Current Issue

Cover Story

Building Budgets to Improve Learning, ROI & Fiscal Equity

When finance and instruction work together, budgets become more than spreadsheets. Read more to explore how co-created, purpose-driven budgeting can improve learning, ROI and fiscal equity in your district.


By Jennifer Porter and Yvette Stahl 

Articles

Where Did All the Auditors Go?
Understanding the CPA Capacity Challenge and Its Impact on Illinois School Districts
 

Fewer auditors, longer timelines and rising costs are reshaping school district audits—this article explains why the CPA pipeline is shrinking and what districts can do to plan strategically.

By Matthew A. Geerdes, CPA, MBA


How to Best Prepare for Your Audit
From an Auditor

Audit season doesn’t have to be stressful—discover year-round strategies that help districts stay organized, reduce surprises and approach audits with confidence.

By Emma Korp, CPA 

Best Practices in Charting Accounts and Numbers

A practical guide to building a chart of accounts that actually works for you and your team. Reduce reporting headaches, improve your audit confidence and set your district up for cleaner data year after year.

By Mike Vargas, CSBO 

Presenting Financial Topics to Non-Financial Types

Seasoned school business leadership meets communications in this helpful guide to simplifying complex financial topics so boards, staff and communities truly understand the story behind the numbers.

By John Hutchison, CPA, MBA, SFO

High School Outreach to Boost the Accounting Pipeline

Discover how hands-on outreach and creative engagement at the high school level can change perceptions of accounting, spark student interest and strengthen the future of the CPA pipeline.

By Dan Schrag, CPA, CIA, MBA and Jacqueline J. Wukich, CPA, Ph.D.

Low-Effort, High-Impact Transparency
How Lake Zurich CUSD 95 Built a Sustainable Financial Dashboard

Learn how one Illinois district replaced static reports with a low-effort, high-impact financial dashboard that boosts transparency, efficiency and stakeholder trust without overtaxing staff.

By Dean Romano, Ed.D.