SMART Finance Related News
Coding salaries to the new Covid grant finance dimensions is proving to be a challenge. Some funds are being carried forward for one or more years which means districts will have to use different course numbers for each year (one time only), then the accounts have to be changed back. Some salary accounts have to be coded differently up to 3 ways during the same fiscal year depending on when the funds were requested from MDE and spent by the district. All districts seem to have different variations for this. Changing the payroll distribution codes several times for one time funding within the same year and having to change them all back a year later doesn’t seem practical. Region 1 recommends districts make JE’s only in Finance to move the dollars to the correct Covid grant accounts. You do not need to change the payroll distribution accounts in payroll. In finance, dollars will be moved between salaries accounts so totals between finance and payroll should match. As a reference, districts can attach a note to the finance JE with a list of employee’s salaries that were moved…in case anyone asks. Changing payroll distribution accounts for the new Basic Skills (finance 317) and Safe Schools (finance 342) requirements are appropriate.