After years of non-stop increases--national k-12 per-pupil spending is up by "one-third" in inflation-adjusted dollars since 1995--schools now face the near-certainty of repeated annual budget cuts for the first time since the Great Depression. In some states and districts, reductions will be dramatic--well into the double digits. And…

This paper examines the pattern of incentives for work versus retirement in five state teacher pension systems. We do this by examining the annual accrual of pension wealth from an additional year of work over a teacher's career. Accrual of wealth is highly nonlinear and heavily loaded at arbitrary years that would normally be considered…

This guide discusses the results of a national survey of school administrators who were asked to rank from a list of 13 problems the top problems facing their schools today. Their responses, which are discussed in this report, include how to cut costs in areas like salaries, fringe benefits, and energy; how to better manage their schools and set…

This publication is intended to point teachers at resources that can help them get ready well in advance for retirement. Each section is weighted heavily toward gathering a compendium of useful references for additional reading. After a look in Section 1 at the issues provoked by the graying of America, Section 2 places the teacher in that…

Important elements of personal lifetime money management are outlined and discussed briefly, particularly as they apply to college and university faculty and staff. They include insurance (disability, health, life, retirement income); the changing monetary environment; taxes; inflation; sources of income; budgeting; risk; death and heirs. (MSE)

How schools weather budget reductions shows the difference between effective and less effective school systems. Policymakers' response to reductions depends on an array of factors: general economic conditions, access to data about future trends, community expectations and "myths," past records of school effectiveness, local education…

Practitioner papers and research papers on higher education planning and budgeting are presented. "Before the Roof Caves In: A Predictive Model for Physical Plant Renewal" by Frederick M. Biedenweg and Robert E. Hutson outlines a systematic approach that was used at Stanford University to predict the associated costs of physical plant…