The 2014 edition of "Financial Accounting for Local and State School Systems" updates the 2009 (see ED505993) and 2003 editions of the handbook. The 2003 edition was the work of the NCES National Forum on Education Statistics, Core Finance Data Task Force. That task force systematically rewrote nearly the entire text, incorporating new…

In college and university administration, overhead costs are often charged to programs indiscriminately, whereas the support activities that underlie those costs remain unanalyzed. It is time for institutions to decrease ineffective use of resources. Activity-based management attributes costs more accurately and can improve efficiency. (MSE)

The new budget and accounting system for the California community colleges uses an activity-centered approach to expenditure reporting which describes real resource requirements (faculty, supporting staff, supplies, etc.), their costs (objects of expenditures), and relative use in each of the major activities which describe community college…

Outlines techniques to determine expenditures by type of service and maintenance area. (MLF)

Discusses the value for school districts of a program cost accounting system and examines different approaches to generating program cost data, with particular emphasis on the "cost allocation to program system" (CAPS) and the traditional "transaction-based system." (JG)

The National Association of College and University Business Officers has taken major strides toward meeting the responsibility for establishing accounting and public reporting standards within the field of higher education. The need for improvement in the reporting procedures has been generally agreed on. It is imperative that revision of the…

Total cost management, an innovation useful in higher education, is best implemented in the institution's support services. Total cost management is the practice of analyzing and improving an institution's financial and qualitative performance when producing a particular product or service, paying attention to the complete work process and all…

This reference guide presents the basic accounting concepts, terminology, and definitions used by colleges and universities. The guide, a companion to the National Association of College and University Business Officers' (NACUBO's) online self-study course of the same name or a standalone reference, compares college and university accounting…

The costs of owning and operating physical facilities are consuming an increasing share of the budgets of colleges and universities. In the past, academic and operating units of colleges have viewed their space as a free commodity and often used it extravagantly. Space costing is a method of cost accounting the space and operating and maintenance…

Reaffirms necessary elements for the successful operation of college purchasing and maintenance programs (e.g., purchasing calendar, bidding procedures, vendor selection, contracting services, budgeting for maintenance, and workforce analysis). Discusses ways some colleges are saving on operating costs (e.g., solar energy, energy management,…

This study sought to determine if private colleges and universities are accurately reporting budgetary data to the Integrated Postsecondary Educational Data System (IPEDS) of the U.S. Department of Education following guidelines issued by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the National Association of College and…

Results are presented that were obtained from application of the defined methodology to the 1972-73 operating budget of McMaster University. Programs were defined as instructional (degree) programs, research programs, and professional activities/public service programs. The calculation of program costs requires that crossovers be made from the…

The methodology employed in an analysis of expenditures on academic programs at McMaster University is presented. The general procedure was to provide expenditure data for instruction programs, research programs, and professional activities/public service programs. The results are aggregated to give expenditures per student by program and year…

The cost analysis of instruction is conducted according to principles of teaching and learning that have often become historically dated. Using today's costing systems prevents determination of whether cost effectiveness actually exists. The patterns of instruction in higher education and the systems employed for instructional cost analysis are…