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…

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the degree to which the Selective Abandonment budget process objectives were achieved by analyzing stakeholder perceptions. Use of this evaluation may enable the district to become more effective, efficient, and more fiscally responsible when developing future program budgeting plans. Program evaluation was…

Developed during World War II, the systems approach evolved rapidly after the war into several new phases, one of which is program budgeting. There is no clear set of rules constructed along do-it-yourself lines associated with the systems approach. There are, however, general procedures which are to be followed. The first step, defining the…

Cost effectiveness analysis is used in situations where benefits and costs are not readily converted into a money base. Five elements can be identified in such an analytic process: (1) The objective must be defined in terms of what it is and how it is attained; (2) alternatives to the objective must be clearly definable; (3) the costs must be…

Although the program-planning-budgeting system (PPBS) has been used in higher education to improve planning, budgeting, and decision making, examination had not been conducted to determine if the technique was consistent with planning, budgeting, and decision-making "theory." This paper reports the findings of such a theoretical…

This literature review examines 16 selected documents processed by the ERIC Clearinghouse on Educational Administration that deal with the application of several kinds of planning systems to educational programs. Particular attention is given to planning-programming-budgeting systems (PPBS), program evaluation review techniques (PERT), and various…

Administrators in higher education feel mounting pressure to link planning and budgeting as resources become more scarce and environments more uncertain. Instead of turning to theoretically prescribed planning/budgeting systems as solutions, microeconomics provides a means of thinking about individual consumption that helps shed light on the…

This article explains the Selection System Model for evaluating alternative educational delivery methods and relates research findings applicable to the various components of the model. Those components include Instructional Strategies, Student Access, Complexity of the Method for the Student, Complexity of the Method for the Provider, and…

A school district plan of functional organization is designed to integrate the functional and the organizational aspects of performance. The plan can be used to seek solutions to three basic management problems: (1) The functions which must be performed in a school district, (2) the plan of organization which should be implemented to facilitate…

Describes specific factors contributing to questionable validity and reliability of cost information used by mental health administrators. Presents a case study in which 17 different cost figures were derived for a single program using various methods currently employed. Discusses implications of nonuniform cost data. (Author/RC)

This report, a clear statement of how one district developed a planning system, offers both a theoretical and a practical approach to providing the superintendent, his staff, and the board of education with a comprehensive planning system instrument for making policy decisions and allocating resources. Also provided are guidelines for involving…

A set of procedures were developed which assist in structuring tasks and objectives in a manner to permit rational decision making. The model uses a jury of experts to rank various objectives and program processes in terms of their importance. Values are generated which relate to costs in the form of a utility-cost ratio. The model was tested in a…

The practices of program budgeting, costing, and strategic planning in higher education are examined. It is suggested that many postsecondary administrators and other groups have viewed a particular technique as the answer to their problems and converted a valid management technique into a management fad. Program budgeting, a system whereby the…

THE EFFICIENT USE OF THE UNIVERSITY'S LIMITED FINANCIAL RESOURCES INVOLVES ADMINISTRATIVE DECISIONS THAT SPREAD ACROSS THE SPECTRUM OF CHOICE. THE PURPOSE OF THIS PAPER IS TO IDENTIFY BASIC CONCEPTS INVOLVING THE ALLOCATION OF FINANCIAL RESOURCES. THE BUDGET IS EMPHASIZED AS A TOOL WITH WHICH THE DECISIONMAKER CAN FOCUS AND SHARPEN HIS GRASP OF…

Educational resources are scarce and should be used efficiently. To do this, decision-makers in higher education need clearly defined objectives, creatively elaborated alternatives, and information about the costs and effectiveness of those alternatives. This paper describes a new management tool which is designed to provide better information…