Budget Analysis
Order Description
For this signature assignment, assume you are the Principal of a school in a district that is decentralized in allowing site Principals to develop their own site budgets. While you can immediately begin to gather information about the course project, it is essential that you carefully read Lectures 2A and 2B before beginning to write portions of the assignment. Since this course focuses on the very important issue of how schools and educational programs are financed, the course project requires you to obtain a current year copy of either your school district or school site budget and then to analyze it in the following manner:
Identify the type of budget approach used – (see Lecture 2B)
In an opening statement, briefly summarize as best as you can, everything about the budget—assume that you are a school site administrator and you are explaining the budget to your instructional faculty and staff—and include your own personnel assessment of its long term prospects of meeting the educational needs of the students
Describe the budgeting process—see Lecture 2B—and the personnel—(personnel positions, not individual names)—involved in the process
Conduct a budget review and analysis which contains the following—(see Lecture 3A)
The budget calendar
Budget assumptions or guidelines
Review of income by object code (and program code if available)
Statement as to how the budgeted income amount was determined
Review of expenditures by object code (and program code if available) and list object code expenditures as a percentage of total expenditures
Review of the budget by program with a particular emphasis on categorical programs
Statement as to how carryover amounts are handled in your school district and/or school site
Evaluate the budget in terms of its use as a local public relations document
