Panel OKs fiscal indicators for Indiana's school districts

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Every Indiana school district will be evaluated under a new set of measures next year to ferret out districts that may need state assistance or intervention.

Legislation passed this year by state lawmakers directed Indiana's Distressed Unit Appeals Board to form a committee to determine which financial conditions should trigger a state review of school district finances.

The (Northwest Indiana) Times reports that committee recently approved eight primary fiscal indicators for those school district assessments, including school fund balances and annual deficit or surplus.

Dennis Costerison is the Indiana Association of School Business Officials' executive director. He says the committee did "an excellent job coming up with the indicators."

The State Budget Committee must approve the measures at its Oct. 16 meeting before they can be instituted in January.

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Information from: The Times, http://www.nwitimes.com