Maryland · MSDE
K-12 accounting software built for Maryland districts.
Spire Ledgers ships pre-configured for Maryland State Department of Educationcompliance — the Financial Reporting Manual for Maryland Public Schools (Revised 2014) chart-of-accounts code structure, fund codes, and every required report. The right configuration loads automatically when you pick Maryland during onboarding.
Account-code structure (MSDE)
MSDE requires a specific multi-segment account code on every transaction. Spire builds the right structure for you.
| Segment | Digits | Description | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fund | var | Fund-type identifier — Current Expense, School Construction, Debt Service, Food Service, Student Activities, or Trust/Agency. | MSDE Financial Reporting Manual, Fund Codes |
| Category | 2 | Budget category as established by Education Article §5-101 (e.g. 01 Administration, 02 Mid-Level Administration, 03 Instructional Salaries & Wages, 04 Textbooks & Other Instructional Supplies, 05 Other Instructional Costs, 06 Special Education, 07 Student Personnel Services, 08 Health Services, 09 Student Transportation, 10 Operation of Plant, 11 Maintenance of Plant, 12 Fixed Charges, 14 Community Services, 15 Capital Outlay). | Education Article §5-101, Annotated Code of Maryland |
| Program | var | Sub-classification within a category; required for restricted grants reported in Fund 7 — Trust/Agency Fund. | MSDE Financial Reporting Manual |
| Object | var | Type of expenditure (e.g. salaries, contracted services, supplies, other charges, equipment, transfers). | MSDE Financial Reporting Manual |
| Sub-object | var | Optional further detail beyond the object code. | MSDE Financial Reporting Manual |
Fund registry
Spire ships a complete, audit-ready fund registry for Maryland — including federal Title programs, state allotments, debt service, capital projects, internal service funds, and GASB 84 student activity custodial funds.
Current Expense Fund (General Operating)
MSDE Financial Reporting Manual
School Construction Fund
MSDE Financial Reporting Manual
Debt Service Fund
MSDE Financial Reporting Manual
Food Service Fund (National School Lunch & Breakfast)
MSDE Financial Reporting Manual
Student Activities Fund (GASB 84)
MSDE Financial Reporting Manual
Trust and Agency Fund (restricted grants & scholarships)
MSDE Financial Reporting Manual
Required reports
Every MSDE mandatory financial submission, generated from your live ledger and exported in the format the SEA accepts.
Annual Financial Report (AFR)
AnnualYear-end financial actuals submitted by each LEA to MSDE in accordance with Education Article §5-101 and the Financial Reporting Manual; data populates MSDE's Selected Financial Data publication.
Education Article §5-101
Adopted Annual Operating Budget
AnnualLocal board-adopted operating budget, structured by the §5-101 budget categories, submitted to MSDE.
Education Article §5-101
Maintenance of Effort (MOE) Certification
AnnualDemonstrates the county/Baltimore City met its required local appropriation per pupil (Education Article §5-202).
Education Article §5-202
Independent Audit / GASB 34 Financial Statements
AnnualAudited basic financial statements conforming to GASB 34, submitted to MSDE and the local governing body.
MSDE Financial Reporting Manual
Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards (SEFA) / Single Audit
AnnualUniform Guidance Single Audit (2 CFR 200 Subpart F) for LEAs expending federal awards above the threshold.
2 CFR 200.510
Indirect Cost Rate Proposal
AnnualRestricted/unrestricted indirect cost rates approved by MSDE for federal grant draw-downs.
MSDE Office of Grants Administration
Selected Financial Data Submission
AnnualSource data for MSDE's Selected Financial Data – Maryland Public Schools publication (Revenue/Wealth/Effort and Expenditure parts).
MSDE Division of Business Services
Blueprint for Maryland's Future Compliance Reporting
AnnualReports tied to Blueprint pillars (early childhood, high-quality teachers, college- and career-ready, more resources for students who need them) under the Blueprint for Maryland's Future Act.
Blueprint for Maryland's Future Act (2021)
Maryland-specific compliance
- Maryland operates 24 local school systems — one per county and Baltimore City. LEAs are fiscally dependent on the county/city governing body, which appropriates funds in the §5-101 budget categories.
- Education Article §5-101 establishes the budget categories used in the AFR. The 1996 Maryland General Assembly modified categories: Office of the Principal moved out of Instruction and Instructional Administration & Supervision moved out of Administration into a new 'Mid-Level Administration' category.
- Maintenance of Effort (MOE) under Education Article §5-202 requires each county/Baltimore City to appropriate at least the same per-pupil amount of local funding as the prior year.
- Coding is required only to the category level for most fund-types; only the Trust/Agency Fund (Fund 7) requires program-level detail for restricted grants.
- Maryland State Retirement and Pension System (MSRPS) reporting: Teachers' Pension/Retirement System contributions for instructional staff.
- The Blueprint for Maryland's Future Act (2021) is a multi-billion-dollar education reform funded jointly by state and local sources, with new accountability and reporting requirements administered by the Accountability and Implementation Board (AIB).
- Capital school construction is administered jointly by the Interagency Commission on School Construction (IAC) and MSDE; School Construction Fund expenditures must reconcile with IAC project records.
Related states
K-12 accounting compliance profiles for districts in neighboring states:
Other states: Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware, West Virginia, District of Columbia. See all 50 states →
Maryland districts can run on Spire today.
Start a 30-day free trial of the K-12 TEA tier, fully configured for MSDE compliance. Or schedule a 30-minute demo for your business office.