Financial Accountability and Oversight
Regional and state agencies routinely review and monitor the financial health of Shoreline and all WA State school districts.
Read the FAQ: Are Shoreline’s books audited by third parties?
Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI)
Role:
Monitors the financial health of school districts through tools like a financial health indicators model, budget and financial statement reviews, and election result monitoring.
Findings:
For the 2022-23 school year, OSPI gave Shoreline School District a Total Profile Score of 1.90, down from 2.65 in the previous year.
Scores used to indicate a district’s financial “health” range from 0 to 4, with 1.75 as the threshold to be assigned to the “Financial Warning” category.
Financial Indicators Data File
Washington State Auditor's Office (SAO)
Role:
An independent agency that audits state agencies and local governments to ensure accountability for public funds.
Findings:
For the 2022-23 school year, the SAO assigned three indicators of financial health as “Concerning”: Fund Balance Sufficiency, Governmental Funds Sustainability, and Debt Service Load.
Change in Fund Balance was also listed as “Cautionary.”
Financial Intelligence Tool (FIT)
Educational Service Districts (ESDs)
Role:
The ESDs play a crucial role in providing fiscal oversight to local school districts by acting as a regional support system, reviewing district budgets, ensuring compliance with state financial regulations, and offering financial consulting services to help districts manage their finances effectively.
The Puget Sound Educational Service District (PSESD) reviews our annual budget and financial statements before submission to OSPI. PSESD also provides districts with a financial dashboard with certain financial health and account analysis information.
Findings:
Shoreline School District is flagged for having an average of less than 30 days’ worth of cash available for the fiscal years 2020-21 through 2023-24 and for our five-year average.
Moody's Ratings
Role:
Rating agencies evaluate the district's ability to maintain its financial stability in light of broader economic conditions. They provide economic analysis and rate securities based on risk and the borrower’s ability to make payments.
Findings:
As of November 14, 2024, Moody's has downgraded Shoreline School District’s ratings to A2 from A1. Concurrently, they have revised the outlook to negative.
“The downgrade and outlook revision is primarily driven by the district's narrow reserves, which are not expected to materially improve and will likely remain below the district's 4% minimum fund balance policy for the next several years.”
Rating Action