Money and Schools

by Thompson, David C.; Wood, R. Craig

• ISBN13: 9781883001452
• ISBN10: 1883001455
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1998-03-01
• Publisher: Eye on Education

Table of Contents

ABOUT THE AUTHORS	v	(2)
FOREWORD	vii
PART I: OVERVIEW OF BROAD CONCEPTS	1	(100)
1 SCHOOLS, VALUES, AND MONEY	3	(16)
The Context of Public Education	3	(1)
What Are Schools Becoming?	4	(12)
Where Did Schools Come From?	5	(2)
What Should Schools Be Doing?	7	(2)
What Are Schools Capable of Doing?	9	(1)
What Is the Effect of Money on Schools?	9	(4)
What Happens When Schools Get More (or Less) Money?	13	(3)
Where Public Schools May Be Headed	16	(3)
2 SCHOOL FUNDS ACCOUNTABILITY AND PROFESSIONALISM	19	(34)
Setting the Stage	19	(1)
School Funds Accountability	20	(29)
What Is Accountability?	20	(2)
What Are Fiduciary Responsibilities?	22	(3)
How Does the Accounting Process Help?	25	(3)
What Are the Purposes of Accounting?	25	(3)
How Is School Money Set Up?	28	(4)
Fund Structure	28	(3)
Governmental Funds	29	(1)
Proprietary Funds	29	(1)
Fiduciary Funds	30	(1)
Account Groups	31	(1)
An Intermediate Overview	31	(1)
How Does School Money Get Tracked?	32	(17)
Revenue Structure	32	(3)
Expenditure Structure	35	(6)
The Accounting Transaction	41	(3)
Auditing	44	(5)
Types of Audits	44	(5)
A Final Word About Professionalism	49	(4)
3 BASIC FUNDING STRUCTURES	53	(22)
The Context of Funding	53	(1)
Revenue for Schools	54	(7)
What Is the Overarching Tax System?	54	(6)
What Is the Federal Tax System?	55	(2)
What Is the State Tax System?	57	(2)
What Is the Local Tax System?	59	(1)
Tax System Summary	60	(1)
Funding for Schools	61	(14)
What Are State Aid Formulas?	62	(1)
Where Did Aid Formulas Come From?	63	(2)
What Is a Fair Formula?	65	(5)
Flat Grants	65	(1)
Equalization Grants	65	(1)
Multitier Grants	66	(1)
Full State Funding Grants	67	(1)
Adjustments to Basic Formulas	68	(2)
Need Equalization	68	(1)
Cost Equalization	69	(1)
How Do States Fund Schools?	70	(1)
Are There Innovations on the Horizon?	71	(4)
4 LEGAL LIABILITY	75	(26)
Modern Realities	75	(1)
The Law and Schools	75	(24)
What Does the Law Have to Do With Schools?	76	(4)
The Derivation of School Authority	77	(3)
Federal Constitution	77	(1)
Congress	78	(1)
Federal Judiciary	78	(1)
State Constitutions	79	(1)
State Legislatures	79	(1)
State Judiciary	79	(1)
State Boards of Education	80	(1)
Local Authority to Act	80	(1)
What Is the Origin of Liability?	80	(19)
Sovereign Immunity	81	(5)
Proprietary Acts Exception	83	(1)
Nuisance Exception	84	(1)
Eleventh Amendment Exception	85	(1)
Tort Liability	86	(4)
Intentional Torts	87	(1)
Negligence	88	(2)
Civil Rights	90	(2)
Defamation	92	(2)
Educational Malpractice	94	(1)
Contracts	95	(2)
Recovery Under Contracts	97	(2)
What Does All This Mean?	99	(2)
PART II: OPERATIONALIZING SCHOOL MONEY	101	(180)
5 BUDGET PLANNING	103	(40)
The Game Plan	103	(1)
Conceptualizing Budgets	104	(4)
What Are the Basic Budget Concepts?	104	(4)
Organizing for Budgeting	108	(8)
What Are the Common Approaches to Budgeting?	108	(6)
Incremental Budgeting	108	(1)
Line-item Budgeting	109	(1)
Program Budgeting	110	(1)
Program, Planning, and Budgeting Systems	111	(1)
Zero-based Budgeting	112	(1)
School-site Budgeting	113	(1)
What Is a Good Budget Framework?	114	(2)
Constructing Budgets	116	(23)
What Is the Budget Model?	116	(3)
What Is the General Budget Process?	119	(17)
Estimating Revenues	119	(3)
Envisioning Educational Programs	122	(1)
Estimating Expenditures	123	(8)
Balancing the Budget	131	(5)
Increased Revenue	132	(1)
Static and Declining Revenue	133	(3)
Completing the Budget Process	136	(1)
How Are Individual Schools Funded?	136	(3)
What Is the Role of Stakeholders?	139	(4)
6 BUDGETING FOR PERSONNEL	143	(36)
The General Landscape	143	(1)
The Personnel Function	144	(9)
What Is the Scope of the Personnel Function?	144	(9)
Determining Staffing Needs	147	(3)
Recruitment and Selection	150	(2)
Other Personnel Budget Issues	152	(1)
Personnel Compensation Policies and Procedures	153	(16)
What Is the Role of Compensation?	154	(15)
General Issues	154	(5)
Negotiations	159	(10)
Basic Elements	159	(2)
Costing-out Salary Proposals	161	(5)
Impasse Resolution	166	(3)
Other Issues of Personnel Budgeting	169	(8)
What About Merit Pay?	169	(3)
What About RIF and Other Dismissals?	172	(3)
What About Due Process?	175	(2)
