Administrative Services
The Finance and Business Operations Department provides a variety of comprehensive back-office services to the AIU’s 130+ programs and member school districts.
In our dynamic, ever-changing society, disruption has become the norm. Personnel needs and requirements in every business have become more complex. To adapt quickly, school district administrators must have accurate, up-to-date data at their fingertips. The AIU helps school leaders manage routine business office activities while staying on top of the latest legal and policy developments. Here are just a few of the services we provide.
ACCESS Program
The School-Based Access Program (SBAP) allows school districts and charter schools to receive partial reimbursement for health-related services provided to special education students who are eligible for Medicaid. Through a contractual agreement, the AIU team offers SBAP management services and supports the billing process and data submission, with the goal of helping LEAs maximize reimbursement while maintaining compliance.
Services include:
- Access to specialized staff and a direct point of contact
- Student MA eligibility checks
- Obtaining medical authorizations for services
- Uploading student, provider, and IEP data to MAXCapture
- Submission of quarterly participant lists and calendar in SSG
- Training sessions and materials for providers
- Submission of Specialized Transportation logs
- Six-year record retention in accordance with program guidelines
- Compliance monitoring and technical assistance with audits
- Program updates and consultation to maximize reimbursement
Act I Mailing
The Taxpayer Relief Act, known as Act 1, was passed in 2006 to provide property tax relief to qualifying resident homeowners. The AIU coordinates the mailing to thousands of homes in Allegheny County.
Business Administrator Role-Alike Meetings
The Finance and Business Operations Department organizes quarterly role-alike meetings for Allegheny County school district business administrators. These free sessions give school business leaders the opportunity to discuss topics that impact district operations. The AIU’s staff provides timely updates on local, state, and federal issues that affect budgets and offers information that saves time and money.
Joint Purchasing Program
The Finance and Business Operations Department oversees the AIU’s Joint Purchasing Program which saves schools millions of dollars every year in the purchase of:
- Electricity
- Diesel Fuel
- Gasoline
- Natural Gas
- Paper Products
The program also streamlines the procurement process by preparing specifications, advertising, analyzing bids, conducting bid openings, evaluating samples, recommending bid awards, and notifying bidders.
Shared Services
The AIU offers shared services for common school district administrative functions that enable school districts to gain efficiencies by strategically centralizing, consolidating, and standardizing non-classroom functions. These services include payroll processing, benefit processing, core human capital management, accounts payable, purchasing, and general ledger.
Special Education Services
The department also supports a variety of financial activities related to the AIU’s special education programs including IDEA monitoring and student transportation.
Unless otherwise noted, for more information, please contact Kim Enz at kimberly.enz@aiu3.net.