- Brimley, V., Jr., Verstegen, D. A., & Garfield, R. R. (2012). Financing Education in a Climate of Change (11th ed.). Boston: Pearson Education.
ISBN-13: 978-0-13-707136-4
Syllabus for EDL-680
BUDGET FORECASTING AND FISCAL PLANNING
The primary focus of this course is on the development of school and district budgets and budget forecasting, with consideration of the impact of local, state, and federal funding laws on budget development processes. Students will (1) examine the cyclical nature of budget development and how school budgets are collaboratively constructed; (2) compare and contrast expenditures of like districts; (3) analyze a budget; (4) review various models for implementing a budget and project how the budget should be implemented and coordinated to align with the educational vision; and (5) forecast future fiscal needs based on variables such as enrollment trends, population projections, state reimbursements for student attendances, and housing pattern changes. School financing will be examined through the lens of historical, current, and future funding issues. (ISLLC 3; NJDOE 3).
After completing this course, you should be able to:
You will need the following materials to do the work of the course. The required textbook is available from the College's textbook supplier, MBS Direct.
Required Textbook
ISBN-13: 978-0-13-707136-4 |
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Electronic Portfolio Registration
As a capstone experience in the Educational Leadership program, you will prepare an electronic portfolio that demonstrates your incremental achievement of the program standards. Each course in the program helps you to identify artifacts to place in your portfolio on completion of the course. To this end, you are required to purchase an electronic portfolio registration code upon your entry into the Master of Arts in Educational Leadership program. Basic directions for purchasing access to and using your electronic portfolio are posted within the Educational Leadership Students Organization (online community).
Budget Forecasting and Fiscal Planning is a three-credit online graduate course, consisting of eleven (11) modules. Modules include topics, learning objectives, study materials, and activities. Module titles and topics are listed below.
1.1 | Economics of education | |
1.2 | Education as human capital | |
1.3 | Creation of wealth and education | |
1.4 | Education as an important industry | |
1.5 | Education as a public sector responsibility | |
1.6 | Economics and social progress | |
1.7 | Economic benefits of education | |
1.8 | Noneconomic benefits of education | |
1.9 | Taxation and education | |
1.10 | Cost-quality relationship in education |
2.1 | Societal impact on educational needs | |
2.2 | How education deserves a higher priority and the public demand for improvement | |
2.3 | Demographic and social change | |
2.4 | Consequences of not educating people on society | |
2.5 | The inequalities of financing education | |
2.6 | The equalization principle and improving state practices | |
2.7 | Foundation programs |
3.1 | Developing patterns and determining the best financing plan | |
3.2 | Full state funding | |
3.3 | Property reassessment and local district revenues | |
3.4 | District power equalization | |
3.5 | Emphasis on weighting factors and the various types |
4.1 | The taxation system | |
4.2 | Characteristics of a good tax system | |
4.3 | Taxes for education | |
4.4 | Private foundations | |
4.5 | School and business partnerships |
5.1 | Diminishing local control | |
5.2 | How both urban and rural economics affect education | |
5.3 | Governance under local control | |
5.4 | Local fiscal control | |
5.5 | Advantages of local control | |
5.6 | Tax responsibility (local, state, and federal) |
6.1 | Early development of a state’s responsibility | |
6.2 | Decentralization of educational systems | |
6.3 | Development of school finance policies | |
6.4 | State's ability to support education | |
6.5 | Various state programs |
7.1 | U.S. Department of Education | |
7.2 | Advantages and disadvantages of receiving federal funds | |
7.3 | The role of the U.S. Constitution | |
7.4 | Federal expenditure and increased service | |
7.5 | The future of federal aid to education |
8.1 | Power of the court before 1971 | |
8.2 | Court cases equity and adequacy | |
8.3 | Pressure for reform | |
8.4 | Factors limiting financing reform | |
8.5 | Finance reform or tax reduction |
9.1 | Funds for nonpublic education: a controversial issue | |
9.2 | Intervention of the courts | |
9.3 | Separation of church and state | |
9.4 | Educational choice and vouchers |
10.1 | Financing capital-outlay projects | |
10.2 | School budget process | |
10.3 | GAAP accounting process | |
10.4 | Purchasing | |
10.5 | Annual audits |
11.1 | The expanded role of human resources | |
11.2 | Certification | |
11.3 | Teachers and school finance | |
11.4 | Administrators and supervisory salaries | |
11.5 | Governmental influence |
For your formal work in the course, you are required to participate in online discussion forums, complete writing assignments, and complete three reports—a detailed report based on an interview with your business administrator, a report based on your annual district report card, and a school budget. See below for more details.
Consult the course Calendar for assignment due dates.
Discussion ForumsEach module in the course has an asynchronous discussion forum.
Online discussions provide an opportunity for you to interact with your classmates. During this aspect of the course, you respond to prompts that assist you in developing your ideas, you share those ideas with your classmates, and you comment on their posts. Discussion board interactions promote development of a community of learners, critical thinking, and exploratory learning.
Most discussion activities contain several activity questions. Be sure your posting addresses all of them.
Please participate in online discussions as you would in constructive face-to-face discussions. You are expected to post well-reasoned and thoughtful reflections for each item, making reference, as appropriate, to your textbook readings and any other sources you may use, including Web sites. You are also expected to reply to your classmates' posts in a respectful, professional, and courteous manner. You may, of course, post questions asking for clarification or further elucidation on a topic.
Click link for an evaluation rubric.
