School Budgeting Processes - Coursework Example

School Budgeting Processes Introduction Education is necessary for the development of any country. Here, in Arkansas, efforts have been made to ensure that school-going children are provided with the high quality of education that they deserve. However, in order this goal, it is paramount for these schools to have adequate funds. These are got from the federal, state and local governments. Other sources of extra revenue for the schools come from other sources such as donors and the charges levied on their learners for the services rendered to them. However, these funds need to be appropriately spent. For this reason, I would like to state that the District Superintendent of Schools and the School Management Boards should provide school principals with the following information about the budgeting-process for their respective schools: Budget Approach and Budget-Making Process One of the most important lessons that each public school principal should have is about the entire budgeting process. Therefore, the first thing that the District School Superintendent and boards of education should tell the school principals is about the type of budgeting strategy to be adopted in the school district. Having such information will definitely enable these school administrators to know the contributions which, as school administrators, they should be making towards a successful planning, drafting and implementation of the school budget. Without a proper knowledge on this area, nothing much can be achieved so far. However, given that the budgeting process is being devolved to the school levels, the District School Superintendent should adequately inform school principals about the on-site budgeting process. They should be told everything about this new approach and be challenged to take the initiatives to budget for their own schools. As school administrators, the principals should be informed that it is their responsibility to coordinate with the office of the school bursar in order to make the necessary budget approximations during each financial year. Once they get such important information, they will take the necessary steps to lobby their teams so as to initiate the budget-making exercise after thoroughly considering all the sources of school revenues and identifying the most necessary areas to spend on. Team Work After informing the school principals that it is their mandate to oversee the success of on-site budgeting process in their respective schools, they should be challenged to be team players (Colander, 2007). Meaning, as administrators, they should rally behind all the school stakeholders and incorporate them in the making of the school budget. As an institution, a school is made up of different departments. Obviously, each of them has specific programs to be funded by the school resources. Therefore, when making the school budget, the principal should ensure that each of these departments is represented during the making of school budget since it is the members of such departments who know the priority areas to finance at any given time. In this regard, it is my considered opinion, that the District School Superintendent and District School Boards should be categorical in this matter. They should ensure that each school principal is provided with adequate and reliable information on how they can make an inclusive budget without causing any unnecessary conflict. Once all the departments are represented in the budget making exercise, all the necessary areas which require attention will be definitely funded. By doing this, the principal would be discharging their duties much effectively. As a result, they would only concentrate on essential areas which would enable the school to meet its short and long-term goals. The Role of School Management Board As already highlighted, the school budgeting process has been decentralized to school level. Meaning, each school is now able to identify their programs which need urgent funding. By giving them authority to do so, they can be in a better position of making a good budget since it is the members of these schools who have a sound knowledge of their needs. Therefore, after following all the procedures, the final budget should be made. This should reflect all the expenses that need to be included in the budget. After making all the approximations, the final authority lies with the School Management Board which through its chairperson signs the budget before it is finally sent to the government for approval. Hence, it is my considered opinion that school principals should be adequately informed about the role of the School Management Board in the budget making process in their respective schools (Murray & Herrnstein, 2004). By providing such invaluable information, the principals will be able to appreciate their authority and accept to cooperate with them throughout the entire process. This is because without involving them in the budgeting process, it might be challenging for it to be approved since it must pass through them. Government Requirements and Approval Even if Pulaski Special County School District emphasizes the use of on-site budgeting strategy, still the government has a very crucial role to play. As the chief financer for the public schools, the government, through the Department of Education, regulates the procedure, process and determines exactly who should be involved in the process. First, it does this by providing a guideline on how the entire process should be done. Besides, it stipulates the national standards to be complied with while making school budgets. All these regulations are binding and should be followed by all the schools. Because of the important contributions of the government to schools, I would like to suggest to the District School Superintendent and School Management Boards to provide principals with all the necessary information about them. As government agents, school principals should always ensure that they follow all the regulations stipulated by the government. Meaning, everything right from planning to implementation should be done in compliance with the law. If the principals know these facts, they will be in a position of producing a standard budget and implement it by sending monthly returns to the government (Steve, 2008). Otherwise, failure to have such information will mean that the principal will be acting ignorantly and in a violation of the law. Unfortunately, this can be very dangerous since a part from making the budget to be rejected, the principal might be held accountable for any misappropriation of the available resources. References Colander, D. (2007) Microeconomics. New York: McGraw-Hill Publisher. Murray, R.J. & C. Herrnstein (2004). The bell curve: intelligence and class structure in American life (4th ed.). New York, N.Y.: Free Press. Steve S. (April 16, 2008). Southern Education Foundation. "Crisis of a New Majority: Low-Income Students in the South's Public Schools" Southern Spaces. Read More