Budget Reduction Plan

i)        Resource 2: Budgets Cuts, located in the Course Resources folder, provides information for this assignment, including your role as a principal who had been told by the superintendent to cut the school budget and the School Budget Table (Budget Breakdown).

ii)       Use the School Budget Table (Budget Breakdown) as presented in Resource 2 in the Course Resources folder. Fully develop a budget reduction plan that addresses the budget cuts required by the superintendent. Identify and describe the primary sources of revenue available to your school.

iii)     Identify the primary items paid for with each of these sources of revenue.

iv)     Identify the source of each revenue stream (e.g., M&O budget is funded by the state on a per student basis from primary property tax; bonds are levies voted on by the community and paid for through a secondary property tax).

v)      Identify the primary use of each source of revenue (e.g., Maintenance and Operations budget is used to pay salaries or purchase consumable instructional supplies).

vi)     Identify what, if any, limitations are placed on each source of revenue (e.g., Soft Capital dollars cannot be used for salaries or stipends).

vii)   Identify which of the items above could be cut to meet the district requirements and from which revenue streams. Place your suggested cuts in the three areas below: Priority One will be cut first and Priority Three will be cut last. Identify those cuts that afford the least impact to student learning.

viii)  APA format is not required, but solid writing skill in APA style is expected.

Meeting District Requirements/Justification

i)        Identify those in a school who might be included in and excluded from the budgetary decision making process. These persons would comprise a stakeholder team. Provide a rationale as to why you included/excluded each.

ii)       Write a 1500–1750 word essay that discusses your justification for the items you choose to remove from the school budget and how you will meet the district requirements as you implement your plan of action. Consider the following. Ensure your responses are inherent in the essay, not simply short answers:

(1)   How your plan will ensure that the appropriate stakeholders were involved in the process.

(2)   How your plan will be implemented.

(3)   How you identified the programs to be preserved.

(4)   How you identified programs to be cut the most.

(5)   How your plan ensures the continued educability of all in spite of the budget reductions.

(6)   How your plan continues to embrace the district’s vision of high standards of learning.

(7)   How your plan will be communicated effectively to staff, parents, students, and community members.

(8)   How your plan will determine the effectiveness of the cuts over time.

(9)   How the plan identifies alternative sources of funding to replace the funding lost.

Use standard essay format in APA style, including an introduction, conclusion, and title page. An abstract is required. Cite in text and in the References section. Submit both parts of the assignment as one deliverable

NOTE:  For a professional presentation please remember to include the Rationale and Standards that apply to this assignment.