Budget Projections
Uses staffing data such as salary grid placement, years of service, union contract information, retirement information, and leave of absence information to estimate costs for the following year.
What are the personnel budget projection inputs? Review tool.
Three parent groups that the District meets with annually to share budget information and gather feedback on possible needs.
What are SEPAC, ELPAC, and the PGO? Share recent additions made as a result of these meetings.
The document that lists all of the approved expenditures ready for payment and documents school committee approval to release payment.
What is a warrant? - Share warrant example
This type of tuition is $5,000 per student and paid by the sending district.
What is school choice? - Review school choice revolving funds
Operating budget, BANS, Bonds, revolving funds, CPA funds.
What are different ways to fund capital projects?
Uses plan enrollment counts, retirement information, and premium rate data to estimate costs for the following year.
What are the health insurance projection inputs? Review tool.
The primary factor that is used to realign elementary budgets between the three elementary schools each year.
What is enrollment? Review workbook
A report presented four times a year that shows the financial condition of the operating budget. This report also shows transfers between cost centers to be approved by the school committee.
What is a quarterly budget report? See example.
A state funding source that partially reimburses school districts for special education costs that exceed four times the foundation budget per pupil.
What is circuit breaker? - Review circuit breaker revolving fund summaries.
In Amherst, approval occurs by way of a vote of the Town Council. In Region, approval occurs after a debt authorization by the School Committee in March, and approval by Town Meeting/Council in April/May.
What is how are capital projects approved in Amherst and Region? Review timeline.
Uses degree days, consumption data, supply contracts, and guidance from a coordinator at the Lower Pioneer Valley Educational Collaborative.
What are the heating budget projection inputs? Review utility projection tools.
The three primary components of the budget guidance process. The first provides historical context for major costs, the second illustrates how the budget supports the goals of the District, and the third invites selected programs to share financial, operational, and outcome information with the committee.
What are the key Indicators Report, the Budget and Goal Alignment Report, and Strategic Program Reviews?
A document used by all departments to make purchases. It requires approval by the department head, the finance director, and by the superintendent if the purchase amount exceeds $1,000.
What is a purchase order? Share example.
A special education grant of approximately $800,000 that funds special education staff, out of district tuition, transportation, and extended year programming.
What is the IDEA grant?
Four Towns
What is the number of towns required to approve the debt authorization in order to pass the regional capital plan? Review the approval process
Uses student enrollment data by grade along with tuition rate information to estimate costs for the following year.
What are charter, choice, vocational, and special education tuition projection inputs? Review tool.
The three primary meetings that occur in January, February, and March to review, evaluate and approve the operating budget. These meetings are structured to share an initial financial plan based on stakeholder input, gather additional input and feedback, and modify the financial plan based on that feedback and input.
What are the initial budget presentation, the budget hearing, and the budget vote meetings? Review budget timeline and process.
The name of the accounting system used by the schools and town. This system documents all of the financial activity of the schools and is used to reconcile account balances. It also is used for budget control and monitoring.
Munis - Share print out of a department
A grant of approximately $500,000 that is determined by a community's poverty level and is used to support students with the greatest academic need. This grant supports intervention teachers, extended year programming, supplies and community engagement activities.
What is Title I?
This agency helps support capital projects via two primary programs. The core program is used for major new construction or renovation. The accelerated repair program is used to replace individual building systems such as a boiler, roof or windows.
What is the MSBA? Review recent MSBA projects and upcoming needs.
Uses historical data, information from the state, and information from towns (finance committees in particular) to estimate resources for the following year.
What are revenue budget inputs? Review tool.
These are changes to the level services budget that are identified during the budget process. The level services budget is the baseline budget that projects the current years level of services to the next year.
What are additions and reductions? Review relationship between additions/reductions and the level services budget.
A form used by department heads to shift funds between accounts that they oversee.
What is a budget transfer form? Distribute form.
A type of fund that is used to manage specific revenue generating activities such as athletics, school choice, circuit breaker, school lunch, facility rental, textbook replacement, preschool and before school.
What is a revolving fund? See revolving fund detail sheets in budget document.
What is the Joint Capital Planning Committee? Describe function and upcoming challenges.