In today's fiscal climate, characterized by property tax adjustments and heightened financial oversight, transparency and trust are more important than ever. One of the most effective ways to foster this trust is through the treasurer's page on your district's website.
Start with a Simple Question: Can They Find You?
Ask a family member or friend to visit your district’s website and try to find the treasurer’s information. How many clicks did it take?
If it took more than a couple of clicks, your community may be struggling to find it, too. Whether your page lives under “Administration,” “Departments,” or a dedicated “Treasurer” section, the goal is to make it easy to find. Once you are there, how much scrolling do you have to do to find current content? Are your most recent documents clearly accessible when visitors land on your page, or do they have to scroll and scroll to find them?
Keep It Current
Are you showing as the treasurer on your website? An outdated webpage can undermine credibility. If your content hasn’t been updated in years, now is the time. Best practices include:
- Posting new forecasts and moving old ones to an archive
- Updating presentations after board meetings
- Reviewing content regularly for accuracy
Know How Your Page Gets Updated
Not every treasurer controls their own webpage. In some districts, communications or IT staff manage updates, while in others, the treasurer may handle it directly.
If you’re unsure, now is a good time to find out. Knowing the process ensures you can keep information current and accurate when it matters most.
What Should Be on Your Page?
Your treasurer’s webpage doesn’t need to be complicated, but it should be clear. At a minimum, consider including:
- A brief description of the treasurer role
A short, clear explanation helps provide context for your work. An example would be School treasurers are trusted leaders who guide district leadership on fiscal matters. OR School treasurers are the chief financial officers of a school district. They are responsible for budgeting and forecasting, accounting, payroll, and managing assets.
- Key financial documents
Make it easy for the public to access:
- The latest financial forecast
- Current budget presentations
- The most recent board presentation
- The most recent audit
- Your district’s funding story
- District metrics and trends
High-level, multi-year data helps tell a consistent story over time.
- Awards and recognitions
Honors from groups like the Auditor of State or GFOA reinforce credibility.
- Helpful resources
Links to your county auditor’s tax page for an explanation of property taxes and calculators, the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce school funding and forecast information, and the Auditor of State’s resources can be helpful.
- Public records request information
Explain how community members can request information.
What Should You Leave Off?
Cybersecurity is an important consideration. Recent guidance from CyberOhio includes:
- Avoid listing all fiscal office staff, as this can allow bad actors to create phishing or redirect scams using employees’ names.
- Avoid posting individual employee email addresses for the same reason.
- Consider using a general contact email (such as treasurer@yourdistrict.org and payroll@yourdistrict.org). This approach improves security and keeps your page accurate even as staff changes. It also allows multiple staff to access email when someone is out of the office.
There are multiple schools of thought about this guidance. It is certainly important for the public to know who the treasurer is. In some districts, you may need staff to know who holds what role in the finance office so they know who can help them. The important thing is to evaluate what is best for your district.
In addition to cybersecurity concerns, consider the clutter factor. Can you find what you are looking for easily, without having to sort through a lot of items? Consider showcasing the most recent content prominently and moving older content such as previous versions of the forecast, monthly presentations and newsletters, to archive folders that are clearly labeled.
Final Thought
Your website is often the first place your community turns for answers. A clear, accessible, and up-to-date treasurer’s page sends the message that your district is transparent, responsive, and committed to accountability.
Here are a few examples of websites from districts of different sizes that can give you ideas about how to organize your content and what to include. Thank you to these treasurers for graciously offering their pages as examples.
New Albany Plain Local Schools
London City Schools
Bexley City Schools
Xenia City Schools