Finance & Audit

Finance & Audit Advisory Committee

The purpose of the Finance and Audit Advisory Committee (FAAC) is to:

  • review and endorse the integrity of the financial reporting to the South Australian Commission for Catholic Schools (SACCS)
  • periodically review and endorse the financial and accountability services provided by the Catholic Education Office (CEO) to SACCS
  • review and assess the activities, scope and independence of the SACCS auditors
  • review SACCS accounting policies and principles.

Corporate Finance

During 2022 the CEO’s Corporate Finance Team:

  • managed the CEO’s finances and statutory reporting
  • distributed SACCS funding from both the Commonwealth and State Governments to schools
  • prepared the SACCS and CEO annual budgets and 5-year plans
  • enhanced the corporate finance dashboard
  • digitised the school card process
  • provided financial modelling and analysis for new schools, school amalgamations and strategic decision making.

CEO Finance Policy & Funding

The CEO Policy and Funding Team works in collaboration with the respective Commonwealth and State government departments, regulatory authorities and CESA schools on funding, registration and compliance obligations.

Funding

Overseeing recurrent funding remains at the forefront of the Policy and Funding team’s responsibilities. This involves contributing to and evaluating recurrent funding reviews undertaken by the National School Resourcing Board (NSRB), managing all aspects of Commonwealth and State government recurrent funding arrangements in conjunction with CESA’s needs-based funding model for new and existing schools.

Key activities during 2022 included:

  • input into CESA’s submission to the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability
  • assessment of NSRB’s Regional Schooling Resource Standard Loadings report
  • allocation of recurrent funding and financial subsidies to schools in accordance with CESA Policy and strategy
  • allocation of specific purpose grant programs to schools
  • completion of annual Census, Financial Questionnaire and Acquittals to the Commonwealth and State government
  • overseeing the financial affairs for two new diocesan schools, Compass Catholic Community and St Francis of Assisi College, which opened during 2022.