Charter School Program Fiscal Manager

The Education Secretariat is committed to equity and valuing the unique and diverse characteristics and experiences of every member of its workforce. We encourage an authentic workplace where colleagues show up as their full selves, where collaboration, innovation, and connections are key to realizing our mission that all children, youth, and families thrive socially, academically, and economically. We seek teammates who are committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive work environment, where everyone is valued and engaged. We encourage you to apply and identify your strengths in these areas.

This position would be expected to follow a hybrid model that combines at least two in-office workdays per week and telework days working within commuting distance of our office in Everett, MA as needed.

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) Office of School Finance administers state aid and reimbursement programs and provides technical support to school districts in the areas of accounting, auditing, budgeting, and financial reporting.

The person who holds this position manages the charter school tuition and reimbursement programs. DESE determines the tuition that school districts pay to charter schools for their resident students each year and manages a $200 million state budget appropriation that reimburses school districts for a portion of these costs.

Authorized by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' Education Reform Act of 1993, charter schools are independent public schools that operate under five-year charters granted by the Commonwealth's Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. Charter schools are usually proposed by teachers, school leaders, parents, non-profit organizations, or other members of the community. There are currently 67 Commonwealth Charter Schools in Massachusetts.

The Charter School Program Manager works with a high level of independence to calculate charter school tuition and reimbursements for the state budget and the current fiscal year; oversees and monitors charter school compliance with reporting requirements; manages district spending relative to net school spending caps; models, reviews, and analyzes potential changes to tuition and reimbursement calculations makes recommendations to DESE leadership based on these analyses. This person also provides technical assistance and responds to inquiries on matters related to charter school finance to agency leaders, elected officials, district and school staff, researchers, parents, and other requestors. Finally, this person develops standards and business rules and related documentation for collecting and using data to meet program requirements.

Responsibilities Include:

Update current year charter school tuition and reimbursement payments on a quarterly basis and prepare public facing data reports;

Project charter tuition and reimbursement payments to support annual state budget development;

Develop and implement a new system to collect and validate charter school enrollment submitted on spring claim forms each year, develop user guides and training materials, and train charter school staff on how to use the new system;

Explain charter school tuition and reimbursement calculations to agency leaders, charter school and school district officials, elected officials, and the general public;

Establish and monitor the implementation of school district net school spending caps;

Reconcile tuition and reimbursement payments on a monthly basis; and

Other duties as assigned.

Preferred Qualifications:

Ability to analyze, synthesize, and communicate complex information to a wide range of audiences through documents produced in Microsoft Office Word, Excel, or PowerPoint

Excellent interpersonal and communication skills

Ability to design and implement budget-related processes and procedures.

Proficient knowledge of how state aid formulae equalize pupil and taxpayer equity and efficiency

Expertise in municipal and school accounting and auditing

Experience with database software (e.g., MS Access, Snowflake, Oracle, or PowerBI) and SQL queries

Ease in dealing with a wide range of local, state and federal officials, researchers and the general public

Ability to prioritize tasks and meet deadlines without sacrificing accuracy

Fluency in basic statistics, measures of central tendency, range and longitudinal comparisons

Ability to effectively manage staff, including assessment of computer skills and knowledge of school finance issues

Travel may be required for this position.

Questions regarding this position or the application process should be directed to Dawn.E.DeRoche@mass.gov.

Comprehensive Benefits

When you embark on a career with the Commonwealth, you are offered an outstanding suite of employee benefits that add to the overall value of your compensation package. We take pride in providing a work experience that supports you, your loved ones, and your future.

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