The Superintendent or designee may invest as permitted by law all or part of the special reserve fund of the district or any surplus monies not required for immediate district operations. Such investments shall be limited to securities specified in Government Code 16430, 53601 and 53635.
The Governing Board recognizes that the Superintendent or designee has fiduciary responsibility and is subject to prudent investor standards for all investment decisions. As such, district investments must be made with skill, prudence and diligence, with the primary objective of safeguarding the principal of the funds and with the secondary objective of meeting the district's liquidity needs. In order to enhance investment return, the district's third investment objective shall be to generate an investment yield that attains or exceeds a market-average rate of return through economic cycles.
The Board recognizes the importance of overseeing investments made with district funds, including investments by the county treasurer. The Superintendent or designee shall maintain ongoing communication with any county committees established for the purpose of overseeing county investments. In addition, the Superintendent or designee shall keep the Board informed about policies that guide the investment of these funds.
The Superintendent or designee shall annually provide to the Board and any district investment oversight committee a statement of the district's investment policy or, if all district surplus funds are invested with the county treasurer, the county's investment policy. At a public meeting, the Board shall review this policy and discuss any changes to be made. If the Board decides not to invest surplus funds in the county treasury, the Superintendent or designee also shall provide the Board quarterly reports with specified components, including a statement of how the district's portfolio compares with the district's investment policy. (Government Code 53646)
Legal Reference:
EDUCATION CODE
41001 Deposit of money in county treasury
41002 General fund deposits and exceptions
41002.5 Deposit of certain funds in insured institutions
41003 Funds received from rental of real property
41015 Authorization of and limitation investment of district funds
41017 Deposit of miscellaneous receipts
41018 Disposition of money received
42840-42843 Special reserve fund
GOVERNMENT CODE
16430 Eligible securities for investment of surplus money
17581.5 Mandates contingent upon state funding
27000.3 Fiduciary for deposits in county treasury
27130-27137 County treasury oversight committees
53600-53609 Investment of surplus
53630-53686 Deposit of funds, especially:
53635 Local agency funds; deposit or investment
53646 Treasurer reports and statements of investment policy
53852.5 Investment term for funds designated for repayment of notes
53859.02 Borrowing by local agency
Management Resources:
CSBA PUBLICATIONS
Maximizing School Board Governance: Fiscal Accountability, 2005
School Finance CD-ROM, 2005
CALIFORNIA DEBT AND INVESTMENT ADVISORY COMMISSION PUBLICATIONS
Local Agency Investment Guidelines, 2002, rev. 2004
WEB SITES
California State Treasurer's Office, California Debt and Investment Advisory Commission: http://www.treasurer.ca.gov/cdiac
Policy SANTA CLARA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
adopted: March 8, 2001 Santa Clara, California
reviewed: April 25, 2013