Let’s Talk Numbers: A Spotlight on The Fiscal Services Department
The Fiscal Services team makes the Visions world go ‘round. As the managers of the organization’s money and spending, this group not only makes sure that everyone who works at Visions gets paid, but consistently ensures the fiscal health and longevity of the organization.
“We set up our department from scratch, designing our systems to work as efficiently as possible,” says Larry Falcon, Director of Fiscal Services. “Our goal is to operate well so that others can focus on their work without worrying about getting paid.”
Marko Mosunic, Fiscal Services Manager, has been at the organization for three years and works closely with Larry to oversee the department and the team. With responsibility for both members of staff and the organization as a whole, the team is no stranger to embodying our “1% Better Every Day” motto.
“Our team is constantly looking to continually improve. We are constantly trying to keep up with new trends and laws and bouncing ideas off of each other. In our role, you almost have to in order to be successful and to keep [up] with the changes in school finance,” explains Marko.
As the newest addition to the team, Analyst Anita Bowers (read her spotlight here!) has had the opportunity to acclimate to an already well-functioning unit, providing new skills and a fresh perspective to the group.
“The team is cohesive and focused on getting the work done,” she states. “I was pleasantly surprised how the group shares humor almost every day.”
Checks and Balances
Every year, the state of California examines Visions’ financial statements for appropriate and accurate spend in accordance with the law. This includes checking things like controls, policies and procedures, and pulling supporting documents to verify that everything recorded is reasonably accurate. With so much money flow in and out of the organization, as well as several different types of funds each governed by different spending laws, it’s imperative that the team maintains a keen adherence to state requirements.
“The Fiscal Services team does a lot of behind the scenes work to make sure the school is in compliance with applicable reporting and regulations,” explains Marko.
Kate McMinn, Accounting/Payroll Analyst, adds, “Visions is known for doing things a little differently and operating more like a district office rather than an individual school. Working with the Fiscal team at Visions is like no other fiscal department I have ever worked in.”
A testament to the team’s hard work and dedication, Visions is able to say that we’ve had clean audits since going independent in 2018.
“I am glad to say that Visions staff and leaders do an excellent job at being supportive of these [audit] efforts, and therefore we get good grades from our auditors,” shares Larry.
Marko Mosunic, Fiscal Services Manager, and Larry Falcon, Director of Fiscal Services.
Compound Interest
As individuals, the members of the group are able to accomplish a multitude of small tasks on a day-to-day basis. As a team, they are able to come together to achieve larger departmental objectives and keep Visions financially strong and stable.
“I enjoy the go do’ers of all the Fiscal team members. I like that we all put our heads down and do our best to complete our daily tasks and support each other, whether it is indirectly or directly amongst us, as our individual work is tied all together in the grand scheme of the Fiscal Department,” shares Thomas Thao, Accounting/Payroll Specialist.
“Everyone on our team has a strong sense of responsibility,” explains Noy Chanthavongsa, Accounting/Payroll Analyst. “We generally are able to pivot from individually focused work to team work if support is needed. I feel we truly care about each other, so leaning on each other is not something that is outside of our norm.”
Team Talk
Hear what the team has to say about one another!
“[My favorite thing is] definitely the people. We have a great team, good communication, talented individuals and strong leadership.” – Faye Jensen, Student Accounts Technician
“[We] trust and support each other. We usually put away our duties if someone asks for help.” – Dmitriy Karchmit, Student Accounts Technician
“Noy and Thomas do amazing work and I am so grateful to have such competent coworkers. Anita and Kate have taken on a lot of important bodies of work and I appreciate their zone ownership.” – Noreen Snyder, Business Analyst
“First and foremost, Noreen and I have known each other since we worked at SJUSD together and she has been a rock for our department, ensuring we meet all deadlines with a clear audit and continue to get our WASC accreditations. I’d also like to thank Larry and Marko for being supportive, as I broke my wrist earlier this past year and they emphasized my healing and gave me the support to heal and accommodations needed.” – Kate McMinn
“Working with the Fiscal Services team is being a part of something wonderful. It is great to be able to pick the brains from staff who have a myriad of background expertise that can shine light on a topic that one would not normally see.” – Marko Mosunic
