Budgeting and Financial Statements

School-based budgeting "shifts decision-making responsibilities from the district office to the principals, teachers and community members." School-Based Budgeting ERIC Digest Number 131...sounds like a very logican solution after-all who would better know the community's priorities and challenges better than the community! After reading about School-Based Budgeting we looked at Performance-Driven Budgeting: The example of New York City's Schools. Eric Digest and read of a very successful pilot project that once completed was not continued. Why? How could it be that after positive pilot the government turns back to centralization? Why bother do the pilot in the first place? Isn't it time for the governments to stop "playing politics" on the backs of our students?!
A very interesting read "How to Find, Raise, and Attract Money in Hard Times" by R.D. Ramsey (2001). My retirement (earlier this year) has allowed me the opportunity to demonstrate my thankfulness by giving me time to work for worthy causes, to help others. I am now on the Board of Directors as well as the Fundraising Committee for the Alzheimer Groupe Inc. At our most recent committee meeting I took the liberty of sharing some ideas noted in this article. Most important for us was the notion of "getting noticed". We all know that publicity helps but we often get caught up with "doing" something, even something very worthy that should be noticed and are then "put-off" when we are not noticed or, even worse, are jealous when another worthy cause or program does get noticed. We don't often think that WE could be the one to change that, that WE are responsible for COMMUNICATING our successes---even to the media!
This has happened to me professionally---Dr. Ken, you will read more about this in one of my Professional Stories.