'School Budget Mastery' is a comprehensive guide to help school leaders achieve a realistic budget and keep to it, providing a step by step process of preparing a budget and monitoring progress against it throughout the year. Suitable for existing, new and aspiring school leaders, it will help you grow in confidence and achieve financial success.

This book will help new administrators (department chairs, directors, deans) understand and become more proficient in their financial management role within the institution. Highly accessible, practitioners will be able to put the book's guidance to immediate use in their work. It is also grounded in the latest knowledge base and filled with examples from across all types of institutions, so that it makes an ideal text for a courses in graduate programs in higher education leadership and administration. Specifically, the book: • provides an understanding of the basics of budgeting and fiscal management in higher education • defines the elements of a budget, the budget cycle, and the steps for creating a budget • suggests ways of avoiding common pitfalls and problems of managing budgets • contains effective strategies for dealing with loss of resources • includes end-of-chapter reflection questions and an expanded glossary of terms Written in plain language this volume provides practical approaches to many complex problems in fiscal management. This new edition of the book contains new information in every chapter reflecting both the most recent developments in higher education and feedback from readers of the earlier edition. The information on the current higher education financial environment has been updated, and the case studies have been revised. Readers will be introduced to Bowen's theory of resources and expenses as an important way to understand budgetary decision making in colleges and universities. Special attention is paid to the use of restricted funds, the budget implications of faculty appointments and the challenges caused by personnel policies for staff. In addition, greater attention is given to development and implementation of repair and replacement programs in auxiliary enterprises. The challenges that arise when budget problems are postponed are also discussed. The volume contains a number of suggestions for practitioners with new budgeting and fiscal responsibilities.

Align your school budget with your vision for student achievement Since 2006, The Principal′s Guide to School Budgeting has been a best-seller, supporting thousands of principals in navigating the complex process of school budgeting. This fourth edition hones in on the message that a school budget should be a reflection of the school’s vision for student growth, an open culture, and a positive school climate. This edition offers new information on how national and state reform and political practices affect school allocations and emphasizes the need for appropriate budget visioning, planning, analysis, and needs assessment. Covering the budgeting process, effective budgeting practices, accounting and auditing procedures, and building the school budget within a collaborative decision-making context, this comprehensive guide includes: In-chapter vignettes and discussion questions Case study applications and experiential exercises A budget development project New discussion of technology′s impact on budgetary practices, phishing scams, and fundraising The Principal′s Guide to School Budgeting is an essential resource for practicing and aspiring school administrators who want to master their accounting and auditing procedures. By effectively managing the school budgeting process, principals can contribute to improved student achievement and strengthen connections with the school community.

Developing budgets that meet economic constraints and instructional expectations is challenging. This valuable resource is for administrators who want to enhance their instructional, technical, and managerial skills as visionaries, planning coordinators, and budgeting managers.

Armed with real-world examples and out-of-the-box ideas, Nathan Levenson challenges conventional thinking about school budgeting and offers practical, actionable advice for school superintendents, central office leaders, building principals, and school board members. Virtually every school district in the nation is experiencing an extended period of financial constraints. Shrinking tax revenue, decreasing federal stimulus funds, rising health care and pension costs, and growing high-need student populations will continue to test superintendents and school boards as they seek to prepare students for a globally competitive environment.

Most school leaders are selected for their creative instructional skills and ability to motivate others. However, even the best educational leaders can be unprepared for the responsibility of spending and accounting for the thousands of dollars that pass through a school's books each year. Without solid understanding of school financial management, administrators may find these reponsibilities a serious distraction from their primary pedagogical mission. They may also risk damage to their careers and to the reputations of their schools. School Money Matters is a concise, practical desk reference, based on sound accounting principles and written specifically for professionals at the school level. It includes understandable guidance on twenty critical topics such as Activity Fund Safeguards, Admission Tickets, Audits, School Credit/Purchasing Cards, Employee Embezzlement, Fund-Raising Events, Gifts to Students or Staff, Parent Organizations, Vending Services, and the School Budget. Featuring a comprehensive glossary of school financial terms, graphic organizers to clarify accounting concepts, and a checklist for monitoring financial activities throughout the school year, this book provides the information principals need to safeguard and protect themselves - and their staffs - from the suspicion of theft or laxness so that maximum time can be devoted to placing instructional resources in the hands of students and staff.