The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District’s finance department earned two “prestigious national awards,” the district announced Monday.
According to a district release, the finance department earned a meritorious budget award and a certificate of excellence in financial reporting from the Association of School Business Officials International for the fiscal year that ended in June. The two awards are based on comprehensive reviews of the district’s budget and financial reporting, the release says.
“These two awards together highlight the strength and integrity of our Finance Department,” says KPBSD Superintendent Clayton Holland in the release. “They demonstrate our team’s commitment to ensuring every dollar is accounted for, planned with purpose, and used to support student learning across the Kenai Peninsula.”
The district has spent the last several months grappling with the development of a budget that meets a $17 million deficit owing to declining state funding. During that process, there have been calls voiced at board of education meetings and other community forums hosted by the district for greater transparency about district spending. Holland has repeatedly said that the district is audited annually and makes its financial documents and budget process available to the public. He said on June 6 that the national recognition the district’s finance department receives is a reflection of the district’s commitment to transparency.
“I believe that every organization and government entity—at all levels—has a responsibility to report accurate, transparent information to its stakeholders and should undergo an annual audit,” Holland said in Monday’s release.
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Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.
