Cambridge Public Schools has won the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award from the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada.

The award represents a significant achievement, reflecting the commitment of the governing body and staff to meeting the highest principles of governmental budgeting, the association said. To get the award, CPS had to satisfy nationally recognized guidelines for effective budget presentation designed to assess how well a budget serves as a policy document, financial plan, operations guide and communications device.

Budget documents must be rated “proficient” in all four categories and the 14 mandatory criteria within them to get the award.

When a Distinguished Budget Presentation Award is granted, a certificate of recognition is also presented to the person or department designated as being primarily responsible for it, and this has been presented to the city’s Finance Department.

There were 1,424 participants of the award for budgets beginning last year. The GFOA’s Distinguished Budget Presentation Awards Program is the only national awards program in governmental budgeting.

The Government Finance Officers Association is a professional association serving more than 18,000 appointed and elected local, state and provincial-level government officials and other finance practitioners. It provides publications, training programs, services and products designed to enhance the skills and performance of those responsible for government finance policy and management. The association is based in Chicago, with offices in Washington, D.C.