We are pleased to present a special web performance of our Symphony. We invite you to sit back, relax, and enjoy the sounds of Account-Ability.

We are excited to offer three different Southern California locations for our Spring Workshops: San Diego, Riverside, and Fullerton. We’ve got a lot of wonderful topics planned for you this year, including:

• Project Close-Out
• California State Update
• Prepping for Year-End
• Accruals

There will be lots of great information, some hands-on segments, and of course, helpful Account-Ability tips and tricks so you can get the most out of your software.

If you would like to attend, please call or email us so we can send you a registration form. The last date to register will be this Friday, April 19th.

We look forward to seeing you there!

This beautiful new facility is part of a LBUSD initiative to relieve overcrowding by opening several smaller high schools over the next few years. As will be the case with each of these schools, Ernest S. McBride will feature three specialized tracks: health/medical, law enforcement/legal services, and engineering. These tracks will help prepare high school students to enter college and pursue careers in these fields. Learn more about this school at the McBride HS website.

We were thrilled to have this opportunity and will be celebrating with Long Beach when Ernest S. McBride officially opens this fall. Special thanks to Carri Matsumoto, the Executive Director of Facilities Development & Planning at the LBUSD, for being a wonderful and informative tour guide.

We’ve got another very special presentation for you this year – a Colbi Concert Hall! If you’re planning on being at the Conference, please stop by to say hi and see our special Colbi Symphony performance. You’ll also receive a free $25 iTunes card.

We hope to see you there!

The Colbi Team will be at Island #2 on the 25th and 26th, and we’d love to see you. Stop by to say hi, see a special Colbi Symphony performance, and get your free $25 iTunes card!

Hope to see you there!

In an effort to aid in the relief process and show our support for those affected by this disaster, we here at Colbi Technologies have made a donation to Hope Force International. Hope Force is a relief organization that has been working hard in Atlantic City, New Jersey. HFI Founder and President Jack Minton said that Atlantic City has “the most need for HFI’s involvement” and added, “Over and over we talk with people who are worried they will be overlooked. Many people have no idea what to do, are overwhelmed, and many are elderly.”

Colbi Technologies is proud to support an organization that is doing such wonderful work in such a devastated area. If you would like to make a donation, please visit the Hope Force website.

Our thoughts and prayers will continue to be with those affected by this disaster.

Hope to see you there!

Larry Goshorn, President

As the technical support consultant for a number of oversight committees, I’ve noted a lack of comprehensive information in districts not using Account-Ability. One of the assumptions made by the community, and state law for that matter, is that the district has planned out what they are going to do. It’s surprising how often a complete list of planned projects is not available.

In an earlier blog l suggested that maintaining a complete list of planned projects was a valuable tool to meet community expectations. That list should include budget allocations for each project that equal the expected funds. Good reports should also communicate that all funds are not available now — when people vote for a bond, many do not understand how long it takes to get that money.

When reporting to a board or oversight committee, start with a familiar global summary report, then drill-down as needed to cover the subject at hand. Show the information required to cover the subject and nothing more. Be prepared to show transaction level data when asked.

Program Summary Sample

Financial Plan and Project Schedule Sample

Program Status Sample

Project Status Sample

Account-Ability provides over 20 standard reports, available in thousands of configurations. The ability to save custom report configurations gives you one-click access to recurring status reports. Account-Ability reports save staff time, ensure consistency, and build trust.

Larry Goshorn, President

As the technical support consultant for oversight committees on a number of large capital building programs, I’ve noticed that program management teams spend a lot of time and resources preparing status reports: lists of construction projects, their costs, and photos… maybe a short narrative. Even with all the staff effort behind these reports, there is a lack of coordination of financial data.

If you’ve ever attended an oversight committee or board meeting, you’ve probably seen a behavior I call “page flipping.” As members of the committee review a report they flip between pages. They are either mentally connecting the linked data or checking the numbers.

If the summary in the front contains a total, they compare that total with the bottom line of a detailed breakdown later in the report. If the breakdown is not totaled they’ll add it up themselves. It’s surprising how often these numbers don’t match.

If terms are not correctly defined, there can be multiple numbers. Take expenditures: while many think this is just the amount of money you’ve paid, it actually includes any amount that you are obligated to pay (according to the California School Accounting Manual). So total expenditures includes money paid, all construction retentions held, any moneys withheld from payments due (such as Stop Notices or Labor Compliance withholds), and invoices being processed for payment.

Our Account-Ability software adheres to standard accounting practice, reconciles against the district financial accounting systems, and provides comprehensive reporting using easily understood terms. Reports are available in real time at the click of a button. Built-in reports include highly summarized handouts designed specifically for oversight committees and boards as well as status reports for managers, accountants, and auditors. These consistent reports pass the “page flipping” test every time.