The use of the management team approach by school business officials will result in increased operational efficiency, greater accountability, better decisions, less crisis management, reduced stress, and increased job satisfaction. (MLF)

Performance auditing is a tool designed to assist public officials in meeting their responsibility to apply resources efficiently and effectively. Applies performance auditing to school business support services; identifies benefits and obstacles; and provides selected alternatives and examples of performance auditing. (MLF)

Waukesha County Technical College (Wisconsin) received the Governmental Financial Officers Association "Popular Annual Financial Reporting Award" in 1993 and became the first educational entity to do so. Popular annual financial reporting is an effective way for schools to present reader-friendly reports that stress graphics and…

Accountability is the key in a site-based program. Argues that all schools must have equal access to all programs and all students must have equal access to specialized programs. (MLF)

Site-based school management opens the possibility of problems in districtwide risk management and liability prevention programs. Describes a program to transfer prevention law and risk management strategies to individual school sites. Cautions that only duly authorized agents of local school boards can commit boards to contractual obligations.…

School districts are being asked to provide expanded variety and quality of educational services with fewer tax dollars. Discusses the search for accountability, productivity, quality, and equity in education and alerts school business officials to the problems and conflicts inherent in such a search. (MLF)

The School Site Allocations Model, tested in five Ohio districts, consists of the following subsystems: administration, facilities and operations, staff support and development, pupil support, and instruction. Applying these functions at the central office and at the school site can help districts determine how well they are managing their…

The Philadelphia School District has a five-step program of site-based-management prerequisites for schools: (1) absolute support from the top administration; (2) clear and fair allocation formulas on which each school's budget is to be based; (3) universal understanding of any restrictions, rules, or guidelines; (4) full explanation of budget…

Opening the communication lines among a school district in Derby, Kansas, and two other local governmental units--the city of Derby and the Derby Recreation Commission, led to a multitude of cooperative efforts that were fiscally responsible and beneficial for the entire community. (MLF)

Indicates the advantages under school-based management of transferring funds to the individual schools in a lump sum with minimal encumbrances, along with the freedom to transfer funds within the school budget. Transferring money to the schools, along with corresponding decision-making powers, enhances responsibility and accountability. (MLF)

Briefly looks at some of the basic principles of accountability and internal control as a review of present accounting system procedures to aid administrators to ensure reliable financial records. (MLF)

School-district central-office administration is responsible for creating the structure and framework for school staffs to work in the interest of their students. The district needs to establish strategic priorities for the use of funds. Schools should be held accountable for deploying the resources and controlling expenditures. (MLF)

An effective way to prepare for school budget presentations is to research accurate responses to "hot issues." Lists the 24 questions most frequently asked at public budget hearings; and outlines a generic response to each of the 10 toughest questions. (MLF)

A strategy that has made total quality management work for many organizations involves the following six steps: vision, audit, plan, train, implement, and monitor. (MLF)

Computer-aided facilities management is a software program consisting of a relational database of facility information--such as occupancy, usage, student counts, etc.--attached to or merged with computerized floor plans. This program can integrate data with drawings, thereby allowing the development of "what if" scenarios. (MLF)