It is budget season in school districts across our state. Post Falls School District has a unique and interactive way to set priorities for the upcoming year. On Thursday April 14th, administrators, parents, staff and local business members learned about funding schools in Idaho from our CFO, Katie Ebner. After her presentation, each building leader and department head shared a list of 2-3 top priorities gathered from their staff. Participants had the opportunity to select their own priorities through a voting process. Results will inform the development of the district’s budget for the upcoming school year. At the June 13th school board meeting, the trustees will review and approve the budget for 2022-2023.

~ Dena Naccarato, Superintendent

The Post Falls School District Finance Department (pictured above) is led by Katie Ebner who joined the Post Falls team in January. Katie was born and raised in North Idaho and earned her BA degree with a concentration in accounting from Gonzaga University. She has worked in K-12 public school finance for ten years, the majority of her tenure in Idaho. Katie supervises the business office, oversees all financial functions of the district, and is currently serving a second term on the Idaho School Business Officials executive board. Some of her PFSD responsibilities include building the district budget, cash flow management, annual audits, and government finance laws/regulatory compliance.

Meet our Finance Department team members:

• Jennifer Gahringer - Controller

Jennifer has worked in the district finance department since 2018. Jennifer supervises the accounting staff and is also responsible for a number of accounting tasks. She ensures the accuracy of financial reporting for district funds.

• Deede Collins - Payroll

Deede joined the PFSD finance team as payroll specialist in 2020. Deede processes payroll for 800 employees each month and fields questions from staff on pay and deductions.

• Karen Wilhelm - Business Systems Specialist

Karen has been with the District since 1994. She had served as head secretary at Prairie View Elementary and the former Kinder Center. In 2020 she joined the finance team to lead a number of software implementations to modernize the business office, as well as standardize processes throughout the district.

• Kathy Rodgers - Medicaid Billing Specialist and Fingerprintor Extraordinaire

Kathy has been with the district since 2019 and is responsible for Medicaid billing for eligible costs associated with district-provided services. Her work generates revenue for the district to maintain special education services. Kathy also manages fingerprinting and background checks for new hires.

• Marie Woodward - Accounts Payable

Marie joined the Post Falls School District in 2018. Marie processes accounts payable for the district. She works with schools and departments to ensure payments are processed in a timely manner and fields questions from district vendors.

• Jill Stevenson - Substitute Coordinator

Jill has been with the District since 2004. She started at River City Middle School as a para-professional and then moved to West Ridge serving as assistant secretary and head secretary. In 2021 she joined the district office team where she ensures all teachers and special education parapro absences are filled each day. She is responsible for training subs and placing them in appropriate positions.

• Tiffany Benson - Human Resources

Tiffany joined the District Office team last December. She serves our staff through benefits education and enrollment assistance, manages compliance for our human resources functions– including FMLA and workers comp, and provides support in areas of hiring and onboarding.

Kindergarten in Post Falls School District will be a full day program beginning fall 2022.

It is time to plan for kindergarten! We are excited to welcome incoming kindergarten students and their families for the 2022-2023 school year. We are proud to offer full-day kindergarten (5 days per week) to all students. We will no longer offer a ½ day program.

Pre-register now! Until June 10, parents have two options to pre-register their incoming kindergarten student.

• Option 1: Online pre-registration form. (LINK)
• Option 2: Phone pre-registration (Beginning April 18, parents may call the child’s school to pre-register. If you reach the answering machine, please leave a message including your phone number for office staff to return your call.)

More information can be found on the PFSD website or call the District Office at 208-773-1658.

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