Describes the advantages and disadvantages of group purchasing. Forty-seven states have laws allowing group purchasing. Includes examples of group purchasing arrangements in Washington, California, New Mexico, and Kentucky. (PKP)

Shares some insights into the school purchasing process. (MLF)

School officials should strive to obtain the best insurance coverage at the lowest possible cost. Large school systems can save money by establishing a self-insurance program rather than buying insurance. (Author/MLF)

A Louisiana school district has made tremendous progress toward developing and implementing an environmentally friendly solid waste management program. Packaging changes in school food service, newspaper and aluminum can recycling, and composting of leaf and yard waste have contributed to reduced waste sent to the local landfill. (MLF)

This volume contains papers presented at The National Conference on Program Accounting for Public Schools held at The University of California at Los Angeles, in July 1968. The papers describe six public school expenditure classification systems designed to facilitate program budgeting and cost analysis. The account classification systems are…

Self-insurance pooling programs are emerging among school districts due to the insurance market crisis. School business managers, therefore, have been attempting to avoid hostile carriers by adopting such programs. (CJH)

Under new "managed health care systems," the classical functional separation of risk taker, claims payor, and provider are vertically integrated into a common entity. This evolution should produce a competitive environment with medical care rendered to all Americans on a more cost-effective basis. (CJH)

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…

The ultimate cost of workers compensation is made up of loss costs (the amounts paid to injured employees to compensate for lost wages and medical bills) and administrative costs. This article concentrates on potential savings in loss costs, highlighting indemnity and medical cost drivers, the need for effective policy communication to employees,…

The capital markets approach is an alternative means of risk financing whereby a school system establishes and controls its own insurance company and makes systematic contributions to pay for expected and anticipated losses and their associated costs. (MLF)

In order to process data in a computer, application software must be either developed or purchased. Costs for modifications of the software package and maintenance are often hidden. The decision to buy or develop software packages should be based upon factors of time and maintenance. (MLF)

Discusses a "Bringing Economy and Efficiency into Purchasing" (BEEP) project in the Onteora Central School District, Boiceville (New York). The project determined that the employment of a part-time purchasing agent was economically justified for an average-sized semirural school district. (Author/MLF)

Waukesha County Technical College (Wisconsin) received the Governmental Financial Officers Association "Popular Annual Financial Reporting Award" in 1993 and became the first educational entity to do so. Popular annual financial reporting is an effective way for schools to present reader-friendly reports that stress graphics and…

Alternative fuels are becoming increasingly attractive from environmental, energy independence, and economic perspectives. Addresses the following topics: (1) federal and state legislation; (2) alternative fuels and their attributes; (3) practical experience with alternative-fuel vehicles in pupil transportation; and (4) options for school…

Risk transfer is the process of finding an entity to assume the burden of liability. Opportunities for risk transfer agreements for school districts include outside contractors, use of facilities, rental of buildings and equipment, and school trips. Figures show two sample hold-harmless agreements and basic types and levels of coverage. (MLF)