SACS2016ALL Software Readme

Whats New

Listed below is a summary of changes made to the 2016–17 budget and interim, and the 2015–16 unaudited actual, components of the Standardized Account Code Structure (SACS) software. We incorporate changes requested by users wherever possible; you may recognize one of your suggestions being implemented here.

This year our efforts were primarily focused on required changes and updating the criteria and standards forms and the special education maintenance of effort reports. For additional information on each of the changes, refer to the relevant sections of the user guide.

Revised Fund Forms

• Form 01—Other State Revenue section.
  • Removed the detail line for Resource 7391, School Community Violence Prevention Grant / Object 8590, All Other State Revenue, and moved Resource 7391 to the “All Other” Object 8590 line. Budget and Unaudited Actuals periods only.
• Forms 01, 09, and 62—Other State Revenue section.
  • Removed the detail line for Resource 6240, Healthy Start / Object 8590, All Other State Revenue, and moved Resource 6240 to the “All Other” Object 8590 line. Budget and Unaudited Actuals periods only.
• Forms 01/01I, 09/09I, and 62/62I—Federal Revenue Section.
  • Removed resources 3011 and 3026 from the “Other No Child Left Behind” detail line for Object 8290, All Other Federal Revenue, and added resources 3011 and 3026 to the “All Other” Object 8290 line.
• Forms 01/01I, 09/09I, and 62/62I—Other State Revenue Section.
  • Added detail line for Resource 6387, Career Technical Education Incentive Grant Program / Object 8590, All Other State Revenue, and removed Resource 6387 from the “All Other” Object 8590 line.
• Forms 01/01I, 09/09I, and 62/62I—Other State Revenue Section.
  • For Budget/Unaudited Actuals periods: Shaded the Budget column for Resource 7250, School Based Coordination Program / Object 8590 detail line.
  • For Interim periods: Removed the detail line for Resource 7250, School Based Coordination Program / Object 8590, All Other State Revenue, and moved Resource 7250 to the “All Other” Object 8590 line.
• Forms 01/01I, 09/09I, 13/13I, 61/61I, and 62/62I
  • Added line for new Object 8221, Donated Food Commodities, effective 2015–16, to allow local educational agencies (LEAs) to record food commodities received from the federal government for use in school meal programs. Per generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), commodities donated through the USDA should be recorded as revenue and inventory or expenditures. Although the use of Object 8221 is required effective 2016–17, the object is open for optional use with 2015–16 actuals.
• Form 11/11I
  • Added new lines for the following object codes, effective 2015–16, to allow LEAs that are fiscal agents for adult education consortia to record funding passed through to member LEAs. Affects COEs, Districts, and JPAs.
  • Other State Revenue Section. Object 8587, Pass-Through Revenues from State Sources.
  • Other Outgo (excluding Transfers of Indirect Costs) Section
  • Object 7211, Transfers of Pass-Through Revenues to Districts or Charter Schools
  • Object 7212, Transfers of Pass-Through Revenues to County Offices
  • Object 7213, Transfers of Pass-Through Revenues to JPAs
• Form 11/11I—Other State Revenue Section.
  • Added detail line for Resource 6391, Adult Education Block Grant Program / Object 8590, All Other State Revenue, and removed Resource 6391 from the “All Other” Object 8590 line.
• Form 14—Other Local Revenue Section.
  • Unshaded the actuals column in Object 8625 line, Community Redevelopment Funds Not Subject to LCFF Deduction, effective 2015–16, to allow LEAs to account for Community Redevelopment Funds Not Subject to LCFF Deduction revenue that is committed to the purposes of Deferred Maintenance. Budget and Unaudited Actuals periods only.
• Forms 19/19I, 57/57I, 63/63I, 66/66I, 67/67I, and 73/73I
  • Added new Other State Revenue Section, and within that new section added new detail line for Resource 7690, STRS On-Behalf Pension Contributions / Object 8590, All Other State Revenue, effective 2015–16, to allow LEAs to record the State’s on-behalf contribution to CalSTRS in these funds.

