At the core, budgeting is about distributing and redistributing limited financial resources for continuous improvement. Incremental budgeting is limited in achieving the goal due to lack of connection between outcomes and budget decisions. Zero-based budgeting fills the gap, but is cumbersome to implement, especially for large urban school…

This document records testimony from a hearing before the Committee on Education and Labor to examine the policies and priorities of the United States Department of Education. Member statements were presented by: (1) Honorable Robert C. Scott, Chairman, Committee on Education and Labor; and (2) Honorable Virginia Foxx, Ranking Member, Committee on…

Community colleges are under pressure to increase completion rates, prepare students for the workplace, and contain costs. Colleges need to know the financial implications of what are often perceived as routine decisions: course scheduling, program offerings, and the provision of support services. This chapter presents a methodology for estimating…

School business officials are best equipped to lead in funding operating and capital needs because they understand the need for a methodical means of funding ongoing costs over time and the benefits of planning for future financial needs rather than letting emergencies dictate spending priorities. A capital-financing plan makes it possible to…

Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives appear determined to make deep cuts to education and related programs in the temporary spending bill that would keep the federal government operating for the rest of the fiscal year, even as President Barack Obama seeks a modest funding boost next year. That sets up a fiscal face-off in the…

School superintendents annually need to gain affirmative votes from their governing bodies to approve their district budgets. This paper proposes a framework through which the superintendent can express the district's educational needs and concomitant resource allocations in conceptual terms rather than in multi-columned ledgers. The framework…

Ohio has made tremendous strides in education reform over the past half year. Yet even regarding these accomplishments, the work is not done. Virtually all of the state's recent education policy changes come with implementation challenges and sustainability concerns. This paper presents a list that offers praise for the positive changes Ohio has…

This issue of "Legislative Review" takes a look at the news in higher education from February 16 to 20, 2009. This Legislative Review reports that: (1) SB 2003, the North Dakota University System (NDUS) budget bill, received a unanimous "Do Pass" as amended vote from the Senate Thursday, February 19; (2) HB 1348, the concealed…

By late 2008, the United States was in the midst of its most severe economic recession since the 1930s, brought on by a collapse in real estate prices and exacerbated by the failure of many large banks and financial institutions. Heeding calls from economists, Congress and the Obama administration passed a historic law in early 2009 to stimulate…

This issue of "Legislative Review" takes a look at the news in higher education from March 23 to 27, 2009. It is reported that during this week: (1) work continues on SB 2003, the North Dakota University System (NDUS) budget bill, in the House Appropriations, Education and Environment Division; (2) HCR 3016, a concurrent resolution…

Principals must devote a vast amount of time and energy to campus funding and budgetary issues because budgeting and accounting procedures are an integral part of an effective instructional program. In fact, a principal's role in the budgetary process significantly impacts both budget development and instructional planning. Principals who fail to…

Museum educators at small museums are sometimes thrust, solo, into building budgets from scratch. In this case study an emerging professional discovers that she has limited funding for an existing program that she was hired to run. She finds that she has to rebuild the budget to discover the program's true costs, and that sustainability depends…

President Barack Obama submitted his third budget request to Congress on February 14th, 2011. The detailed budget request includes proposed funding levels for federal programs and agencies in aggregate for the upcoming 10 fiscal years, and specific fiscal year 2012 funding levels for individual programs subject to appropriations. Congress will use…

Federal budget outlays totaled $3.5 trillion in 2009, of which somewhat less than 10 percent ($334 billion) was devoted to children. Despite increased spending on children under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), the kids' share of total outlays actually fell modestly to 9.5 percent in 2009, down from 9.8 percent the…

This issue of "Legislative Review" takes a look at the news in higher education from February 23 to 27, 2009. This Legislative Review reports that: (1) the 2009-11 State Board of Higher Education budget plan begins House Appropriations hearings; (2) engrossed SB 2018, the Department of Commerce budget bill, was heard in the House…