Money Minute: Finding the Corner Pieces

February Money Minute: Finding the Corner Pieces

Director’s Corner

I currently have a 1,000-piece puzzle of a cozy winter cabin spread across a card table in my living room. It’s a beautiful scene, but right now, it’s mostly just a chaotic sea of very similar-looking blues, whites, and wood-grain browns. I spent 20 minutes yesterday trying to force a piece of the snowy roof into a section of the frozen lake. My back ached, my eyes were crossing, and I realized I was missing the one thing every puzzler needs to maintain their sanity: a clear system for sorting the pieces. 

Navigating Minnesota school finance often feels exactly like that puzzle. We are constantly trying to fit complex legislative changes, UFARS coding requirements, and student-specific needs into one coherent picture. Sometimes, you just need a tool that can help you find all the "corner pieces" at once.

That is why I’ve been so excited about NotebookLM.

Optimizing Finance Answers with AI

NotebookLM is designed to take those "thousand pieces" of information (dense manuals like the UFARS Manual and the Special Education Funding Guide) and organize them into a searchable, intelligent knowledge base. Instead of manually flipping through hundreds of pages on a pdf to find a specific rule, you can query the system and get instant answers.

How It Helps You "Solve the Puzzle":

• Instant Querying: Ask specific questions about funding rules and receive step-by-step workflow instructions.
• Direct Citations: Every answer comes with a direct citation to the source text, so you can verify the "fit" immediately.
• Cross-Referencing: It can cross-reference statewide policies with specific requirements, ensuring everything aligns.

Putting It into Practice

The next time you’re feeling overwhelmed by a "deep snow bank" in your financial knowledge, try uploading the most-used manuals to NotebookLM. It allows administrators to find accurate answers to complex questions without the frustration of manual page-flipping.

Your NotebookLM Start-Up Kit

To help you find your own "corner pieces," I’ve put together a quick start-up kit. You can find these resources below:

1. Watch the Tutorial: If you want to see the tool in action before diving in, check out The Ultimate Guide to NotebookLM - All 2025 Features Explained. It breaks down how to use the latest AI features specifically for document analysis.

2. Recommended PDF Resources: I suggest uploading these core manuals to your first notebook to ensure you are getting answers based on official MDE guidance:

• 2026 UFARS Manual.pdf -
• Sped Funding and Data Reference Guide.pdf -
• MN School Finance.pdf -
• Tuition Billing Reference Guide 2024.pdf -
• MDE SEDRA Presentations.pdf

3. Try These "Power Prompts": Once your documents are uploaded, try asking the notebook these questions to see how it "solves the puzzle" for you:

• "Based on the UFARS manual, what are the specific criteria for coding an expenditure to FIN 419 versus FIN 740?"
• "Summarize the 'Three-Prong Test' for special education eligibility as described in the Funding and Data Reference Guide."
• "Create a step-by-step checklist for completing the end-of-year tuition billing cycle based on the 2024 Guide."

As for my winter cabin, I finally found that missing corner piece tucked under the edge of the couch. If only school finance were always that simple!

Rob

Rob Dehnert, Faribault Director of Student Support Services