The provision requires Alabama education officials and local school systems to prepare, submit, and publish specified financial reports and to use a standardized accounting program.
(a) The State Board of Education shall by regulation provide for various financial and other information which local superintendents of education shall have prepared for the local boards of education, including, but not limited to, the following: (1) A monthly financial statement showing the financial status of the local board of education accounts with itemized categories specified by the State Board of Education. (2) A monthly report showing all receipts and the sources thereof. (3) A monthly report showing all expenditures with itemized categories specified by the State Board of Education. (4) An annual projected budget. (5) Monthly and/or quarterly reports showing expenditures relative to such projected budget. (6) A yearly report of the fixed assets inventory of the local board of education with itemized categories specified by the State Board of Education. (7) Financial and other information necessary to participate in national statistical studies on education. (b) The financial information required in subsection (a), as well as any other financial information which the State Board of Education shall require, shall be submitted in writing and/or electronically to the Chief Education Financial Officer by the 15th day of the month following its presentation to the local board of education. (c) All local boards of education shall be required to implement a standardized financial accounting program as determined by the State Department of Education to collect the information required by this chapter and to provide for ease of input by local boards of education and ease of monitoring by a local board of education, its chief school financial officer, and the State Department of Education. If a local school system’s financial report is found to be in conflict with generally accepted accounting principles, the State Department of Education shall issue a notice to that school system informing it of such and request that proof of correction of conflict be forwarded to the State Department of Education and approved by the State Superintendent of Education within a reasonable time thereafter. (d) All financial documents, in whatever source maintained, are public documents, and shall be open to inspection and accessible to the public. An annual budget and monthly financial statements with supporting spread sheets as submitted to the State Department of Education shall be made available to the general public at the local school system Internet site.