California Charter School Accounting and Best Practices Manual

The California Charter School Accounting and Best Practices Manual (revised 2022) is designed for charter school administrators, governing board members, fiscal services administrators, office managers, accountants, back office service providers, bookkeepers, secretaries and others who are responsible for charter school activities. FCMAT recognizes the increasing demands on charter school leaders, and this manual is designed to help leaders meet those demands while maintaining fiscal accountability, transparency and accuracy.

This manual has been developed to help charter schools follow legal requirements as well as FCMAT recommendations. Each chapter covers one or more critical aspects of charter school financial management and related areas. The manual is intended to be a comprehensive guide to charter school accounting policies and procedures, and a reference to other valuable financial and accounting resources. Its intent is to help charter schools navigate accounting policies and procedures, as well as other common functions. It is not prescriptive for items not required by law; rather, it is intended to be assistive. It is intended to serve as an initial guide to some of the main areas in which FCMAT finds charter schools need assistance.