Revised Supplemental Forms

• Form CEA/CEB—Current Expense Formula/Minimum Classroom Compensation
  • Part I, Current Expense Formula; and
    Part II, Minimum Classroom Compensation
  • Added the following resource codes to the reductions in Column 4a and Line 13a: Resource 6392, Adult Education Block Grant Data and Accountability; Resource 7410, Student Friendly Services. Districts only.
  • Removed the following obsolete resource codes from the reductions in Column 4a and Line 13a: 3172, 3176, 3411, 4047, 4048, 5315, 6240, and 7391. Districts only.
  • Part II, Minimum Classroom Compensation
  • Added a new warning internal form check prompting users to enter an amount (or zero) in Part II, Line 13b, if an amount was entered in Part I, Column 4b. This internal form check has a warning severity, i.e., the user can still close the form without providing an explanation, and an explanation is not required to complete an official export. Districts only.
  • Part IV, Explanation for adjustments.
  • Changed severity of internal form check prompting users to provide an explanation for any adjustments entered in Column 4b, Reductions (Overrides), from warning to fatal. Users can still close the form without providing the explanation, but the explanation must be provided in Form CEA/CEB to complete an official export. Districts only.
• Form GANN—Appropriations Limit Calculations
  • Updated inflation adjustments on Line D2.
• Form MYP/MYPI—Multiyear Projections
  • Adjusted the dollar amounts used in the Unrestricted/Restricted worksheet, Reserve Standard Percentage Level (Line F3d for COEs only) and Reserve Standard – By Amount (Line F3f for COEs and Districts, and Line F7 for JPAs), based on the adjustment to the statutory COLA factor made in the Criteria and Standards Review form.
  • Unrestricted/Restricted worksheet.
    Line F2, District ADA. Modified ADA extraction to exclude District Funded County Program ADA and Charter School ADA. Districts only.

Revised Criteria and Standards

• Form 01CS/01CSI—Criteria and Standards Review—Budget and Interim periods
  • Adjusted deficit spending and fund balance levels for COEs, and reserve levels for all LEAs, based on prior year's statutory COLA factor.
  • Average Daily Attendance, Criterion 1 and 1A, Districts only—Budget and Interim periods
    • Modified to no longer include District Funded County Program ADA, or Charter School ADA corresponding to financial data reported in funds 09 and 62. Criterion will now only include District Regular ADA, and Charter School ADA corresponding to financial data reported in only Fund 01.
    • Locked cells that were previously changed to allow overwriting as a temporary accommodation/fix for SACS2015 Budget and Interim criteria and standards. (Locked cells do not allow key entry.)
    • Expanded ADA extraction lines to separately display District Regular ADA and Charter School ADA.
  • Enrollment, Criterion 2 and 2A, Districts only—Budget and Interim periods
    • Modified to no longer include District Funded County Program ADA, or Charter School ADA corresponding to financial data reported in funds 09 and 62. Criterion will now only include District Regular ADA, and Charter school ADA corresponding to financial data reported in only Fund 01.
    • Modified to no longer include Charter School enrollment corresponding to financial data reported in funds 09 and 62. Criterion will now only include District Regular enrollment, and Charter School enrollment corresponding to financial data reported in only Fund 01. Enrollment data preloaded in the District Regular lines will include both District Regular and Charter School enrollment. Districts will need to adjust the District Regular enrollment lines and the Charter School enrollment lines accordingly.
    • Expanded enrollment extraction lines to separately display District Regular enrollment and Charter School enrollment.
  • ADA to Enrollment, Criterion 3A and 3B, Districts only—Budget and Interim periods
    • Modified to no longer include Charter School ADA/enrollment corresponding to financial data reported in funds 09 and 62. Criterion will now only include District Regular ADA/enrollment, and Charter School ADA/enrollment corresponding to financial data reported in only Fund 01.
    • Locked cells that were previously changed to allow overwriting as a temporary accommodation/fix for SACS2015 Budget and Interim criteria and standards. (Locked cells do not allow key entry.)
    • Expanded ADA/enrollment extraction lines to separately display District Regular ADA/enrollment and Charter School ADA/enrollment.
  • ADA to Reserves, Criterion 10, Districts only—Budget and Interim periods
    • Modified to no longer include District Funded County Program ADA, or Charter School ADA. Criterion will now only include District Regular ADA. Before this change, the criterion included District Regular ADA, District Funded County Program ADA, and Charter School ADA corresponding to financial data reported in only Fund 01.
  • Facilities Maintenance Criterion 5/7, COEs/Districts—Budget and Interim periods
    Modified the minimum contribution requirement of the Ongoing and Major Maintenance/Restricted Maintenance Account to calculate as the lesser of: 1) three percent of the total unrestricted (COEs only) general fund expenditures and other financing uses for the current year; or 2) the amount that the COE/district contributed into the account for the 2014–15 fiscal year; per Education Code Section 17070.75, as amended by AB 104 (Chapter 13, Statutes of 2015), effective through 2016–17.

