The J.F. Austin Group
Rural PK-12 Advisory Division

Strategic finance and operational leadership, built for rural school districts.

We give rural superintendents, cabinet members, and school boards the senior financial partner they rarely have: ten years inside the cabinet, tested controls, clean audits, and systems that survive turnover.

Explore Tax Advisory

10 yrs

Corrected ten years of recurring audit findings, resulting in two clean audits

$2.7M+

Competitive federal and state grants secured

87%

Voter approval for facilities and technology referendum

$20M

Capital construction program led, delivering a new high school

FULL CAPABILITIES

Everything we do for rural school districts.

From budget turnaround and grant restructuring to superintendent entry planning and executive coaching, our scope is comprehensive and focused on rural systems.

FINANCE

Stewardship, forecasting & audit turnaround

  • Fractional and interim CFO leadership
  • Budget development, forecasting, and multi-year planning
  • Financial operations review: payroll, payables, purchasing, and internal controls
  • Audit support, findings response, and corrective action
  • Board financial reporting and performance dashboards
  • Financial stewardship for turnaround districts and districts facing resource gaps
OPERATIONS

Facilities, compensation & shared services

  • Capital planning: bond and facilities programs, vendor procurement, and project oversight
  • Compensation: salary schedule review, pay-scale development, and market studies
  • HR operations: written SOPs for hiring, onboarding, evaluation, and compliance
  • Shared services: transportation, food services, and facilities
  • Grants management, risk management, and business continuity
  • Systems implementation: financial and HR platforms and digitized workflows
LEADERSHIP & DEVELOPMENT

Executive entry, safety & crisis response

  • Superintendent entry planning and first-year strategy
  • Knowledge transfer and continuity planning
  • Onboarding and first-90-days roadmaps for new executives
  • Leadership structures and succession planning
  • District safety planning and emergency-response training
  • Crisis communication training for superintendents, cabinets, and boards
  • Coaching and mentoring for new executive leaders
  • Leadership academies and succession pipelines
  • Keynotes and working sessions for conferences and retreats

HOW WE ENGAGE

Three ways districts partner with us.

LONG-TERM

Monthly retainer

Engagements of 3 months or more. Ongoing partnership, cabinet advisory, and long-term system builds. Includes a weekly check-in, monthly progress report, and one shared tracker.

DEFINED WORK

Fixed-fee project

Short-term, one-time scope such as a financial diagnostic, policy review, internal control audit, or salary schedule restructuring. One price confirmed in writing before work begins.

AS NEEDED

Hourly advisory

Senior counsel when you call: board meeting preparation, crisis communication, superintendent coaching, or targeted working sessions.

Ready to talk about your district?

Calls are 30 minutes, confidential, with no obligation.

RESEARCH

Research on rural school district finance and operations.

SCHOOL DISTRICT LEADERSHIP

Systems That Outlast Turnover: A Hypothesis-Driven Approach to Finance and Operations Leadership in Rural School Districts

6 pages

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SCHOOL DISTRICT OPERATIONS

Lean Six Sigma and Beyond: Comparing DMAIC with a Turnover-Resilient Methodology for Rural School District Finance and Operations

6 pages

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TEACHING CASE · SCHOOL FINANCE AND GOVERNANCE

The Board Hears It Last: Finances at Tallow Creek City Schools

22 pages

Download PDF
See all research based evidence

RURAL PK-12 ADVISORY

Rural PK-12 Advisory: Common Questions.

WHO WE HELP

Superintendents, cabinet members and school boards in rural districts who run tight budgets and complex federal programs with small teams. It's especially useful when a key finance leader is leaving, a district has audit findings to clear, or leaders want a senior partner to think through a big decision.

WHAT WE DO

Ask us about rural PK-12 advisory or Tax-Ready Books.