| Keep up-to-date with us and what's happening in the education sector |
|
|
- 2023 Annual Accounts
Important Notices - Reminder: Board Meetings & Monthly Management Reports
Pourato & Secure Data Portal Checklist: Requested uploads to the Google Drive New Resource: ApprovalMax - For Xero Users - A Guide to Automating Accounts Payable - Xero Tip of the Month: Unlock Faster Support With AI-Generated Answers in the Help Menu
2024/25 Government Budget Announcement - Looking ahead
|
|
|
Publishing the Annual Report & Audited Accounts:
If you have received your signed audited accounts from the auditor, please remember to submit these to the Ministry through the secure data portal. In addition, please ensure that the reports are published on the school's website.
If you do not have a School website, then the Ministry of Education can host your annual report on the Education Counts website. To send a request through to the MOE to host your annual report - email: planning.reporting@education.govt.nz
We have included a link below to the specific requirements for publishing the annual reports. |
|
|
Estimated Pay Equity and Collective Agreement Funding and 2023 Wash-up Calculation:
On 1 July, 2024, your school will receive the next instalment of estimated funding for non-teaching pay equity settlements and collective agreements. These funds will be paid via Pourato under the payment type 'Non-teach support PE and CA funding' and will include the annual wash-up calculation based on complete payroll data for the 2023 year.
Before this disbursement, you will receive a letter via the Secure Data Portal (SDP) on 27 June, 2024, outlining the breakdown of this funding alongside information on the 2023 wash-up calculation. Please download this letter and upload it into Google Drive - 2024 Accts - MOE Grant Advices - Ops Grant folder. Banking: Accessing Higher Interest Rates - ASB's Special Term Deposit and Rates:
As you will soon receive the July operational grant payment, we'd like to remind you that if you have any extra funds sitting in your school's current account that are not required in the short term, it is a good idea to transfer the funds to your Savings or Call account in order to benefit from the higher interest rates that are now available.
And if you have funds that will not be required for more than a month or two, you could also consider putting these on term deposit to earn even higher interest. If you're banking with ASB, they have now released their special term deposit interest rates (see below). These rates are only available from Monday 1 July 2024 to Sunday 14 July 2024. |
|
|
If you are interested in the above term deposit rates, starting from 1 July 2024, please create your new investment through FastNet Business. This will save you time and simplify the process. Attached below are ASB's step-by-step instructions, which you can access by clicking the button |
REMINDER: BOARD MEETINGS & MONTHLY MANAGEMENT REPORTS
|
|
|
Just a reminder that if the School Board meetings are scheduled before the 10th of the month, it can be difficult to provide the comprehensive monthly management reports seven days in advance of the BOT meeting, which is our target.
For example: If the Board meeting is scheduled for the 10th, it means the reports need to be distributed by the 3rd, and if the first two days of the month are the weekend, that leaves a single day for the school support team to provide information and for Accounting For Schools to prepare the monthly reports. Schools holidays can also have an impact. |
| |
|
If the BOT is keen to review the most recent financial information and have received it seven days in advance of the meeting, we would generally recommend the BOT meeting is scheduled after the 15th. We will then be able to provide the report for the prior month, seven days in advance of the meeting, which ensures the Board is using the most up-to-date information for making financial decisions. If you would like to discuss this further, please contact Ben Duflou (ben@afsl.nz) or Allison Henderson (allison@afsl.nz). |
POURATO & SECURE DATA PORTAL CHECKLIST: REQUESTED UPLOADS TO THE GOOGLE DRIVE
|
|
|
Great news! We've created a Pourato and Secure Data Portal checklist that provides clear, step-by-step instructions on how to download the requested data we need from your school in Pourato and the Secure Data Portal, as well as where to upload it within Google Drive.
To download the checklist and save it to your desktop for easy reference, please click the button below or go to our Resources hub via our website by clicking here. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please don't hesitate to contact our team at 04 909 7729. |
| |
|
NEW RESOURCE: APPROVALMAX - FOR XERO USERS - A GUIDE TO AUTOMATING ACCOUNTS PAYABLE
|
|
|
ApprovalMax has released a new handbook tailored for Xero Users: 'A Guide to Automating Accounts Payable,' now available for download from the resources hub on the Accounting For Schools website. This comprehensive guide offers invaluable insights into streamlining your end-to-end AP process using ApprovalMax, Xero, and other essential tools.
At Accounting For Schools, we understand the complexities involved in managing accounts payable (AP), which can often be daunting and time-consuming without the right processes and policies in place. That's why we're excited to introduce this playbook to our ever-growing collection of resources. |
| |
|
To access our resources hub, simply click on the button below. |
|
|
XERO TIP OF THE MONTH: UNLOCK FASTER SUPPORT WITH AI-GENERATED ANSWERS IN THE HELP MENU
|
Have you tried out Xero's new AI-generated answers in the help menu?
Now, when you're working in Xero and ask for help, you'll receive an AI-generated answer along with a list of other relevant content articles. This provides a fast, straightforward response with links to the source material and additional details if necessary. The answer takes into account what page you’re viewing, and the version of Xero you use, to make sure that the information provided is relevant to you. This means you spend less time searching and more time focusing on what matters most – managing your finances seamlessly.
To access the help menu, simply click on the question mark icon located on the far right of your toolbar. |
|
|
2024/25 GOVERNMENT BUDGET ANNOUNCEMENT
|
The recent budget announcement delivered a $2.9 billion boost to Aotearoa New Zealand's education institutions over the next four years to improve student outcomes.
The additional funding increases the total investment in schools and early childhood education by 3.6 percent in the coming year to $19.1 billion. Key investments made in the Budget include an additional: -
$1.48 billion for school and kura property.
- $478 million for Ka Ora Ka Ako to continue the Healthy School Lunches Programme for two more years, including $8 million to introduce a targeted early childhood food programme.
-
$199 million over four years including a 3 percent increase for Schools Equity and Isolation Index based components and a 2.5 percent increase for the remaining components of school operating grants.
- $163 million over four years to support digital services in schools, including cyber security and equipment replacement.
-
$153 million over four years to establish Charter Schools | Kura Hourua.
- $67 million over four years for the implementation of structured literacy in all state primary schools.
- $53 million over four years for teacher supply, retention, and attraction initiatives.
-
$45 million over four years to support the rapid increase in numbers of students that require English for Speakers of Other Languages support .
- $32 million for Holidays Act remediation for school employees, based on an updated estimate of liability.
- $15 million over four years to increase funding for the School High Health Needs Fund.
-
$14 million over four years to support the ongoing delivery of Ikura Period products in schools programme.
|
|
|
271 Willis Street, Wellington 6011 |
|
|
|
