About
Upper St. Clair School District serves approximately 4,000 students across six schools and manages more than $120 million in total fixed assets.
Location
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Products and Services
Located in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Upper St. Clair School District serves approximately 4,000 students across six schools and manages more than $120 million in total fixed assets.
Scott Burchill, the school district’s Director of Business & Finance, oversees all district-wide financial operations, including food service, risk management, board coordination, and audit preparation. With more than two decades of experience in school business management, he focuses on efficiency, compliance, and long-term fiscal stability. Catrina Cromwell, Assistant Director of Business and Finance, manages daily financial activities including the general ledger, banking, reconciliations, and audit preparation. Together, they maintain precise, transparent, and compliant financial operations across the district, setting a strong standard for how a public entity finance department should operate.
Before partnering with Centurisk, the district’s fixed asset tracking process lacked efficiency.
“When I arrived, the district was managing assets through an Excel spreadsheet, and we didn’t have in-house expertise for valuation,” said Burchill.
The manual, time-consuming approach also made it difficult to ensure compliance with GASB standards and audit requirements.
So, to support their over $120 million in total fixed assets, the district sought a more structured, compliant, and efficient solution
Centurisk became Upper St. Clair School District’s partner of choice to manage its fixed asset inventory and provide the industry expertise they needed. Centurisk offers a full-service solution that includes:
“It gives us a process we otherwise wouldn’t have had,” said Burchill. “It puts us on a schedule, gives the auditors confidence, and ensures that someone with the right training is managing our fixed assets.”
“By outsourcing our fixed asset inventory management to Centurisk, we save significant internal time and resources. We have someone we can rely on. Someone who knows what they’re doing, provides the reports we need, and helps us communicate with our auditors.”
Now, when a new asset over $8,000 is purchased, it’s flagged internally and added to a documentation folder.
“We’re not maintaining a day-to-day ledger,” explained Burchill. “Centurisk updates it annually. So, we get all documentation ready, and then Justin Deem, VP of Appraisal Operations at Centurisk, visits us. He identifies these purchases on-site, applies asset tags, and updates the district’s fixed asset records.”
After each visit, the district receives preliminary and final reports in PDF form, which are used for annual audits and insurance reviews.
1. Audit Compliance and Confidence
Centurisk’s structured approach ensures full compliance with GASB and audit reporting requirements.
“Our auditors feel more comfortable knowing that we partner with experts to manage our inventory and provide the reports they need,” said Burchill. “Fixed assets are a necessary part of compliance and annual reporting, and Centurisk helps us meet those requirements efficiently.”
2. Reduced Internal Burden
By outsourcing inventory management, the district avoids the cost of asset management software, staff training, and manual data entry. “It’s money well spent,” said Burchill. “We’re not directing internal resources away from the classroom.”
3. Insurance Cost Savings
Using Centurisk’s insurance valuations, the district negotiates fairer premiums and pushes back against overly conservative underwriter models.
“Underwriters don’t put boots on the ground—they model everything. Having actual valuation data helps me keep rates in check,” explained Burchill.
4. Trusted Partnership
Scott Buchill’s long-term relationship with the Centurisk team—spanning over 20 years and multiple districts—has built lasting trust.
“The people make the difference. The Centurisk team has been good to us. They’re reliable and consistent.”
Centurisk delivers specialized expertise and a hands-on approach tailored to public sector asset management. By outsourcing fixed asset inventory and valuation, the district ensures compliance, audit readiness, and optimized insurance coverage without straining internal capacity.
“For districts without the resources to manage this internally, Centurisk provides the process, expertise, and assurance you need,” said Buchill.
"Overall, fixed asset inventory management with Centurisk is money well spent. We’re not pulling resources away from other priorities in the district. Fixed asset inventory is a necessary part of compliance and annual reporting, and Centurisk helps us meet those requirements efficiently."
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