keeping up with changes in the law / requirements
  / reporting standards / mandates
• Technology
• Hiring / Maintaining good staff
• Finding Solutions for ongoing financial issues
• Personnel Issues / Ensuring staff follow correct
  procedures
• District growth
• Compliance with Class Size Amendment
• State Funding
• Cash Management
• Balancing Needs with Available Resources
• Providing appropriate professional development
  opportunities for staff

16
Value of certification for top finance officer?
96 of respondents indicated that certification
for the top finance officer had value.
17
Openness to online training for you?
96 of respondents were open to online training
as a portion of a certification programs.
18
How many contact hours would you be willing to
devote to certification?
19
What do you feel would be an appropriate cost
range for certification?
20
Continuing education requirement for
certification?
The answer appears to be YES!
21
Confidential Questions
22
How long have you been in your present position?
23
Highest academic degree you possess?
24
What were your previous three positions?

• Supervisor of Accounts Payable, Director of Cost
  Accounting, FTE Reporting, Director of Budgeting
• Supervisor of Finance, Internal Auditor
• Director of Business Services, Financial Analyst
• Supervisor, Finance Coordinator, Finance Senior
  Accountant
• Financial Planner
• Auditor
• Assistant Director, Senior Accountant, Business
  Analyst
• Assistant Superintendent for Business Services,
  Director of Business Services, Coordinator of
  Finance
• CFO, Assistant Superintendent for Business,
  Private Management
• Director of Finance, Senior Public Accounts
  Auditor
• Executive Director of Business Services, Director
  of Finance, Assistant Director of Finance
• Assistant Superintendent for Business Services,
  Assistant Finance Officer
• Finance Director, Finance Supervisor, Senior
  Public Accounts Auditor
• School Business Administrator, Comptroller
• General manger for Budget and Finance, Executive
  Director for Business Services, Auditor General
  Staff
• Accountant

25
What else prepared you?

• 81 - On the job training
• 77 - State and National Conferences
• 46 - Other

26
Other

• CPA
• CGFM
• Reading
• MBA
• Auditor General experience
• State required certification program from another
  state
• Accounting and finance background

27
Succession planning?
28
Will you retire in your present position?
29
How close are you to retirement?

• 31 - 0 to 5 years
• 35 - 5 to 10 years
• 12 - 10 to 15 years
• 15 - 15 to 20 years
• 8 - Over 20 years

30
Any additional insight?