Director, Charter Schools - Finance

Job Description

Title: Director, Charter School Finance

Department: Charter Schools Office

Reports To: Deputy Chief, Data & Reporting, Charter Schools Office

Union: This Position is NOT Represented by a Union

Salary Range: $86,025 - $111,454

The School District of Philadelphia is committed to becoming the fastest improving District in the country and transforming the educational opportunities it offers to our city's more than 200,000 students. The District seeks leaders who have a passion for working with schools and communities who are committed to ensuring all students achieve. Serving a population as diverse as ours requires creativity, commitment and vision.

Will you join us?

Introduction

The Charter Schools Office of The School District of Philadelphia oversees brick and mortar charter schools in the City of Philadelphia on behalf of the Board of Education, the charter authorizer. In addition to monitoring, evaluating, and assessing charter schools authorized by the Board of Education, the Charter Schools Office also conducts the review process for new charter applications and evaluates charter amendment applications.

Apart from charter authorizing activities, the Charter Schools Office supports all operational functions of charter schools and serves as the liaison with District departments in the areas of facilities, transportation, charter payments, grants, food services, and information technology.

Job Summary

The Director, Charter School Finance leads and manages the ongoing assessment of the financial health and sustainability and fiscal management of the charter schools authorized by the School District of Philadelphia. Analyzes charter schools' financial reports and budgets; calculates financial metrics and sector averages; evaluates sound business and fiscal practices and internal controls; and develops written reports to communicate findings to charter school Boards of Directors and school leaders.

Interacts with local auditors and business management firms engaged by charter schools authorized by the District on a regular and routine basis and serves as the primary liaison with the Pennsylvania Department of Education regarding charter school financial audits and required payments to the Pennsylvania Public School Employees' Retirement System (PSERS). In addition, the Director of Charter School Finance will lead the assessment and evaluation of key organizational areas for charter schools including food and health services and charter school safety, in accordance with the requirements of state and federal law.

Essential Functions

• Informs the ongoing development and refinement of the Charter Schools Office's (CSO) Financial Health and Sustainability Domain for assessing and evaluating the financial health and sustainability, and fiscal management of charter schools.

• Evaluates the financial health and sustainability of charter schools, calculating standard ratios and metrics as well as charter sector averages.

• Conducts ongoing research and regulatory reviews to ensure that established financial measures of performance and standards for performance are consistent with authorizing best practices, public finance requirements and non-profit generally accepted financial practices; makes recommendations to senior leadership minimally on an annual basis regarding industry trends.

• Assesses adherence of individual District-authorized charter schools to generally accepted standards of fiscal management, including internal controls, conflict of interest, and the appropriate exercise of fiduciary duties.

• Develops written, publicly available reports detailing financial outcomes of charter schools based on the Charter School Performance Framework.

• Evaluates critical areas of charter school organizational compliance, including food, health, and safety, through assessment of various charter school reports, data and policies.

• Communicates regularly with charter leaders, auditors and business managers regarding financial and organizational outcomes and areas of concern; reviews, evaluates and calculates sector-level performance based on annual audited financial statements of individual charter…