Finance Matters

Develop the skills to effectively manage school finances. 

Finance Matters focuses on building your technical capability in specific areas of financial management to support the best educational outcomes for your students. 

Through a series of virtual workshops, you'll explore how to best manage financial obligations, make sound financial decisions and how to implement effective planning techniques to make your school more efficient.

The workshops have been designed to address the needs of specific school contexts, including primary, secondary and small schools.

Audience

Designed for Victorian government school principals, assistant principals, business managers, aspiring business managers and school finance liaison officers (SFLO).

Facilitators

Designed and delivered by the Department of Education's Schools Finance and Resources Branch.

Structure of program

Finance Matters comprises a series of discrete virtual workshops that unpack key areas of financial management in a school environment. 

Before attending a workshop, you may be asked to investigate or collate school data to ensure you can effectively engage in the learning content.

Workshops are grouped below based on type and audience:

• Budget workshops
• Taxation workshops
• Student Resource Package workshops
• Other Finance workshops
• Finance Chatter workshops

Budget workshops

Budget Development

• Content: outlines the essentials of an effective annual budgeting process, including developing an annual cash budget cycle with consideration of anticipated revenue and expenditure, timelines, consultation, and the role of School Council.
• Mode and time: onsite, 2 hours.

Budget Workshop

• Content: a full day workshop that takes schools through the complete process of developing a cash budget.  It is mandatory that both the Principal and Business Manager attend the full session. Schools will be provided with a list of pre-work and reports required to be brought on the day of the workshop.
• Mode and time: onsite, 6 hours.

Budget Development and Financial Reporting 

• Content: a full day session that combines the Budget Development and Financial Reporting modules. The session outlines the essentials of an effective annual budgeting process, including developing an annual cash budget cycle with consideration of anticipated revenue and expenditure, timelines, consultation and the role of School Council. The reporting session will provide an overview of the CASES21 key reports and the Student Resource Reporting package. Schools are encouraged to bring their own reports to gain a clearer understanding of the reporting process and identify key areas of concern.
• Mode and time: onsite, 6 hours.

DE Budget Review

• Content: provides an overview to assist schools in understanding the areas in the DE Annual Master Cash Budget Spreadsheet that may require adjusting, prior to schools finalising their Confirmed Cash Budget and presentation to school council.
• Mode and time: online, 2 hours.

Using the DE Budget Spreadsheet

• Content: provides an overview of the DE Annual Master Cash Budget Spreadsheet for those that have not used the spreadsheet before or have limited experience and would like to have a clearer understanding of how to prepare and report the cash budget.
• Mode and time: onsite, 2 hours.

Financial Reporting

• Content: provides principals, assistant and aspiring principals, leading teachers, teachers, business managers and administrative staff with an overview of the CASES21 key reports and the Student Resource Reporting package.
• Mode and time: online, 2 hours.

Taxation workshops

Taxation and Insurance

• Content: designed to support schools to ensure they comply with all Commonwealth Taxation obligations. This includes goods and services tax (GST), fringe benefits tax (FBT), and incorporates pay as you go (PAYG), fuel tax and more.
• Mode and time: onsite, 5 hours.

New Business Manager Tax Training 

• Content: designed for new and aspiring business managers to support schools in ensuring they comply with all Commonwealth Taxation obligations. This includes goods and services tax (GST) and fringe benefits tax (FBT), the session also incorporates pay as you go (PAYG), fuel tax and coding of transactions by all staff that use CASES21.
• Mode and time: onsite, 3 hours.

Student Resource Package workshops

Student Resource Package and Workforce Budgeting for Schools

• Content: designed to support schools with their SRP, Workforce Budgeting and related Planning throughout the year.
• Mode and time: onsite, 3 hours.

Student Resource Package and Workforce Budgeting for Specialist School Settings

• Content: designed to support specialist school settings with their SRP, Workforce Budgeting and related Planning throughout the year.
• Mode and time: onsite, 3 hours.

Student Resource Package Planner

• Content: designed to support schools to complete their next year’s SRP Planner, a critical tool in financial planning for schools.
• Mode and time: onsite, 3 hours.

Student Resource Package Planner Specialist Schools

• Content: designed to support specialist schools to complete their next year’s SRP Planner, being run as a separate session this is a critical tool in financial planning for schools.
• Mode and time: onsite, 2 hours.

Student Resource Package Reconciliation Workshop

• Content: designed to support all schools to complete their SRP Reconciliation, a critical tool to finalise prior year expenditure.
• Mode and time: onsite, 2 hours.

Other Finance workshops

Assets in Schools

• Content: provides a clear understanding of the policy and guidelines around asset management in schools and how they should be recorded and reported.
• Mode and time: online, 2 hours.

Deficit Management 

• Content: designed for school leaders to understand the process associated with accounting for, reviewing and reporting a SRP Managed Deficit, and to gain an understanding of the utilisation of funding delivered in cash to support central salaries.
• Mode and time: online, 2 hours.

Leave Replacement

• Content: examines leave and leave replacement best practice, and the processes required to record the information to make a reimbursement claim.
• Mode and time: online, 2 hours. 

New and Aspiring Business Manager Session

• Content: designed for new and aspiring business managers, this session will cover the various financial aspects of a school’s operation to improve understanding of the department’s policy, guidelines and recommended practice. During the workshop, information will be provided about the many options for further training and support available through the department to further knowledge and skillset in this area.
• Mode and time: online, 2 hours

Finance Chatter

• Content: Finance Chatter is a suite of individual financial sessions on various topics aimed at promoting financial best practice in specific areas, and raising awareness of key policies and processes in schools. These short sessions have been designed to encourage conversations and allow participants the opportunity to ask questions and to seek clarification around these topics.
• Mode and time: online, one hour. 

Finance Chatter structure

Transacting Parent Payments in CASES21 

Develop understanding of key information needed to transact parent payments in CASES21. 

School Council and Finance Sub Committee 

Develop understanding of financial documentation associated with School Council and Finance Sub Committees. 

Financial Policies 

Develop understanding of how to maintain compliance with Financial Polices and Parent Payment Arrangements. 

Camps and Excursion Planning and Budgeting 

Develop understanding of the budgeting and reconciliation process for camps and excursions. 

Fundraising and Trading Operations 

Develop understanding of the financial requirements associated with fundraising activities and trading operations. 

Hirers (Outsourcing Services), Insurances and Shared Arrangements 

Develop understanding of the financial requirements associated with Insurances, Hirers and Shared Arrangements. 

Initiatives, Equity, Targeted Initiatives and Targeted Reimbursement 

Develop understanding of Equity, Targeted Initiatives, Targeted Reimbursement and CASES21 Initiatives. 

CASES21 Creditor Best Practice 

Develop understanding of the process of maintaining creditor details in CASES21 and processing creditor payments. 

Financial Commitments and Funds held for future years 

Develop understanding of the management of Financially Committed Funds and Funds Held for Future Years.