NYC Public School Financial Consulting & Advisory

Your school’s priorities. Our financial expertise.

Budget planning, funding guidance, and hands-on Galaxy support — explained in plain language, by a specialist who works only with NYC public schools.

Book a school finance call Take the 60-second check-up

Specialized expertise. Responsive service. Most routine requests are answered by the end of the business day.

Wide street view of a red-brick New York City public school — the whole building, sidewalk, and a school bus at the curb
NYC-Certified M/WBE Vendor NYC Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprise (M/WBE)
Official NYCDOE Vendor
Direct accessText or call your consultant — no ticket queues.
Galaxy expertiseBudget planning and scheduling, done right in the system you use.
ResponsiveRoutine requests answered the same business day.
School-centeredEvery recommendation starts from your school’s priorities.

The problem

You became a principal to lead a school — not to chase a purchase order.

Every NYC public school runs on money that arrives with its own rules, deadlines, and systems. When those pile up, instruction starts competing with paperwork for your attention.

01

The budget doesn’t tell a clear story

Allocations, funding sources, and spending plans live in different places, so it’s hard to see what you can actually do this term — and what has to wait.

02

Galaxy takes more hours than it should

Budget lines, modifications, and approvals wait on the one person who understands the system — or on a reply that arrives after the deadline that mattered.

03

Purchases stall before they start

Your secretary can only pay from budget lines that are scheduled in Galaxy. When the schedule is off, the materials, equipment, and services your students are waiting for get held up.

04

No one to call who knows your school

General help lines give general answers. You need guidance that reflects your priorities, your staff, and your calendar — from someone who already knows all three.

Clarity about your money should not cost you your evenings.

The solution

One finance partner who knows how NYC public schools actually work.

KIES Consulting gives principals a specialist for the money side of the school — so decisions get made faster, purchases move, and your attention goes back to students and staff.

Step One

Talk to a person

Bring a real question — a budget line, a stalled order, a funding decision — and get a practical answer plus a clear next step, not a help-desk script.

Step Two

Start from your priorities

Every recommendation is tied to what your school is trying to achieve this year, not to a generic checklist written for someone else’s building.

Step Three

Move it forward

We work alongside you in Galaxy until your budget is scheduled and ready for your secretary to pay from — then tighten the process so the next request is easier than the last.

Services

Two services. One goal: your budget working for your school.

Focused support for the two places school finance gets stuck — planning the money, and working the budget system that lets your school spend it.

Budget Planning & Funding Guidance

Planning school budgets and guiding funding so resources match your school’s priorities.

  • Annual budget planning built around your school’s goals
  • Clear guidance on funding sources and what each can pay for
  • Spending plans you can explain to your team with confidence

Galaxy Financial System Support

Help for principals using the Galaxy system to plan the school budget.

  • Budget setup, modifications, and schedule changes in Galaxy
  • Budget lines scheduled correctly, so your secretary can pay from them in FAMIS
  • Answers in plain language while you’re looking at the screen
  • Problems flagged early, before they become deadline emergencies

Not sure which one you need first? The 60-second School Check-Up below points to the area that deserves attention first.

School Finance Check-Up

Where could your school use a hand?

Five quick statements. Answer honestly — your result updates as you go and shows which area to look at first.

Why schools choose KIES

Specific promises, kept every week.

KIES has grown the way strong school partnerships grow — by referral, from one principal to the next. That only happens when the work holds up, week after week.

Direct access

Text or call your consultant and reach a person who knows your school — not a call center.

Galaxy expertise

Galaxy is our specialty — budget planning, scheduling, and the setup that lets your school spend.

Responsive turnaround

Most routine requests are addressed by the end of the business day. Deadlines don’t wait, and neither do we.

School-centered guidance

Two schools with the same budget can need very different plans. Yours is built around your priorities.

Since 2016

Supporting NYC public schools — and growing almost entirely through principal-to-principal referrals.

M/WBE + NYCDOE

Certified NYC Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprise (M/WBE) for nearly four years, and an official NYCDOE vendor.

1 focus

School finance only. No general accounting practice, no divided attention — NYC schools are the specialty.

Hands reviewing and signing school paperwork on a clipboard
Finance, handled with care — down to the last form.

About KIES Consulting

Finance support from someone who works in your world.

KIES Consulting is a certified NYC Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprise (M/WBE) and an official NYCDOE vendor, built for one purpose: the financial side of NYC public schools.

School leaders are asked to be instructional experts, community builders, and budget managers all at once. Galaxy, the budget system principals rely on, was not designed to be obvious, and the people who could explain it are rarely a text message away.

That gap is why KIES exists. Since 2016, the practice has grown through word of mouth — principals recommending a consultant who answers quickly, explains clearly, and treats their school’s priorities as the plan. No advertising. Just work that schools pass along.

When you work with KIES, you work with a person, not a portal. Someone who knows your building, your calendar, and what your budget is trying to make possible for your students.

Stronger schools. Brighter futures.

Reachable

You get a real person who answers your text or call.

Specialized

NYC public schools and Galaxy are our whole focus.

School-centered

Your priorities decide the advice. Every time.

Questions

What principals ask before they call.

Who does KIES Consulting work with?

We support NYC public schools and the people responsible for their budgets — principals, assistant principals, and the secretaries and staff who manage funding and purchasing day to day.

What does Galaxy support actually include?

Help with budget planning and scheduling in Galaxy. Your budget has to be scheduled in Galaxy before your secretary can pay from it in FAMIS, so getting Galaxy right is what lets spending move. We explain what each step means, work through it with you, and flag problems early — before they turn into missed deadlines.

What is the difference between Galaxy and FAMIS?

Galaxy is where principals plan and allocate the school budget: where the money goes and how much. FAMIS is where school secretaries process purchases and payments. Money can only be spent in FAMIS from lines that are scheduled in Galaxy. That is why KIES Consulting specializes in Galaxy: when the budget is set up correctly there, spending can move.

How fast will I hear back?

Most routine requests are addressed by the end of the business day. You reach your consultant directly by text or call — there is no ticket system between you and an answer.

Will the advice fit my school?

Yes — that is the point. We start from your school’s priorities and build recommendations around them. Two schools with identical budgets can need very different plans.

What do the M/WBE and NYCDOE vendor certifications mean for my school?

KIES Consulting has been certified by New York City as a Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprise (M/WBE) for nearly four years, and is certified by the NYC Department of Education as an official NYCDOE vendor. For many schools, working with a certified vendor also supports their procurement goals — your procurement contact can confirm how it applies to your purchasing.

How does payment work?

Simply: KIES Consulting is an official NYCDOE vendor and has worked with NYC public schools for almost a decade. Schools pay KIES through the standard NYCDOE payment process, including through FAMIS. Nothing is paid through this website.

What does it cost, and how do we start?

Scope and fees depend on what your school needs. Start with a short call: tell us where you’re stuck, and we’ll follow up with a clear proposal. No pressure, no obligation.

Ready when you are

The smartest call you’ll make about your budget this year.

Tell us where your school is stuck. We’ll arrange a short call, talk through your next step, and follow up with a clear proposal — whether you hire us or not, you’ll leave the conversation knowing exactly where you stand.

  • A short, focused conversation — about your school, not a sales pitch
  • A clear next step for your most pressing finance question
  • A written proposal with scope and fees, only if it makes sense

Your school’s priorities.
Our financial expertise.