Politics & Government
Geneva Schools Earn 'Highest Financial Designation' in 2013 ISBE Profile
About 65 percent of school districts qualify for the ranking, but the scary part is that number is shrinking and the number of districts on financial watch is growing—and Batavia and St. Charles are under review.
It's not a rare achievement—after all, 65 percent of the school districts earn "Financial Recognition"—but it's nothing to be sneezed at either, considering the direction some other Illinois school districts are heading.
And while Geneva made the "highest" financial grade, documents show St. Charles and Batavia school districts in the "Financial Review" category—a drop from the "Financial Recognition" designation they enjoyed the previous year.
Geneva School District 304 has received the highest financial designation in the Illinois State Board of Education’s annual Financial Profile, School District 304 announced in a press release.
Find out what's happening in Genevawith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The Financial Profile provides a snapshot in time that helps ISBE gauge school districts’ financial condition based on five indicators of financial performance: fund-balance-to-revenue ratio, expenditures-to-revenue ratio, days cash on hand, percent of short-term borrowing available, and percent of long-term debt remaining.
The 2013 Financial Profile is based on districts’ Annual Financial Report from Fiscal Year 2012.
Find out what's happening in Genevawith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The designation categories in descending order are Financial Recognition, Financial Review, Early Warning, and Financial Watch. This is the second consecutive year Geneva School District has received the Financial Recognition designation.
Sixty-five percent of the school districts were in the "Financial Recognition" category. But the number is down form 670 last year to 562 of the state’s 865 districts.
The number of districts listed in Financial Watch, the lowest designation, increased from 17 last year to 45 this year.
“We are thankful to earn this rating demonstrating support for our educational program for students at Geneva 304,” said Superintendent Kent Mutchler. “This demonstrates the excellent conservative work of our board and administration in the financial arena while we strive to continuously improve our educational excellence for students.
"Assistant Superintendent Donna Oberg does an outstanding job for our district in her work with our finances,” Mutchler said.
The 2013 Financial Profile for all districts in Illinois can be found at: http://www.isbe.net/sfms/P/profile.htm
School Year Total Score Designation Batavia 101 2012 3.35 Review 2011 3.70 Recognition St. Charles 303 2012 3.45 Review 2011 3.70 Recognition Geneva 304 2012 3.70 Recognition 2011 3.70 Recognition