What Is the Role of Stakeholders?	177	(2)
7 BUDGETING FOR INSTRUCTION	179	(30)
The Big Picture	179	(1)
The Planning Function	180	(2)
What Is Instructional Planning?	180	(2)
District Mission and Goals	180	(1)
School Mission and Goals	181	(1)
Organizational Options	182	(4)
How Are Schools Organized?	182	(4)
Centralized Structure	182	(1)
Management Teams	183	(1)
Site-based Management	183	(3)
Instructional Budget Concepts	186	(15)
What Are Instructional Budgets?	186	(6)
What Are the Sources of Revenue?	192	(4)
External Sources	192	(1)
District Revenue Structures	193	(2)
School Revenue Structures	195	(1)
What Are the Elements of Budgeting for Instruction?	196	(2)
Needs Assessment	196	(1)
Determining Revenues and Educational Plans	196	(2)
District Coordination	198	(1)
What Does an Instructional Budget Look Like?	198	(3)
Wrap-up	201	(8)
8 BUDGETING FOR STUDENT ACTIVITIES	209	(16)
Activities and Schools	209	(1)
What Is the Role of Activities?	210	(1)
Budgeting for Activities	211	(11)
What Are Activity Funds?	211	(3)
Student Activity Funds	212	(1)
District Activity Funds	213	(1)
What Are the Controls on Activity Funds?	214	(6)
Lines of Authority	214	(1)
Suggested Activity Fund Policies	215	(1)
General Policies	215	(1)
Segregation of Duties	216	(1)
Internal Controls on Cash	217	(1)
Disbursement Procedures	218	(2)
What About Nonactivity Funds?	220	(2)
Fee Funds	220	(1)
Sales Tax	220	(1)
Petty Cash	221	(1)
What Does an Activity Fund Report Look Like?	222	(1)
A Final Word of Caution	222	(3)
9 BUDGETING FOR CAPITAL OUTLAY, MAINTENANCE, AND OPERATIONS	225	(28)
Physical Needs in Perspective	225	(1)
Structure of School Facility and Capital Needs	225	(15)
What Is the Role of Facilities and Capital Outlay?	226	(4)
The Condition of School Facilities	227	(3)
How Are School Facilities Aided?	230	(5)
Full State Funding	232	(1)
Equalization Grants	232	(1)
Matching Grants	233	(1)
Flat Grants	233	(1)
State Loans	234	(1)
State or Local Authorities	234	(1)
How Is the Local Cost Share Funded?	235	(5)
Current Revenues	236	(1)
Sinking Funds	237	(1)
Bonded Indebtedness	237	(1)
The Bonding Process	238	(2)
Facility Planning and Maintenance	240	(10)
What Is the Role of Facility Planning?	240	(6)
Demographic Planning	242	(1)
Capital Program Planning	243	(1)
Facility Planning and Programming	243	(1)
Architectural Planning	244	(1)
Construction Planning	245	(1)
What Is the Role of Maintenance and Operations?	246	(4)
Organizing for M&O	247	(2)
Determining Maintenance Needs	249	(1)
Conducting Facility Operations	249	(1)
Wrap-up	250	(3)
10 BUDGETING FOR TRANSPORTATION AND FOOD SERVICE	253	(28)
Setting the Stage	253	(1)
The Role of Auxiliary Services	254	(1)
The Transportation Function	254	(14)
What Are the Origins and Purpose?	255	(2)
What Is Transportation Law?	257	(4)
How Is Transportation Funded?	261	(3)
What Other Issues Are Relevant?	264	(4)
Owning or Contracting	264	(1)
Computerizing Transportation Services	265	(1)
Purchasing Buses	266	(1)
Maintenance and Safety	267	(1)
The Food Service Function	268	(10)
What Are the General Issues?	268	(1)
How Is Food Service Funded?	269	(5)
Federal Support	269	(1)
State Support	270	(2)
The Local Role	272	(2)
What Other Issues Are Relevant?	274	(4)
Broad Compliance Requirements	274	(1)
Organizing for Food Service	275	(3)
Management Companies	275	(1)
In-house Operations	276	(1)
Financial Management	277	(1)
Wrap-up	278	(3)
PART III: A VIEW OF THE FUTURE	281	(36)
11 SITE-BASED LEADERSHIP REVISITED	283	(22)
Pulling It Together	283	(1)
The Site Concept	284	(1)
Framework for Implementation	285	(18)
What Is the Strategic Concept?	285	(5)
Assessment	286	(1)
Implementation	286	(1)
Accountability	287	(3)
What Is the Role of the Principal?	290	(1)
What Is the Role of the Central Office?	291	(1)
What Is the Role of the Site Council?	292	(5)
Organization	293	(1)
Membership	293	(2)
Legitimate Control	295	(2)
What Are the Budget Issues?	297	(6)
Basic Knowledge	297	(1)
Site Knowledge	298	(3)
Revisiting a Sample District	301	(2)
Final Comments	303	(2)
12 FUTURE TRENDS IN SCHOOL FUNDING	305	(12)
The Big Picture	305	(1)
What Are the Issues?	306	(10)
Lessons From This Book	306	(3)
Future Issues in School Funding	309	(7)
Politics of Money	310	(1)
The Economy	311	(1)
Equity, Excellence, and Efficiency	312	(2)
Educational Choice	314	(1)
Devolution of Governance	315	(1)
A Final Word	316	(1)
INDEX	317