School Bookkeeper Liaison

Learn more about working for Hamilton County Schools at careers.hcde.org and get to know us and our strategic plan, Opportunity 2030.

• Acts in a professional, respectful, and welcoming manner at all times.
• Creates a customer-focused climate and provides quality services and support to schools and other stakeholders.
• Complies with applicable district, state, and federal codes, laws, rules, regulations, standards, policies, and procedures.
• Provides training, guidance, support, and assistance to school bookkeepers in all areas of school financial management.
• Assists with activities pertaining to audits of school’s financial records; assists outside audit team at schools and Central Office in their review of school financial records.
• Reviews financial statements received from all schools; identifies and corrects financial discrepancies; contacts school bookkeeper to discuss deficit balances, identify and correct problems.
• Creates and interprets financial analytical reports for school system-wide reports; performs monthly analysis of cash reasonableness, revenue and expense comparison by month as compared to previous year, fund balance analysis, and analysis of restricted accounts balance; accumulates and filters data needed for various state reports.
• Conveys financial information to school principals, department heads, Central Office, funding agencies and others as appropriate; facilitates presentation of financial information to Board and various funding agencies; provides information regarding accounting procedures and State/Board accounting rules and regulations to school staff; provides school principal with current account balances; provides teachers with current BEP and fee balances; confers with principals, teachers and staff as needed.
• Reviews year-end bookstore inventories and communicates discrepancies to the schools.
• Maintains centralized vendor database.
• Assists with maintenance of centralized chart of accounts.
• Troubleshoots bookkeeping software and online payment issues. Follows up with school bookkeepers and software companies as necessary.
• Ensures compliance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), Governmental Accounting, Auditing, and Financial Reporting (GAAFR), and all other applicable codes, laws, rules, regulations, standards, policies and procedures; initiates actions necessary to correct deviations or violations.
• Communicates through the proper channels to keep supervisor and other appropriate personnel informed of impending problems.
• Follows established procedures for ensuring assigned areas are safe.
• Works collaboratively with administration, principals, secretaries, staff, and other stakeholders.
• Attends work and arrives to work on time.
• Maintains confidentiality.
• Adheres to the Teacher Code of Ethics as defined by Tennessee Law.

• Processes documentation relating to purchasing or accounts payable functions; issues purchase order numbers; ensures availability of adequate funding and proper signature or authorization before purchases; prepares bid sheets; monitors status of open purchase orders; review invoices for accuracy; matches with purchase order; researches discrepancies; charges purchase orders and invoices to proper budget accounts; generates checks for payment of invoices and mails to vendors; enters purchasing and payable data into computer; maintains records; ensures all purchasing activities comply with State purchasing guidelines.
• Processes documentation relating to accounts receivable functions; receives monies in payment of field trips, fundraising or other fees and services; makes changes; records transactions; issues receipts; verifies teachers’ collection logs of monies collected from students; resolves any discrepancies with teachers; returns logs to teachers; counts and balances cash receipts; posts receipts to computerized accounting system.
• Prepares bank deposits; transports banking transactions to and from bank as needed; reconciles bank statements.
• Receives, prepares or completes various forms, reports, correspondence, lists, policies, procedures, spreadsheets, or other documents.
• Operates a computer to enter, retrieve, review or modify data; verifies accuracy of entered data and makes corrections; utilizes word processing, spreadsheet, database, payroll, financial, Internet, email, or other computer programs; performs basic maintenance of office/computer equipment, such as backing up data or replacing paper, toner, or ribbons; coordinates service/repair activities as needed; provides input for purchase of computer systems.
• Performs general/clerical tasks, which may include answering telephone calls, sending/receiving faxes, or filing documentation.
• Travels to schools as needed.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Knowledge/Education/Experience:

• Four-year accounting degree preferred.
• Associate’s degree in bookkeeping, accounting or closely related field, supplemented by five (5) years previous experience and/or training that includes general accounting, governmental accounting, bookkeeping, and personal computer operations; or any equivalent combination of education, training, and experience which provides the requisite knowledge, skills, and abilities for this job.
• Maintains a current driver’s license.

Skills/Qualifications:

• Ability to use technology to create reports and other financial documents.
• Ability to think analytically, identify problems, and initiate actions to correct.
Ability to interpret, explain, and
• Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), Governmental Accounting, Auditing, and Financial Reporting (GAAFR), and other applicable codes, laws, rules, regulations, standards, policies and procedures relating to financial and fixed asset management.
• Ability to perform addition, subtraction, multiplication and division; ability to calculate decimals and percentages; may include ability to perform mathematical operations involving basic algebraic principles.
• Ability to communicate verbally and in writing.