School district participation in the Meritorious Budget Awards (MBA) Program makes budgets more understandable and user-friendly. All budget data are presented in a single document in a pyramid approach that begins with a summary of all funds and then presents individual funds. Provides ordering information for a publication that guides readers…

After summarizing the philosophy behind the financing of public schools, this document reviews the division of legal responsibility for education between the state and federal governments; outlines the state's responsibility for providing an equal educational opportunity for its residents; and summarizes the use of federal revenues, state…

Based on data from document reviews and interviews from 12 school districts in 3 states, this interim report presents findings from the first year of implementation of Chapter 2 of the Educational Consolidation and Improvement Act (ECIA) of 1981. The initial section of the report examines the redistribution of federal funds to local districts, the…

This document is intended to help institutions of postsecondary education understand their rights and responsibilities relating to school cohort default rates for the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL)Program. Section 1 focuses on the calculation of FY 1993 official cohort default rates including how student loan activity is tracked and…

School district budgeting is a daunting process. To help administrators, board members, and teachers who are not as knowledgeable on the subject as they feel they need to be, a practical manual on the budget-development process is offered here. Three themes are established early in the book: "budgeting is planning"; "administration in budgeting is…

Several studies have documented the condition of U.S. school facilities from the early 80s to the present. This report provides an overview of these major studies, presenting data that assess school construction over the decades, the levels of deferred maintenance and proportion of local school budgets devoted to maintenance, the condition and…

This guide provides information for schools considering whether to participate in the Federal Direct Student Loan Program, and it offers advice on how to plan for and operate the loan program at an individual school. The information in the guide is presented in a way that follows the steps that need to be taken in planning and implementing the…

This issue of Capital Ideas reproduces, in an abridged form, the first chapter of a new book titled, "Financial Planning Under Economic Uncertainty", in the series, "New Directions for Higher Education." The chapter reviews the macroeconomic environment at the start of the 1990s, with particular focus on the problems facing…

Using the data for elementary, junior high, and senior high principals collected in the National Survey of Salaries and Wages in Public Schools, 1982-83, this report provides an analysis of the various methods used by school systems to structure salary schedules for principals, the various provisions of these schedules, and the levels of dollar…

Developed by a state-appointed committee comprised of college faculty, administrators, trustees, representatives of the Governor of Maryland and state legislature, this report addresses the mission, governance, and finance of the Maryland community colleges in light of current trends and future needs. Chapter I offers an introduction to the…

Most school systems in Tennessee raise additional revenue for instructional and extracurricular activities through fund raising projects and voluntary student fee collections. Responses to a questionnaire by 129 principals (from a sample of 15) were analyzed to determine the extent, diversity, and results of fund raising activities and fee…

This study examines repercussions of the incentive nature of the Manitoba property tax credit plan in relation to local school systems' taxation practices during 1978 to 1981. Data from municipalities and province school systems were obtained from the Manitoba departments of education and municipal affairs. Investigation was carried out in five…

Designed to encourage and inform community college efforts to secure private financial support, this literature review and resource guide examine the current status of fund raising at community colleges and list pertinent information sources. After introductory comments advocate increased community college involvement in fund raising, the paper…

The literature on trustees of private, non-profit institutions and their fund-raising role almost always advises the institution that is having trouble raising money to look to its board of trustees. Oddly enough, there has been very little research or writing on the fund-raising role of public institution trustees, despite the fact that about 70%…

A study was conducted to identify those variables appearing to affect cash management practices in Florida community colleges, and recommend prescriptive measures concerning these practices. The study methodology included informal discussions with the chief fiscal officers of each Florida community college and appropriate state board staff,…