ACCOUNTANT (SCHOOL)
DISTINGUISHING FEATURES OF THE CLASS: Employees in this class are responsible for keeping accounts for a school district as prescribed by the Commissioner of Education, the New York State Department of Audit and Control and applicable local finance laws. The work involves performing professional accounting work including the maintenance of accounting records, preparation of reports and the establishment of new account systems. The work is performed under supervision of a higher ranking school district official and requires independent judgment on technical accounting problems, but may be reviewed upon completion for overall standard performance and is subject to periodic audit. Supervision may be exercised over a number of clerical employees. The incumbent does related work as required.
TYPICAL WORK ACTIVITIES: (Illustrative Only)
Posts and maintains district accounting records;
Prepares entries necessary to close accounts at the end of the school year;
Prepares financial and statistical reports from accounting records;
Takes monthly trial balances and reconciles with the monthly bank statements;
Maintains records of investments, insurance and borrowing;
Prepares cash flow records and district ledgers;
Makes financial analyses and studies required;
Maintains overall supervision over accounts payable, payroll and employee records;
Prepares state aid reports;
Records and posts summary accounting records on a personal computer;
Prepares investment schedules;
Keeps records of receipts and expenditures and allocates receipts to proper funds;
Maintains bond and debt service register and oversees the management of bond
retirement;
Acts as liaison with district independent auditors.
FULL PERFORMANCE KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ABILITIES AND PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS: Good knowledge of accounting principles and procedures and ability to apply such knowledge to accounting transactions; good knowledge of office methods and procedures and familiarity with the use of standard office equipment; good knowledge of the general principles of public finance administration, including budgeting and financial reporting; ability to prepare complete and accurate accounting reports and statements; ability to perform detailed work, including written or numeric data and to make arithmetic calculations rapidly and accurately; ability to understand and carry out complex oral and written directions.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: Either:
- Graduation from a regionally accredited or new York State registered college or university with a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting, Business Administration, Economics or related field, including or supplemented by 24 semester credit hours in accounting
OR - Graduation from a regionally accredited or New York State registered two-year college or university with an Associate Degree in Accounting, Business Administration, Economics or closely related field, including or supplemented by 18 semester credit hours in accounting AND two (2) years of experience in professional accounting or financial auditing;
OR - An equivalent combination of training and experience, as defined by the limits of (A) and (B) above.
Competitive Class