Financial Specialist V: Special Education Sr. Accountant

Educational Support Professional:
Finance Specialist V Accounting/SPED Grants

The Special Education Senior Accountant oversees a wide range of complex duties and responsibilities that includes budgeting, accounting, procurement and HR/payroll functions. Other roles include in-depth analysis of SPED budget trends and forecasting, interpretation of SPED fiscal policies and statutes at the local/state and federal levels and extensive tracking of the ECEA/IDEA revenues and expenditures that comprise Special Education's State/Federal Grants and the various General Fund Programs: SPED Instruction, Speech Language Pathology, Transition, Work Study, Psychology Services, Social Work, Audiology Services, Occupational/Physical Therapy, Behavior Intervention, SPED Preschool and SPED Administration.

Essential Job Functions:

• Performs accounting/financial related activities for SPED's IDEA federal grants including budget modifications and forecasts, expenditure reporting, requesting monthly funds from CDE, and writing/modifying federal narratives and performance reports
• Drafts original and amended annual and semi-annual financial reports to the Colorado Department of Education and/or appropriate federal offices
• Performs extensive accounting functions for all ECEA and IDEA revenue and expenditure accounts
• Reviews and approves SPED payroll for extra work, overtime, temporary and substitute hours
• Performs financial/budgeting related activities for SPED's ECEA General Fund Programs including budget monitoring and modifications, forecasts, expenditure reporting, and budget proposals
• Reviews grant-funded teachers in SPED for proper CDE licensure
• Oversees and manages the financial support staff in the SPED department
• Analyzes and monitors departmental authorized FTE and performs associated budgeting for state and federal funds
• Approves all District 11 P-Card statements for SPED P-Card holders
• Serves as the District's SPED Grants Fiscal Point of Contact and assists independent auditors with grant fiscal information required for audits
• Approves invoice payments for SPED's multiple Program expenditures
• Oversees the purchase requests/orders process for all ECEA and IDEA contracts in Business Plus.
• Approves FTE budget for all personnel requisitions for multiple SPED Support Programs, in addition to approving FTE budget for all SPED teacher and SPED Paraprofessional personnel requisitions from schools
• Maintains accounting information in accordance with applicable record retention (archive) laws, policies and regulations
• Analyzes and monitors General Fund expenditures in SPED for Maintenance of Effort (MOE) requirements for Colorado Department of Education
• Manages the journal entry and budget transfer processes for the SPED department
• Prepares financial information for conversions of FTE to pay for contracted vendors
• Provides oversight of the monthly Time and Effort submissions for the federal grants' staff
• Budgets, monitors and reports IDEA expenditures to CDE for all Charter schools
• Liaisons with Business Services, Human Resources, Information Technology, Budgeting, Procurement and other Departments as needed
• Provides accounting/budgeting support to the Director of Individualized Education
• Performs other duties as assigned

Knowledge, Abilities and

Skills:

• Diverse working knowledge of governmental accounting principles and practices as applied to public school accounting and budgeting (GAAP, GASB accounting standards)
• Strong working knowledge of federal, state and CDE fiscal policies
• Extensive knowledge of budgeting and forecasting skills to implement Special Education's multi-program budgets
• Knowledge of Single Audit and program audit requirements, processes and procedures as applied to SPED
• Advanced analytical skills to analyze accounting/budgeting data and prepare SPED financial reports for the District and CDE
• Knowledge of Colorado Department of Education's financial policies and procedures concerning Special Education federal/state grants
• Ability to work under multiple deadlines for the Individualized Education Director, other departments within the District and CDE
• Ability to successfully manage and oversee SPED financial support personnel

• Abili…