User's Guide
Field 8a: School Expenditures
| Financial Information |
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What You Are Looking At and For You are looking at a promise to have school level financial data by next year. Fiscal Accountability All of Rhode Island’s school districts are in the process of implementing a financial reporting software system called In$ite. The state needs sound financial information to support good programming with informed resource allocation. All 36 school districts in Rhode Island use their own accounting systems and will continue to do so, but the different systems obscure a clear understanding of the state’s education finances as a whole. Over the last two years, district business managers have been hammering out detailed agreements about definitions for where each dollar is posted. This work is progressing, and districts have been sorting their expenditures according to the agreed-on definitions.
Some systems are further along in the implementation process than others. Initial images of cross-district comparisons are beginning to appear, but the potential for misunderstanding this data is also becoming apparent. Therefore, under separate cover, RIDE is publishing a guide or teaching tool for this new realm of accountability, using real data from selected schools and districts.
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