The Higley Unified School District (HUSD), with 16 schools located in Queen Creek and Gilbert, has earned two national awards for its financial reporting and accountability, bestowed by both the Association of School Business Officials International (ASBO) and the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) of the United States and Canada.
“We are pleased that Higley has been recognized for our district’s outstanding achievements. Our district takes great pride in being financially transparent and is committed to maintaining our high level of fiscal responsibility. I want to congratulate our district as well as Higley's Chief Financial Officer, Tyler Moore, for his dedication to our schools and community,” said Interim Superintendent Sherry Richards.
The ASBO Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting award recognizes HUSD for meeting and exceeding the program's high standards for financial reporting and accountability. ASBO International’s COE recognizes districts that have met the program’s high standards for financial reporting and transparency. The school district earned the Certificate of Excellence for its Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) for the fiscal year that ended in 2022.
“The COE’s mission is to promote and recognize excellence in financial reporting,” ASBO International Chief Operations Officer/Interim Executive Director Siobhan McMahon said. “The Annual Comprehensive Financial Report informs stakeholders about the financial and economic state of the district, making it an important communications tool for building trust and engaging with the school community.”
ASBO International is a professional organization representing approximately 30,000 school business professionals worldwide that provides programs and services to promote the highest standards of school business management practices, professional growth and the effective use of education resources.
In addition to the recognition earned from the ASBO, the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting (CAFR) was bestowed upon Moore by GFOA. The certificate of achievement is the highest form of recognition in governmental accounting and financial reporting. The CAFR was judged by an impartial panel to meet the high standards of the program including demonstrating a constructive “spirit of full disclosure” to clearly communicate its financial story.
The GFOA is a nonprofit professional association serving approximately 19,000 government finance practitioners providing top quality publications, training programs, services and products to enhance the skills of those responsible for government finance policy and management.
“I am honored to earn this award and for our hard work every day to protect the taxpayer and spend money wisely. Higley has worked hard to maintain a transparent financial approach while being fiscally responsible. It gives me great satisfaction knowing that our hard work has not gone unnoticed. Congratulations to Higley Unified School District and thank you to both ASBO and GFOA for awarding our district with such significant accolades,” said Moore.
