Andrew L. Geistfeld, Treasurer / CFO
Providing clear and transparent communication about the state of the finances of the Upper Arlington Schools is one of the district’s major commitments to the community. We go to great lengths to compile thorough and transparent financial reports and documents, and to make them available to the community on our Treasurer’s Office website.
Throughout the Board of Education’s Listen Learn Lead community engagement process, it became clear that we needed to increase community members’ awareness of these resources so that all of our stakeholders may be better informed about the district’s use of taxpayer dollars.
To that end, I want to highlight some important resources that are available at www.uaschools.org/Treasurer.aspx.
Annual Financial Reports
Each year, we publish an annual financial update that is meant to provide our community with easily accessible information about the district’s finances and the factors that will impact our financial situation in the coming years. You can find the latest report, the 2020-2021 Financial Update, on our website, and we will be working in the coming year to provide an updated document reflecting fiscal year 2021-2022 after the audit is completed.
Annual Audits
In addition to the internal Financial Update, Upper Arlington Schools also relies on external, third-party reviews of the district's finances. Each year, the state auditor's office sends a team to audit the Upper Arlington school district, delving into financial records and reviewing the district's practices.
Upper Arlington Schools is proud to consistently earn a clean audit opinion and the Auditor of State Award, most recently for the 2020-2021 school year, recognizing our commitment to effective and accountable financial practices for the community.
Five Year Forecast
As I have shared many times in this column, the five-year forecast is a legally required document that is completed twice a year, in November and May, and submitted to the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) following approval by the Board of Education. The document covers three years of actual data and five years of anticipated revenues and expenditures. It provides an important check-in point for our district, so that we can keep a clear view on what future impacts and needs are.
Monthly Financial Reports
While our community has always been able to find monthly reports in our Board of Education update each month, we have created a webpage that houses these reports, dating back to last fall. The monthly reports offer an in-depth look at revenue collections, expenditures and the district’s cash balance as it stands for the month and over the course of the fiscal year.
If you have additional questions about our district’s finances, you can contact me at [email protected].