Date:  February 4, 2003
Contact: Irene Cromer
(703) 791-8720

For the fourth consecutive year, the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) has awarded Prince William County Public Schools the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award.  The award is the highest form of recognition in government budgeting presented by the GFOA.  Robert Horwath, Supervisor of Budget for the school division, accepted a Certificate of Recognition on behalf of the school division.

In a news release announcing the award, the GFOA said, “This award represents a significant achievement…It reflects the commitment of the governing body and staff to meeting the highest principles of government budgeting.”

To qualify for the award, Prince William County Public Schools had to satisfy nationally recognized guidelines for effective budget presentation.  These guidelines are designed to assess how well an entity’s budget serves as a policy document, a financial plan, an operations guide, and a communications device.  Budget documents must be rated “proficient” in all four categories to receive the award.

The award not only acknowledges the excellent work done by the Finance Department in preparing the budget, but also reflects well on the school division’s overall financial planning and management.Since the inception of the GFOA’s Distinguished Budget Presentation Awards Program in 1984, approximately 900 entities have received the award.  According to the Association, “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 organization serving 14,000 government finance professionals throughout North America.  The GFOA’s Distinguished Budget Presentation Awards Program is the only national awards program in governmental budgeting.