The Grand Blanc (Michigan) Community School District sets budget priorities by (1) surveying students, taxpayers, and teachers to learn their preferences for current programs and services; (2) determining the costs of state-mandated programs; (3) listing nonmandated programs and determining their costs; and (4) considering proposed new programs.…

Maintaining a quality college alumni program on a small budget requires careful analysis of services and may involve painful decisions. This process should begin with a broad, strategic review of mission, programming, audiences, and services. Finding other funding sources and increasing cost-consciousness can also help keep some activities funded.…

Discusses the APPA's research efforts to help its members assume a more effective leadership role in higher education. Presents a sampling of topics developed by the APPA research group for evaluation, and discusses solutions in this effort. (GR)

Information-technology planning at higher-education institutions should be derived from academic planning at the institutional, school, and department levels, and must respond to associated issues of leadership, sustainable funding, productivity, and faculty motivation. The academic information-technology-planning process at the University of…

Examines off-balance sheet financing, the facilities use of outsourcing for selected needs, as a means of saving operational costs and using facility assets efficiently. Examples of using outside sources for energy supply and food services, as well as partnering with business for facility expansion are provided. Concluding comments address tax…

Discusses scenario planning, a method for evaluating capital investments by weighing their potential benefit to the future of the institution. (EV)

Libraries have always had to determine how to allocate resources for the purpose of purchasing materials. As budgets shrink and as information becomes more open, objective methods of allocating funds become more attractive. This Clip Note examines the use of formulas in the smaller institution academic environment. It identifies elements used in…

While costs are no longer reported to the Child Care Food Program on the monthly reimbursement voucher, Federal regulations for the program require that each participating sponsor operate a nonprofit food service and that any income accrued from the program be used solely for the conduct of improvement of the food service operation. Therefore, it…

These guidelines for library services designed to meet the particular needs of older adults cover special library materials, outreach programs, utilization of older adults as volunteers and employees, relationships with other agencies, and including this population in library planning and resource allocations. (CLB)

At each of Baltimore's 46 junior and senior high schools, a microcomputer system distributes tickets for subsidized lunches and transportation for over half of the students. (MLF)

An approach to cost analysis that begins in the department, the lowest organizational level, is discussed, using tables designed to outline the distribution of instructional staff resources and academic program characteristics such as enrollment, student characteristics, curricula requiring the course, and staff cost data, by course. (MSE)

This guide provides information on the cooperative audit resolution for program improvement. It offers guidance for resolving audit findings, as well as tips on how to use the Cooperative Audit Resolution and Oversight Initiative (CAROI). CAROI is a collaborative method to provide alternative and creative approaches to resolve audit findings and…

The author challenges traditional views of productivity and offers alternative concepts and models for evaluating resources and their relationships to productivity. He discusses how to measure productivity, how to measure effectiveness, applying a productivity formula, coping with a cost cutback, adjusting to a variable workload, and benefits from…

A budget reduction formula is proposed that relates financial planning to program evaluation, faculty resources, and departmental activity levels. The formula is flexible, can be manipulated to describe each academic unit's intrinsic characteristics, and can redistribute to reflect changing institutional priorities. (Author/MSE)

Describes the intensive German program at North Texas State University. Shows how the intensive course model may be adapted to tight budgets. (EKN)