Writing AssignmentsYou are required to complete eleven (11) short writing assignments of about 500 words. The writing assignments are on a variety of topics associated with the course modules. They require you to write well-reasoned and thoughtful papers on questions derived from the lesson objectives, making reference, as appropriate, to the readings and other sources of information. You are required to use APA format (current guidelines) for your work and for all references.
Click link for an evaluation rubric.
ReportsInterview Report
You will conduct and report on an interview with your school or district business administrator about the budget process. The purpose of this exercise is to give you, as a future administrator, first-hand experience with what is involved in preparing a school budget and with all of its various components. See Interview Report for further details, and consult the course Calendar for the report's due date.
Click link for an evaluation rubric.
District Report Card Report
In a second report, you will review and analyze your district report card. In analyzing the report card you will see how your district compares with state averages as well as possible trends in both your school and district. See District Report Card Report for further details, and consult the course Calendar for the report's due date.
Click link for an evaluation rubric.
School Budget ProjectFor your final project, you will prepare a school budget for one of three grade configurations (K–5, 6–8, or 9–12). The budget will be based on information provided and will give you an opportunity to incorporate what you learned earlier in your interview of the business administrator. See School Budget Project for further details, and consult the course Calendar for the project's due date.
Click link for an evaluation rubric.
Portfolio Artifacts and Reflective NarrativeThe principal artifacts for this course are the interview report, district report card report, and school budget project.
Place your artifacts in the Artifacts area of your electronic folio. You can also link your artifacts (designated as "Work") to ISLLC standards listed in the Resources area of the e-folio. Keep your work in "draft" or "ready for feedback" status for now.
Your grade in the course will be determined as follows:
All activities will receive a numerical grade of 0–100. You will receive a score of 0 for any work not submitted. Your final grade in the course will be a letter grade. Letter grade equivalents for numerical grades are as follows:
A | = | 93–100 | B– | = | 80–82 | |
A– | = | 90–92 | C+ | = | 78–79 | |
B+ | = | 88–89 | C | = | 73–77 | |
B | = | 83–87 | F | = | Below 73 |
To receive credit for the course, you must earn a letter grade of C or higher on the weighted average of all assigned course work (e.g., assignments, discussion postings, projects, etc.). Graduate students must maintain a B average overall to remain in good academic standing.
First Steps to Success
To succeed in this course, take the following first steps:
Study Tips
Consider the following study tips for success:
Students at Thomas Edison State College are expected to exhibit the highest level of academic citizenship. In particular, students are expected to read and follow all policies, procedures, and program information guidelines contained in publications; pursue their learning goals with honesty and integrity; demonstrate that they are progressing satisfactorily and in a timely fashion by meeting course deadlines and following outlined procedures; observe a code of mutual respect in dealing with mentors, staff, and other students; behave in a manner consistent with the standards and codes of the profession in which they are practicing; keep official records updated regarding changes in name, address, telephone number, or e-mail address; and meet financial obligations in a timely manner. Students not practicing good academic citizenship may be subject to disciplinary action including suspension, dismissal, or financial holds on records.
Academic Dishonesty
Thomas Edison State College expects all of its students to approach their education with academic integrity—the pursuit of scholarly activity free from fraud and deception. All mentors and administrative staff members at the College insist on strict standards of academic honesty in all courses. Academic dishonesty undermines this objective. Academic dishonesty takes the following forms:
Academic dishonesty will result in disciplinary action and possible dismissal from the College. Students who submit papers that are found to be plagiarized will receive an F on the plagiarized activity, may receive a grade of F for the course, and may face dismissal from the College.
A student who is charged with academic dishonesty will be given oral or written notice of the charge. If a mentor or College official believes the infraction is serious enough to warrant referral of the case to the academic dean, or if the mentor awards a final grade of F in the course because of the infraction, the student and the mentor will be afforded formal due process.
If a student is found cheating or using unauthorized materials on an examination, he or she will automatically receive a grade of F on that examination. Students who believe they have been falsely accused of academic dishonesty should seek redress through informal discussions with the mentor, through the office of the dean, or through an executive officer of Thomas Edison State College.
Plagiarism
Using someone else's work as your own is plagiarism. Although it may seem like simple dishonesty, plagiarism is against the law. Thomas Edison State College takes a strong stance against plagiarism, and students found to be plagiarizing will be severely penalized. If you copy phrases, sentences, paragraphs, or whole documents word-for-word—or if you paraphrase by changing a word here and there—without identifying the author, then you are plagiarizing. Please keep in mind that this type of identification applies to Internet sources as well as to print-based sources. Copying and pasting from the Internet, without using quotation marks and without acknowledging sources, constitutes plagiarism. (For information about how to cite Internet sources, see Online Student Handbook > Academic Standards > "Citing Sources.")
Accidentally copying the words and ideas of another writer does not excuse the charge of plagiarism. It is easy to jot down notes and ideas from many sources and then write your own paper without knowing which words are your own and which are someone else's. It is more difficult to keep track of each and every source. However, the conscientious writer who wishes to avoid plagiarizing never fails to keep careful track of sources.
Always be aware that if you write without acknowledging the sources of your ideas, you run the risk of being charged with plagiarism.
Clearly, plagiarism, no matter the degree of intent to deceive, defeats the purpose of education. If you plagiarize deliberately, you are not educating yourself, and you are wasting your time on courses meant to improve your skills. If you plagiarize through carelessness, you are deceiving yourself.
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