A school business official with 14 years of experience in three Michigan districts agreed to join East Grand Rapids School District to help pass a $32 million bond issue for school renovations. To establish credibility in his new district, this official worked hard to communicate effectively, manage competently, and develop a clear vision.…

Rapid advances in information technology have rendered conventional approaches to planning and budgeting useless, and no single method is universally appropriate. The most successful planning efforts are consistent with the institution's overall plan, and may combine conventional, opportunistic, and entrepreneurial approaches. Chief financial…

The components of professional development include staff development, peer interaction, benchmarking, and individual development. The New York State Association of School Business Officials has responded to demands for downsizing/increased productivity with professional development programs that mix both soft and hard skill development while…

Applies Stephen Covey's seventh habit (sharpening the saw/self-renewal) to needed personal and professional development activities for school business officials. Key activities include networking, mentoring, surfing the net, professional reading, formal learning, and reinventing oneself. Self-reinvention is the Covey habit that recharges,…

The Willow Creek Community Church, an entrepreneurial, market-driven Presbyterian church founded in 1975, provided the model for a group of business leaders and campus business officers to consider how change can be effected in higher education institutions. The group concurred on founding principles for three utopian universities. (MSE)

Technological advancements are helping school business officials at the Fountain Valley (California) School District effectively manage district assets, thanks to developments in budget and finance software, videoconferencing, online purchasing and fund raising, inventory bar codes and portable scanners, paperless forms and applications, writable…

The need for programmatic cost information, data compatibility, and understanding input/output relationships are sparking efforts to improve standards for organizing and reporting educational-resource data. Unlike accountants, economists measure resources in real terms and organize information around service delivery, using a resource-cost model.…

School business administrators must be both business managers and educators. As the school district's chief financial officer, the school business administrator must have strong communication and interpersonal skills. Spheres of involvement include working with school staff, parents, the district office, town officials and committees, vendors, and…

Public education should no longer reflect agricultural or industrial era learning modes. Third-millennium administrators must recognize certain societal trends: the "net generation" of students, predominance of technology, electronic schools, the information deluge and the democratization of information, the age of convenience and…

This chapter of "Principles of School Business Management" discusses the effective management of purchasing processes in a school district. These processes include obtaining materials, supplies, and equipment of maximum value for the least expense, and receiving, storing, and distributing the items obtained. The chapter opens with an overview of…

This chapter of "Principles of School Business Management" looks at the role of the school business official in an era of declining enrollments. Following an introductory review of national enrollment trends, the chapter discusses the use of the cohort survival technique for enrollment projection. The focus then shifts to the impact of enrollment…

The present and future training needs of financial aid practitioners (financial aid officers, counselors, and support staff personnel) at Arizona colleges and government agencies were assessed. Attention was directed to the literature on training and programs for financial aid practitioners, as well as the possibilities of developing a…

Between the 1966-76 and 1976-77 school years, expenditures per pupil for the maintenance and operation of Georgia public schools rose 146 percent. Even after adjustments for inflation, this is a substantial increase. Faced with taxpayer resistance to increasing taxes, educational leaders can choose from three options. They can adopt an aggressive…

Boards of education must be convinced that spending money up front for preventive maintenance will, in the long run, save districts' tax dollars. A good program of preventive maintenance can minimize disruption of service; reduce repair costs, energy consumption, and overtime; improve labor productivity and system equipment reliability; handle…

This bibliography lists a variety of articles, books, and other publications related to the general topic of pupil transportation. Many of the publications listed were developed by individual school systems or by state departments of education. Citations are organized in nine topical sections that focus on bus drivers, transportation finances,…