With the approval of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, the governing board of a unified school district, or district with over 10,000 average daily attendance, may cause to be drawn all warrants on the county treasurer against all the funds, except debt service, of the district in the county treasury in the payment of the expenses of the district. The warrants shall be issued by a person designated as the district auditor or district disbursing officer for the school district on the county treasurer in favor of the persons entitled thereto in payment of all claims chargeable against the district which have been legally examined, allowed, and ordered paid by the governing board. The district auditor shall issue warrants on the county treasurer for all debts and demands against the district when the amounts are fixed by law. The form of the warrant shall be as prescribed by the governing board and approved by the county auditor or county treasurer having jurisdiction.

Notwithstanding Section 42631, the cost of printing the warrants shall be borne by the district.

No county officer shall be responsible for producing reports, statements, and other data relating to or based on these payments of the expenses of the districts. Those districts issuing warrants as provided by this section shall provide the county superintendent of schools, in the form prescribed by him or her, with the data necessary to make retirement reports and other reports required of him or her by law. All warrants, vouchers, and supporting documents shall be kept by the school districts that draw their own warrants.

Notwithstanding Section 27005 of the Government Code, or any other section requiring orders for warrants or warrants to be signed by the county superintendent of schools or the county auditor, or both, the county treasurer shall pay the warrant, if money is available.

Notwithstanding Section 41000, except for assessing and tax collecting, the county auditor and the county treasurer may charge those districts that draw their own warrants for the cost of all fiscal services.

The person authorized by the governing board of the district to issue warrants pursuant to this section shall execute an official bond in an amount fixed by the governing board conditioned upon the faithful performance of his or her duties under this section. A county superintendent of schools or a county auditor shall not be liable under the terms of their bonds or otherwise for any warrant issued pursuant to this section. It is not intended that this provision shall be applied so as to impair the obligation of any contract in the bond of the officer in effect on the effective date of this section.

A listing of the warrants issued under this section by each school district shall be forwarded to the county auditor having jurisdiction, upon his or her request, and to the county superintendent of schools having jurisdiction over the district on the same day warrants are issued. The listing, which may be magnetic tape, punched cards, or in other form, shall report, among other things, the warrant number, date of the warrant, amount of the warrant, the name of the payee, and the fund on which the warrant is drawn.

The form and content of the warrant listing shall be as prescribed by the governing board and approved by the county auditor having jurisdiction.

Each unified school district or district with over 10,000 average daily attendance that issues warrants pursuant to this section shall furnish monthly to the county superintendent of schools and the county auditor of the county of jurisdiction, upon his or her request, a statement showing for the current fiscal year to date, for each required expenditure classification, the amount budgeted, actual expenditures, encumbrances and unencumbered balances.

In order to obtain the approval of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, a unified school district, or district with over 10,000 average daily attendance, shall file a written application with the county superintendent of schools of jurisdiction. Upon receipt of an application from the district, the county superintendent of schools shall cause a survey to be made of the district’s accounting controls by an independent certified public accountant or public accountant in accordance with standards prescribed by the Controller. The certified public accountant or public accountant shall report his or her findings and recommendations to the county superintendent, county auditor, and to the applicant district.

The county superintendent shall forward the district’s application, together with his or her other recommendations and the recommendations of the county auditor and a report of the survey, to the Superintendent of Public Instruction for approval or disapproval of the application. The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall approve the application only if he or she finds that the accounting controls of the district are adequate. If the Superintendent of Public Instruction determines that these controls are inadequate, he or she shall disapprove the application.

The county superintendent of schools shall be reimbursed for all costs incident to the accounting controls survey made pursuant to the district’s application from the district’s funds.

When approved by the Superintendent of Public Instruction, the issuance of warrants pursuant to this section shall be effective at the beginning of the fiscal year if the approval had been made prior to the preceding first day in January. If the issuance of warrants has been disapproved, the Superintendent of Public Instruction and the county superintendent of schools shall state the specific steps that must be taken by the school district in order to receive approval. If at any time the county superintendent of schools determines that the accounting controls of the district have become inadequate, he or she may recommend to the Superintendent of Public Instruction that the approval be revoked, to be effective on the first day of the following fiscal year.

(Amended by Stats. 1995, Ch. 530, Sec. 16. Effective January 1, 1996.)