Accountant: Budget

La Joya Independent School District (TX) • La Joya, TX

74d

About The Position

La Joya Independent School District (ISD) is committed to excellence for students and our community. We have a strong, 100-year, legacy in the Rio Grande Valley. The district's vision - Educational Excellence: The Right of Every Student - conveys our urgent focus on students. Our work is rooted in five district priorities, which require collaboration and deep commitment to supporting one another as we serve the community. We are focused on ensuring every student in La Joya ISD has access to high-quality, best-fit schools as we work to improve from a B-district to an A-rated district. We serve more than 22,000 students in more than 30 schools and span six municipalities, covering more than 220 square miles. We are seeking a detail-oriented, analytical, and collaborative Accountant for Budget and Position Control. A strategic thinker with a strong understanding of school finance and personnel budgeting who can ensure alignment between district staffing and board-approved allocations, while ensuring compliance with budgeting laws and regulations, monitor budget-to-actuals, maintain strong internal controls, and provide data-informed insights to enhance efficiency and support student success. This role requires someone who can manage complex financial data with accuracy and integrity, build productive partnerships across departments-especially with Human Resources and Payroll-and proactively support district leadership in developing fiscally responsible budgeting and staffing plans. This position requires precision, confidentiality, and cross-functional coordination.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or related field required.
• Experience in school finance, budgeting, or governmental accounting preferred.
• Experience with TEA's Financial Accountability System Resource Guide (FASRG) and position control systems strongly preferred.
• Strong analytical, organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to participate in finance and management audits.
• Knowledge of generally accepted accounting principles.
• Familiarity with the Financial Accounting System Resources Guide.
• Strong knowledge of computers and associated software.
• Commitment to transparency, accuracy, and fiscal accountability.
• Strong Excel/Google Sheets skills (pivot tables, formulas, data validation).

Responsibilities

• Assist the Director of Budget in preparing annual budget development timelines, staffing models, and salary projections.
• Support Campuses and departments on their budget management, including guidance in best practices and allowability.
• Support the analysis of transfers and amendments and support the tracking of such activities.
• Maintain and monitor the district's Position Control system to ensure accurate tracking and alignment of full-time equivalent (FTE) positions with approved budgets and staffing allocations.
• Run regular variance reports to monitor budget-to-actuals for payroll and staffing lines and flag discrepancies.
• Serve as a liaison between Human Resources, Budget, and Payroll to coordinate and validate personnel-related transactions.
• Ensure all permanent FTEs are aligned with board-authorized staffing levels and comply with funding availability and organizational structure.
• Analyze and provide financial impact assessments of staffing changes across multiple funds including General Fund, Food Service, Special Revenue, and Grant Funds.
• Review and assign appropriate budget codes for all personnel action requests to ensure compliance with financial structures and funding sources.
• Enter, update, and remove positions in the district's financial accounting system upon receiving supervisory and budgetary approval.
• Allocate FTEs across programs, campuses, departments, and divisions in accordance with staffing plans and budget priorities.
• Provide Position Control background reports and data analytics upon request to support leadership decision-making.
• Support the budget development process by collecting, analyzing, and reporting on historical and current year staffing data.
• Coordinates with Purchasing and Accounts Payable to support the use of funds.
• Ensure compliance with district policies, state regulations, and federal guidelines regarding all areas of budgeting.
• Provides backup support to the Director of Budget in preparing budget workshops and board presentations.
• Cross-train with other team members to ensure adequate back-up support and balance during high-volume periods.
• Maintain confidentiality of sensitive personnel and financial information at all times.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Industry: Executive, Legislative, and Other General Government Support
• Education Level: Bachelor's degree
• Number of Employees: 1,001-5,000 employees