Management training programs are a necessity for transportation supervisors. Basic and advanced training programs are available through associations for business officials and university fleet management training programs. (MLF)

A tried and tested formula for selecting the right telephone system includes the following elements: determining telephone system needs, considering future growth, using written proposals to make comparisons, and shopping for quality products with excellent references. Flagstaff (Arizona) Uified School District's experience is used to illustrate…

Courts are being asked to determine the legality, according to state constitutions, of various methodologies of financing public education. The first of two articles addresses finance issues raised in five selected states during the last three years. (18 notes) (MLF)

Analyses of school bus accidents point to five accident-producing categories: (1) rear-end collisions; (2) sideswipes; (3) backing; (4) right turns; and (5) loading/unloading students. Reviews an accident of each type and focuses on the corrective action needed to reduce these accidents. (MLF)

An update on the National School Lunch Program includes a list of some of the changes and innovations in types, quality, and packaging of commodity products provided to schools. (MLF)

Descriptions and photographs of 12 outstanding school facilities that were honored in the Association of School Business Officials's 1994 Architectural Exhibition. (MLF)

The Seattle School District began a program in 1990 to identify lead levels in the district's drinking water and to implement measures to lower any high lead levels. Recounts each of the seven steps of the program, discusses what the district found, and explains how it lowered lead levels in the drinking water. (MLF)

Aggressive school districts are pursuing and winning grants from federal, state, local, foundation, and corporate groups. Provides an overview of grant seeking to strengthen and enhance educational programs. Explains elements of writing a proposal, offers a suggested timetable for proposal development, and lists 15 resources for finding and…

Bond ratings are an assessment by an independent rating agency of the credit worthiness of a bond issuer, such as a school district, on repayment of a particular bond issue. Describes the rating procedures Standard and Poor's Municipal Finance Department uses to assign bond ratings. (MLF)

Distance education is a promising solution to the challenges of educational equity, programs and schools of choice, education and employment development plans and specialized educational programs, teacher training, staff development, and immediate access to information. (MLF)

Presents a "Code of Ethics for School Administrators" and "Standards of Conduct for the Association of School Business Officials." These codes, combined with school regulations and adherence to various statutes, can provide school business officials with a sound philosophical basis for fulfilling their responsibilities. (MLF)

Highlights projects and statistics of the Association of School Business Officials' Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting by Schools Program. (MLF)

School districts are constantly seeking alternative purchasing methods to ease paperwork, lost time, storage problems, and overstocking. A study showed that in large districts, fast-track electronic requisition and online purchasing were most commonly used alternative electronic purchasing methods. Most common nonelectronic methods were direct and…

When expanding educational technology resources, schools are challenged to purchase equipment with a limited, multiyear lifespan while finding the annual operating funds to maintain and operate the equipment. The revolving fund offers one sensible alternative. Public budgeting's rigidities allow no easy way to budget for ongoing technology costs.…

Accurate, timely, and concise monthly financial reporting is achieved through mastering statistics. A Grafton, Massachusetts school business manager's monthly presentation to the school committee is a composite of all the statistics he has reviewed during the previous month. This presentation reports where and how funds have been spent and…