Business Services

Accounts payable is responsible for administering the District’s travel policies and procedures as approved by the School Board. Before incurring travel expenses on behalf of the District, an employee should review and understand the District’s policies and procedures to ensure they retain the proper documentation while they are out of town.

The District is exposed to various risks of loss related to torts: theft of, damage to, and destruction of assets; errors and omissions; natural disasters; and injuries to employees for which the District carries commercial insurance. The Business Office is responsible for the management of these risks and related insurance programs including both commercial and workers' compensation.

Accounts payable is responsible for purchasing goods and services for the District and its schools. Our objective is to assist the District staff in obtaining the best possible value at the lowest price. State law requires large dollar amount purchases to be made through an open bidding process, which is also managed by the purchasing staff.

The MARSS Coordinator is responsible for the proper reporting of student data to the Minnesota Department of Education. The State of Minnesota requires the District to report student enrollment in great detail. This includes the number of hours each student is enrolled, as well as information about ethnicity, home language spoken, disabilities, and much more. Much of this information is required in order to calculate the amount of state aid the District is entitled to under various state programs.

In accordance with Minnesota Statutes, the business office maintains deposits at depository banks authorized by the School Board. Cash and investments include balances from all funds that are combined and invested to the extent available in various securities and authorized by law. Minnesota Statutes require all deposits be protected by federal depository insurance, corporate surety bonds or collateral.

The District carries long-term financial obligations as authorized by the School Board and often times approved by a vote of the taxpayers. The business office records all debt service transactions and maintains debt service activities throughout the year.

The business office records, monitors, maintains, and disposes of the tangible capital assets of the District in the most cost-effective manner available. Capital assets are recorded at historical cost or estimated historical cost for assets where actual historical cost is not available. Donated assets are recorded at their estimated fair value at the date of donation.

The business office prepares, administers and monitors the District’s annual operating budget as approved by the School Board. We also provide financial data, support, and analysis to all departments as needed and assist in special management and analysis projects throughout the year.

Accounts payable is responsible for payments of goods and services purchased by the District.