Budget and Spending Policy

Budget and spending Policy
LAKEWOOD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL


SPENDING CATEGORIES AND MUNIS ACCOUNTING

Whenever possible in budgets and financial reports, we will use spending categories that will make sense to most stakeholders in our school, even if those categories are not part of the state and district accounting system known as “MUNIS.” 

 

DRAFTS, REVISIONS AND APPROVAL


FEBRUARY or MARCH

The principal will develop an ESTIMATE of expenses and a DRAFT BUDGET that:
1.    Includes a clear statement of the number of persons to be employed in each job classification.
2.    Lists dollar amounts.
3.    Addresses the expenses for fully implementing our School Improvement Plan and maintaining other programs at their current level. 
4.    Describes which sources will be used to cover each expense.
5.    Designates the person or group responsible for selecting specific items to be purchased in each spending category, with the media librarian as the person or a member of the group responsible for items for the library media center.
6.    Identifies any further expenses and needs that cannot be covered within currently expected funding or are not being met by the current budget.
7.    The principal will present the draft budget and estimated expenses to the Efficiency Committee for review and suggested revisions.
The draft budget will be circulated for input to the school council, the school staff, and all parents serving on council committees, and will be posted for public review.

MARCH and APRIL

The council will:
1.    Review the draft budget either in a regular or a special meeting.
2.    Identify areas that may need adjustment to further reflect school priorities, new spending information, stakeholder input on the impact of the proposed plan, or other relevant information. 
3.    Charge the Efficiency Committee to consider those factors and submit a revised budget for council adoption.
4.    Discuss whether the council needs to request Section 7 funding for additional expenses, and what needs would be designated for such funding.
5.    Charge the Efficiency Committee to write up the Section 7 requests for formal council adoption.
6.    Set a timetable for adopting a revised budget and official Section 7 requests that is compatible with any district timetable.


MAY and JUNE

After the council receives the final allocation from the superintendent on May 1 and adopts its budget and its Section 7 requests, the principal or principal’s designee will:
1.    Notify the superintendent and local board in writing of the council’s decision on the number of persons to be employed in each job classification and any Section 7 requests.
2.    Ensure that the portion of the council’s budget that governs its general fund allocations is converted into a standardized budget using the MUNIS accounting codes and that it is sent to the district central office.
3.    Ensure that all relevant budget items are clearly reflected in the School Improvement Plan and that the person or group listed as responsible for selecting specific items has been notified of the dollar amounts.

 

Implementation and monitoring


EVERY MONTH

The principal (or principal designee) will:

1.    Ensure that all spending records required by the state and district are maintained.
2.    Submit a report to the council comparing planned spending, spending so far, outstanding purchase orders, and amount remaining available in each category.

JANUARY

The principal designee will:
1.    Notify each individual and group designated to select items for purchase of the amount they were authorized to spend, the amount spent so far, their outstanding purchase orders, and the amount remaining available in each category.
2.    Ask each individual and group to check those figures and report anything that may need adjustment and report whether they will need the full remaining amount to address the needs in question.

APRIL

The principal designee will repeat numbers 1-2 above.



OTHER BUDGET DECISIONs and procedures

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Our school’s plans for professional development (PD) will be in alignment with state and national professional development standards.
Organization and Budget Considerations
1.    PD will be planned and carried out to meet the identified learning needs of:
—  The school as identified in the School Improvement Plan.
—  Individuals as identified in professional growth plans.
2.    Each year’s updated Improvement Plan will be approved by the council and include components with PD activities for three of the four PD days in the district calendar and other appropriate learning opportunities for teachers.
3.    Where needed to achieve the Improvement Plan goals, the components may also propose use of the flexible PD time option to replace some or all of those three days.  This proposal must be submitted by the council for Board of Education approval. 
4.    Any PD funds not needed to implement the Improvement Plan will be used with advance approval, which must be obtained before the professional development activities take place.  These activities may include:
—  Flexible professional development time needed to implement a staff member’s individual growth plan which must have principal approval, or
—  Other professional development that supports the Improvement Plan, which must have either council or principal approval.
In the event of conflicting approvals, priority will be given to individual growth plan needs approved by the principal.
5.    The council’s annual budget will identify resources available for each type of need.
6.    For needs identified in the Improvement Plan, the person listed in the Improvement Plan as responsible will make all the needed arrangements for the activity to take place and will complete purchase orders for any required expenditures.
7.    For needs identified in an individual professional growth plan, the individual identified in the growth plan will make any necessary arrangements and will complete any required purchase orders for expenditures.
8.    The principal (or principal designee) will check that each purchase order fits the funds available, respects any existing contracts or bid lists, and fits any other criteria established by the council.  If those requirements are met, he or she (or a designee) will complete the purchase and no further council approval will be needed.

Evaluation of PD Activities

1.    Any activity using PD funds will be evaluated by those participating immediately following the activity, or in the case of ongoing activities, at the end of the year.  Evaluations will be designed to indicate the following:
—  What the participant now knows or is able to do as a result of that particular PD activity, and
—  The quality and effectiveness of the activity.
2.    The principal (or principal designee) will report to the council on the results of all PD evaluations at least once a year to help inform future planning of PD activities.

NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES

All procedures involved in the determination of the number of employees to be hired will avoid any discussion or action intended to cause any individual staff member to be transferred or dismissed.

The following procedures will be used to determine the number of employees to be hired: 

MARCH and APRIL and MAY
1.     The superintendent will notify the council by March 1st of its tentative allocation for the next school year, including staff funding.

2.     By the middle of March, the Efficiency Committee will have completed a review of the School Improvement Plan and other indicators of student needs, and developed a tentative plan for how many staff members the school will have in each subject and level and how many in each other type of position, taking into account an effective student/teacher ratio for meeting the needs of all students.

3.     Before the end of March, the Efficiency Committee will obtain input from the school community on that tentative plan, make any needed revisions, and submit the revised plan to the council for official action.

4.     Once the council receives the final allocation from the superintendent on May 1, the council will make a final decision and notify the superintendent of its choices by May 15.

 

STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES

Student support service choices will be made by updating the School Improvement Plan and adopting a budget that reflects that Plan each year.  The council will also consider recommendations made by any concerned party for additional services.

Extended School Services (ESS) funds will be used to support students who:

  1. Are at risk of being retained in a class or grade or of failing to graduate on time.
  2. Have continuing difficulty performing successfully in the instructional program appropriate to their age.
  3. Have continuing difficulty sustaining their present level of performance and are at on-going risk of falling behind.

TEXTBOOK SELECTION

Each year funding is made available by the state/district, the council will appoint an ad hoc committee for the subjects under adoption that year.  The committee will include parents and teachers responsible for that subject.  They will take the following steps:
  1. Review our School Improvement Plan, curriculum, and the Core Academic Standards for Assessment.
  1. Develop criteria for textbooks and related items that will help the school move students to proficiency.
  2. Review each textbook and related materials and identify the textbooks and related materials that will best meet their criteria as well as any other criteria established by the council.
  3. Respect all regulatory requirements governing textbook funds.
  4. Determine quantities of each item to be ordered within the school’s textbook budget and fill out the paperwork needed to order those quantities.
  5. Report to the council on its choices for council approval.
  6. The principal (or principal designee) will check that each purchase order fits the funds available, respects any existing contracts or bid lists, and fits any other criteria established by the council.  If those requirements are met, he or she (or a designee) will complete the purchase and no further council approval will be needed.

 

INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS

FEBRUARY
The Efficiency Committee will review our School Improvement Plan and the principal’s draft budget to develop a tentative plan for spending on instructional materials.  This spending plan will consider an estimate of funds available from all sources, designate who will be responsible for the choices, and include amounts for:

—  Specific items to implement the School Improvement Plan.
—  Shared supplies.
—  The library.
—  The computer laboratory.
—  Distinctive needs of each teaching team.
—  Distinctive needs of each teacher not assigned to a team.
—  The principal’s discretionary fund.
—  Any other category of items the committee believes is needed.

MARCH and APRIL and MAY
1.     The superintendent will notify the council by March 1st of its tentative allocation for the next school year, including instructional materials. 

2.     By the first of April, the Efficiency Committee will revise its estimates to fit the allocation and present its plan to staff and parents for input.

3.     After the council receives a final allocation from the superintendent on May 1, the Efficiency Committee will revise its spending plan further in light of input received and present the further revised estimates to the council for official action.

4.     By the middle of May, the council will approve a final spending plan organized by categories of spending.

5.     By the middle of May or in accordance with the timeline set by the Board of Education, the Efficiency Committee will submit a request for Section 7 money.  Any procedures set by the Board will be followed.

6.     The principal (or principal designee) will reformat the spending plan by May 30th to fit the MUNIS accounting system and submit it to the superintendent.

JULY
1.     All groups or individuals designated in the approved council-spending plan will select items for purchase and fill out purchase orders for those items. 

2.     The principal (or principal designee) will check that each purchase order fits the funds available, respects any existing contracts or bid lists, and fits any other criteria established by the council.  If those requirements are met, he or she (or a designee) will complete the purchase and no further council approval will be needed.

BUDGET changes

Individuals or groups who identify spending needs that are not addressed in the current budget will submit a written explanation of the need and the amount to both the council and the Efficiency Committee. 
The principal will inform the council and the Efficiency Committee promptly of:
  1. Any change in the council’s General Fund allocations received on March 1st.
  2. Any Section 7 funds to be allocated based on council requests and board action and any allocation of Section 7 funds to the school based on ADA.
  1. Any change in the school’s professional development allocation.
  2. Any decision regarding categorical funding for the school.
  3. Any change in actual or expected activity fund resources.
The council will consider amending the budget to respond to funding changes only after receiving the input of the Efficiency Committee on the financial impact and reviewing how the change would affect the success of our School Improvement Plan.
POLICY EVALUATION
We will evaluate the effectiveness of this policy through our School Improvement Planning Process.


Date Adopted:  November 2013

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