Technical Review Checks—New

• CHK-FNDxRS7690xOB8590
  • New import TRC
  • Fatal for all data types
  • Applies to all periods
  • Applies to all data types
  • Applies to all LEAs
  • Funds 19, 57, 63, 66, 67, and 73 with Object 8590, All Other State Revenue, must be used in combination with Resource 7690, STRS On-Behalf Pension Contributions.
  • No rounding allowance

Revised Reports

• Reports SEMA/SEMB/SEMAI––Special Education Maintenance of Effort (MOE)
  • LEA MOE Calc and SELPA MOE Calc worksheets.
    • Eliminated the requirement to select one particular method to use to meet the MOE requirement.
    • Section 1. Added a web page location for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) MOE Exemption Worksheet, which the LEA must complete and include with the MOE report submission when the exemption reductions is used.
    • Section 2. Added a note box to have LEAs list the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) activities paid with the freed up funds.
    • Section 3. LEA MOE Calc worksheet only. Modified as needed for the new federal guidance on Subsequent Years Rule:
    • Part A––Combined State and Local Expenditures Method. Added a new subpart to allow the LEAs to input the combined state and local expenditures data of the most recent fiscal year in which the LEAs met the MOE using the same method.
    • Part B––Local Expenditures Only Method. Added a new subpart to allow the LEAs to input the local expenditures data of the most recent fiscal year in which the LEAs met the MOE using the same method.

KNOWN ISSUES:

Symptom

Formatting problems sometimes occur when printing forms from the Table of Contents. For instance, all of the grid lines will print in the upper left hand corner.

Probable Cause

Printer drivers. Unfortunately we have not found one printer driver that works for all components of the SACS software.

Resolution/Workaround

Various printer drivers work differently with the SACS software. Try changing the printer driver or print from the open form rather than from the table of contents.

Symptom

GPF error or system runs very slowly.

Probable Cause

The computer runs out of physical/virtual memory.

Workaround

Avoid opening too many windows concurrently. If the error is received, shut down the application and reboot the machine.

Problem: Known Printing Issues Relating to Windows 7

After the SACS software was modified to mitigate the worst of its incompatibilities with Windows 7, many software testers encountered a remaining printing problem where a fund form, supplemental form, or report is sent to the printer, and the SACS software print status window freezes. (This is not an issue when printing the Technical Review Check list (TRC), the import log, or from the User Data Input/Review screen.)

Workaround

Anticipating this problem for all Windows 7 users, CDE’s workaround is to print first to Microsoft XPS Document Writer or Adobe PDF, then send the document to the printer.

Possible Fix

After extensive testing within CDE’s test environment, we are able to send forms and reports directly to printers by using the following print drivers (which are specific to our model printers), and by changing a particular printer setting specifically for HP printers. CDE does not advocate the purchase or use of any specific printer brand or model and provides this information only as a basis for LEAs to test with different print drivers and/or settings if desired.

• For Samsung printers: Samsung Universal Print Driver 2 PS
• For HP printers: HP Universal Printing PCL 6 print driver
• Additional printer settings required for some HP printers:
  • Notes:
    • For some users, these printer settings must be changed outside of the SACS Software (e.g., changed through the Control Panel) or else the printer settings are lost each time the SACS Software is closed.
    • Some users need to reset these printer settings each time they install the SACS software.
    • Some users need to intermittently change these printer settings within the SACS software (i.e., changed through the print prompt) as well.
  • Specific steps CDE uses for HP printer settings:
    • Open SACS software form
    • File menu, Print… option
    • Properties [button]
    • Effects [tab]
    • Click on the radial button “Print Document on:”
    • Then it should default to "Letter" right underneath it.
    • It should also add a checkmark next to "Scale to Fit"
    • Click Apply
    • Then OK to print