Date:   December 23, 2003 
Contact: Irene Cromer
703-791-8720 
 
 

The Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) has awarded its Distinguished Budget Presentation Award to Prince William County Public Schools for its annual budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2003.  This is the fifth consecutive year that the school division has earned this award, which is the highest form of recognition in governmental budgeting.

In a press release announcing the award, the GFOA said, “this award represents a significant achievement by [Prince William County Public Schools].  It reflects the commitment of the governing body and staff to meeting the highest principles of government budgeting.  In order to receive this award, a governmental unit must satisfy nationally recognized guidelines for effective budget presentations.  These guidelines are designed to asses how well an entity's budget serves as a policy document, as an operations guide, as a financial plan, and as a communications device.”

The GFOA has presented a Certificate of Recognition for Budget Presentation to Robert Horwath, Supervisor of Budget.  Horwath, Director of Finance David Cline, and Associate Superintendent for Management Robert Ferrebee, will be recognized for this accomplishment at a School Board meeting in February.

Since the inception of the GFOA’s Distinguished Budget Presentation Awards Program in 1984, approximately 900 entities have received the award.  Award recipients have pioneered efforts to improve the quality of budgeting and provide an excellent example for other governments throughout North America.  The Government Finance Officers Association is a nonprofit professional association serving 14,000 government finance professionals throughout North America.  The GFOA’s Distinguished Budget Presentation award Program is the only national awards program in governmental budgeting.