The annual schoolwide budget determines how all school funds will be allocated for a given school year. Each year the budget must be balanced. An administrator’s base funding each year is determined by projected student enrollment and grant fund allocations (i.e., Title I). This assignment provides you with the experience of making essential decisions that directly affect the quality of learning in your school as part of balancing an annual school budget.
Part 1: Site-Based School Budget
Create an annual budget for the upcoming school year using the “Site-Based School Budget” worksheet. The data within the worksheet is based on the projected student enrollment or full-time equivalent (FTE) for the upcoming school year. For the teacher allocations, you must use all 58 positions. All Title I funds must be allocated, leaving the “Out of Balance” total at zero. The worksheet has been formatted to automatically complete all calculations.
Refer to the “Site Based School Budget Instructional Video” for guidance on how to use the worksheet.
Part 2: Rationale
Using the knowledge you have gained in the previous topics, write a 500-750 word rationale for your budgetary decisions, in which you explain and justify the following:
Categories/content areas of teachers selected
Allocations selected for Title I funding
How the proposed budget supports the school’s CIP/SIP priorities and goals
Support your rationale with a minimum of three scholarly resources.