Guidelines are offered for setting priorities on neglected maintenance deficiencies: breaking down the aspects of buildings into various categories, and weightings within these categories; conducting a campus audit; and convincing the administration that the maintenance work recommended is vital to the institution's continued operation.…

Addresses principles of library budgeting and applies them to planning for library computerized services. Ways of anticipating costs and dealing with hidden costs are described. Further discussion focuses on computer upgrades and levels of computer access. Ground rules for coping with budget planning are outlined. (Contains seven references.) (KRN)

New federal regulations concerning direct cost accounting for college and university research projects are explained. It is concluded that the new standard allows institutions to reduce the signatures required on cost transfers and use reasonable cost allocation methods to simplify distribution of direct costs when research is supported by…

Suggests strategies to help middle managers in libraries cope with difficult financial times. Highlights include resource allocations; the importance of change to prevent a decline in quality and to demonstrate some degree of control; the need to control both financial and staff resources; and providing vision for the future. (LRW)

Increasingly, college and university development officers are using pay incentives to improve staff performance and motivation. Such efforts should include development of a statement of values, multiple evaluation measures, encouragement and reward for teamwork, realism and fairness, disciplined implementation of policy, investment of necessary…

Trying to analyze developments in the federal budget in 1996 was particularly confusing to most Americans. This book serves as a guide for understanding the ever-changing, complex federal budget process. Chapter 1 explains in detail key terms and concepts. Chapter 2 provides an overview of the Budget Enforcement Act (BEA) budget process. Under the…

This guide for managers of programs for people with developmental disabilities outlines key principles and issues in the decision-making process, and offers tips for building coalitions and negotiating the interests of consumers, families, board members, employees, and community leaders. Ten to 25 guidelines are offered for each of six…

This book calls for changes in special-education fiscal policy, claiming that special-education finances need to be more fully incorporated into education-finance literature and fiscal-policy discussions. The first few chapters discuss fiscal and program-policy funding in the United States and in Europe. They trace the history of federal…

California's public schools received a $2.2 billion increase in revenue for the 1998-99 school year. An analysis of the overall funding for California's K-12 education in 1998-99, including what districts must do to respond to new laws, is provided. Around 82 percent of California's education dollars are controlled by state lawmakers, and the…

This paper presents strategies for designing and implementing new and more effective approaches to school-finance structures. The first section discusses state school-finance systems, their inadequacies, and how they have changed dramatically in several states. It explores how varieties of standard school-finance formulas may actually exacerbate…

This booklet for trustees of institutions of higher education offers guidelines to enable trustees to fulfill their fundamental responsibility of ensuring the financial health of the institution. Introductory sections address: challenges of the financial environment in which trustees must make decisions; specific responsibilities of the…

The "art" of investment and the relationships between the cash manager and the outside professionals who implement the steps that entail cash management are the subjects of the 11 chapters of this guide to investing school district funds. Chapter 1 describes the role and responsibility of the small school district cash manager. Chapter 2 discusses…

These educational guidelines and procedures were developed after extensive review of current education programs for the Sac and Fox Nations of Oklahoma. The guidelines, prepared by a committee of local educators appointed by a tribal business committee, examined the anticipated needs for future generations of the Sac and Fox people. The document…

Many communities are unaware of the power they have and are therefore unfamiliar with how to use it. This document, by the Regeneration Project in Emmaus, Pennsylvania, is directed toward helping community leaders identify and develop opportunities that will help them expand their businesses, employment, and tax base, and improve their overall…

This manual describes a systematic process for conducting an educational needs assessment at the building level which includes suggestions for the formation of an advisory group and the use of two Likert Scale surveys. The advisory group is composed of parents, students, and educators; this group carries out the tasks of understanding, planning,…