Budgeting software
recommended
for schools

The InSite program can provide
a complete and useful picture
of education costs, she says

By Debra Barayuga
Star-Bulletin

It will cost the state Department of Education at least $50,000 a year to implement a software system to keep better track of how it spends money.

The state auditor, in a report released today, recommended the department use InSite, a computer program that reviews and reports budgets and actual expenditures in a more detailed and useful way that the public can understand.

"The auditor is saying what we have is not enough," said Schools Superintendent Herman Aizawa. Other costs, such as the amounts other agencies -- the Department of Health or Department of Accounting and General Services -- also spend on students, are not provided by DOE reports and do not provide a complete picture of education costs, the report said.

Although Aizawa acknowledged such reports can show whether monies are being spent properly, he questioned how useful they would be to school personnel. Principals were not asked if the information would be useful to them, he said. The auditor disagrees.

"Our review plus the successful implementation of InSite in other jurisdictions shows that InSite reports can help DOE personnel make better decisions about programs and operations," said state auditor Marian Higa. "Collecting and reporting this information is not simply a compliance or monitoring issue."

Accurate, relevant expenditure information helps decision makers review their expenses and redefine priorities, the report said. "Lawmakers and the public need reports that provide understandable and relevant information."

Rod Tam, state Senate education chairman, in the past has called for better expenditure reporting from the DOE to help lawmakers form decisions on continued funding for programs.

Rather than assigning numerical codes for a particular expenditure -- which doesn't mean much to the public -- InSite uses school or program names such as "adult education" or "summer school."

It reviews all educational and centralized costs for the schools and produces the information in a clear and meaningful report.

One such report generated by InSite for Kapolei Elementary showed that in fiscal 1995-96, the school spent less per pupil than the average elementary school but spent more than average on classroom materials. InSite reports can also compare a school's average with individual schools and compare over time.

Reports such as these enhance accountability and gives a complete picture of how much money is actually reaching students in the classroom, the audit said.

It also provides principals with detailed budgets and can be used over time to track progress on school goals.

The DOE has the $2,500 software free from the sponsoring firm but will need a full-time staffer to run it, Aizawa said.

The Board of Education is already reviewing InSite for possible implementation.