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FAQ - Dashboards

General

Principals/Assistant Principals

School Staff

Special Funds

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How often is the dashboard data refreshed? 

The dashboard is refreshed at 6 a.m., noon, and 6 p.m. A field on the bottom of the dashboard screen indicates the last time data was refreshed. You should review this field when you enter the dashboard.

 

If a school doesn’t have an allocation up into the millions for specific accounts, does the dashboard still graph data using a scale set to the thousands? Most schools' allocations will be in the thousands, so if the graph scale remains set to thousands, a viewer of the dashboard would hardly be able to view any substantial bar for interpretation. 

No, it is scaled down.  

 

What is the difference between an encumbrance and an actual? 

“Encumbrances” are contractual obligations entered into legally when purchase orders are issued. Encumbrances reserve budgeted funds to demonstrate that funds will be available to cover the obligation. Thus, they represent an obligation to pay for goods or services that have been ordered but not yet received. “Actuals” are actual expenditures, such as payments and journal entries. They are called actual because the business transaction has already occurred. The goods or services have been received or paid.

 

Where do you find the actual dollar amount for encumbrances? 

The dashboard displays budget, encumbrance, and actual expenditure information within the categories mentioned above. There are several ways to “drill down” to actual dollar amounts for encumbrances from the category level down to individual purchase orders.  

 

What are the “Actuals” on the dashboard? 

“Actuals” are actual expenditures, such as payments and journal entries. They are called actuals because the business transaction has already occurred. The goods or services have been received or paid. Actuals include POs, off-POs, AMEX and salary payments, and journal voucher transactions.

 

What is the best way to access the Funds Available Summary after returning to the FMS E-Business Suite Home Page? Is there a link in the Favorites that takes users right back to the Funds Available Summary for their school? 

There is no shortcut to get back to the dashboard start page. You can take a screen print of the dashboard if you are going to refer back to it. Otherwise, you have to navigate back to the saved dashboard view.

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What are the typical categories that a school principal can expect to see? 

Categories include the following:

  • 01 – Salaries
  • 02 – Contractual expenditures
  • 03 – Supplies
  • 04 – Other costs
  • 05 – Furniture and equipment

The dashboard displays the above categories and allows you to drill down from there to individual accounts within a category.

 

Can principals expect the dashboard to replace the printouts that their administrative secretaries, financial assistants, or business managers previously shared with them monthly to review remaining balances? 

Yes, the dashboard and other online reports (through Discoverer Viewer) replace printed reports. This change means that principals can access their reports any time during the month. They can view the reports online, print the reports, or copy the reports to an electronic file.

 

If a principal buys instructional materials with an American Express card and codes them for reimbursement, after reimbursement has been processed, does the dashboard change to reflect the money that was spent? 

AMEX bills MCPS monthly. The monthly bill is distributed to expenditure accounts as charged. The dashboard reflects those monthly charges after FMS has been updated for the monthly AMEX bill. Purchases made in March, which are included on the March bill, are received from AMEX and processed in FMS mid-April. At that time, the expenditures show on the dashboard.

 

How can principals view their account funds by grade level and department on the dashboard as opposed to viewing the budget and encumbrances for the entire account? 

To display data at the grade or department level, transactions must be tracked at the activity code level. On the dashboard opening screen, principals select the MCPS Disco Viewer responsibility and proceed to run an online report through Discoverer Viewer that allows them to view available funds down to the level of department or grade level. The “Activity” segment of the chart of accounts represents school activities, by grade or department. To report on budget versus expenditures at the activity level, the school staff member responsible for accounts management must allocate the school’s budget down to the department or grade level.

 

Will assistant principals be given access to view the dashboard? 

Yes, but they must first request access using the FMS Responsibilities Access Request Form.

 

Do negative values in FMS represent the actual dollar amount? On statements principals received previously,negative values represent what is left in the account. Is this the same? 

No, in FMS a positive balance represents available funds. A negative balance reflects over expenditure of appropriations. Appropriations, encumbrances, and actual balances are all positive balances.

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In the dashboard view, can principals see the actual account number (001, 002, 003) that corresponds to the textbook, instructional materials accounts? 

No, the account name is shown on the dashboard.

 

How does a principal, business manager, financial assistant, or administrative secretary move funds available from one account into another account? 

Account owners can process budget transfers electronically within FMS. Otherwise, central office staff are responsible for the transfer.

 

Can resource teachers and department heads see on the dashboard the allocated amount of money that they have to spend? 

Yes, that will be shown in the budgeted amount after budgets for the fiscal year are approved.

 

Are schools' Independent Activity Funds (IAFs) available to charge requisitioned items to in iProcurement? Is the school IAF account automatically set up in the iProcurement Favorite Charge Account Preferences for requisitioners? Can the IAF account be viewed on the dashboard? 

No, IAF accounts are not part of FMS at this point and, therefore, are not automatically set up for use in the iProcurement preferences.

 

If Independent Activity Funds (IAFs) accounts are not part of the FMS right now, how do schools use iProcurement to requisition items against the IAF? 

A Cash account (account 121005) is available in FMS for any schools that need it. A school can create a requisition and charge it to this Cash account. MCPS will pay for the requisitioned items and then bill the school to be reimbursed. A school will need to send a school check to reimburse MCPS and can use money from their IAF account to do so. The Cash account can be set up as a favorite charge account to use in the iProcurement preferences by using the following account sequence information:

fund 01, department, school, category, and account 121005

 

How are Title I funds displayed on the dashboard? Are there also several subcategories (for example, salaries, food, textbooks) within the Title I funds? 

Title I funds can be selected using the grant parameter on the dashboard. Subcategories can be selected by drilling down on the activity.

 

Does money in the Central Investment Fund appear on the dashboard? 

No.

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