The purpose of this study is to investigate the work that school business leaders perform in four different school districts in New York State, and to find what the impact of this work is on instruction. The research is titled, "How Do the Functions That School Business Officials Perform Affect Teaching and Learning, and Do School Business…

Drawing on data from 116 survey responses by School Business Managers, and 7 semi-structured interviews with education professionals carried out between October 2017 and February 2018, this article reports on findings from a research project focussing on the opportunities and constraints for career progression into leadership roles for School…

Business managers interact with everyone from students to support and instructional staff, to boards of education, to community members, to legislators. These stakeholders' knowledge about education trends, best practices, school finance, legal requirements, and state and federal politics varies dramatically from each other's and from those of…

At budget-crunching time, school administrators and business officials sometimes find themselves trimming the district's budget for teachers, textbooks, and technology in order to cover ballooning energy costs. Nearly one-third of the energy consumed in the average U.S. school is wasted. The country's least efficient schools use four times more…

The purpose of this study was to identify the job responsibilities perceived as most important in maintaining school district financial solvency. Additionally, the study sought to identify specific financial management strategies school business officials (SBO) could consider to maintain financial solvency in their school districts. A total of 208…

Attempts to eliminate confusion in acquiring FAX machines for the average school business official. Discusses organizational needs and requirements for speed, copy quality, telephone line conditions, paper type and size, and machine care and life expectancy. (MLH)

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)

Because of financial and management pressures forced on almost all institutions, a school business officer is required who speaks out on academic matters as well as business matters and can stand up to the new pressures and opportunities. (Author/MLF)

Describes one model for structuring business affairs within academic administration, the senior academic business administrator (SABA), used at Texas A and M University. Discusses the path to the position, staffing, functional and professional challenges, professional development, and trends in the field. Also describes the author's personal…

Offers guidelines to college business officers concerning investments in real estate and the unrelated business income tax (UBIT), which requires tax-exempt organizations to pay federal and state taxes on income earned from a trade or business unrelated to their tax-exempt purpose. Considers real estate investment funds, exposure to UBIT, avoiding…

A significant planning component is establishing a budget forecast for the upcoming year and at least the year following. Bringing a projected budgetary profile to the community and school board early on provides opportunities for discussing certain assumptions, initiatives, and goals that may need examination by district administrators. (MLH)

The Association of School Business Officials has focused on workshop programs that (1) provide general orientation to new subject matters, (2) reinforce and/or illustrate new techniques of established practices, and (3) provide a structured instructional learning environment. (MLF)

In many states, electrical energy is moving from being a highly regulated commodity to a competitively priced product with optional associated services. Increased competition should result in lower prices. Schools can stay ahead of the game by initiating an energy-contract review, examining delivery contracts, negotiating rates, examining monthly…

One of the most important responsibilities of school business officials is protecting their school districts, employees, and students from harm and liability. Risk managers must identify any possible risks involved in facilities operation, eliminate or reduce risk, transfer risks when legally feasible, and assume nontransferable risks through a…

In higher education institutions, decisions about spending patterns are established in the budget and executed by a diverse, decentralized group of institutional managers. To make the budget a vibrant management tool, each institutional constituency must view it as a document that helps advance institutional mission as well as a way to measure…