School Finance and Management

Masters of Science in Education

EDU 534

Breyer State University
Instructor: Jeanne M. Herbert, MEd

SYLLABUS

COURSE OVERVIEW: Welcome to School Finance & Management, a Master Level course in the curriculum for the Degree, Master of Educational Administration. I am pleased to instruct you in this course, which will be a foundational course for the remainder of your studies in the Master program.

While School Finance may first appear to be a complex issue, it behooves any administrator to truly understand the financial aspect that runs their school system. This course can seem to be quite daunting, especially to those never exposed to Budget & Finance before. This course attempts to simplify the various components of a school budget and show that it doesn't have to be a complex and distant subject with a lot of math, graphs, and statistics.

Ask anyone in educational administration their thoughts on school budget and you'll receive a wide variety of responses. Working with the budget is typically not something most administrators look forward to, but it is a necessary part of the job. Often, not enough time or credence is focused on this very important subject. Relying solely on your school district's financial person can be costly to you. Not being personally aware of resources that are available can cause you to lose some integral funding sources, not to mention a very costly endeavor. Basically, the course concentrates on: the process of how to build a fiscally sound budget, the different areas that are affected by the budget, and how the budget can best be used to provide sound educational programs.

I hope you will enjoy this course, and that you will gain valuable information and insight. Please learn as much as you can as you progress through it, as it does lay down a solid foundation for the rest of the curriculum. It is my pleasure to have you in the course.

TIME FRAME: This is a five-semester hour course. This course is allotted ten weeks of time. You must complete all of the requirements for the course successfully by the end of the ten-week period. The first day of week one will begin the day that you register for the course, or the day which you notify me that your textbooks have arrived and you are ready to begin your studies. Please be cognizant of the time frame. It is rare that extensions of time are permitted, unless you have good justification. Upon successful completion of this course, you will be awarded five semester hours of credit.

TEXTBOOKS: There is one (1) required textbook for this course, and one suggested textbook. The second book is a useful tool to assist you with organizational skills as an administrator.

Book 1: Money & Schools, Second Edition. By David C. Thompson, R. Craig Wood. Larchmont , NY ; Eye on Education.: 2001. ISBN # 1-930556-17-9.

Book 2: From Rigorous Standards To Student Achievement: A Practical Process. B y Rettig, et al. Larchmont , NY ; Eye on Education. 2004. ISBN # 1-930556-62-4.

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EXAMINATIONS: There is one examination for this course, and a mid-term project. The mid-term project consists of a written assignment, of which you have 3 options to choose from. Only one written assignment is required. The length of the assignment must be at least 2 pages long, but no more than 5 pages long. The final exam covers the material in the book, "Money & Schools" By David C. Thompson, R. Craig Wood.

The mid-term project must be turned in by the end of the 6th week in the course.

The final examination must be taken by the end of the 10 th week in the course.

The exam is programmed and is located in the classroom for this course. The examination is an "open book" objective type. You will have one (1) day to complete your exam, once you access it from the classroom. To access the exams, you must send me an email and request to have access to the exam. I will then program your access in. You will receive an email back from me telling you that you are now authorized to go ahead and to access your exam. To access, you will come into the classroom, click on testing, and click on the exam you are taking. You will need your User ID and PASS WORD to access the exam. The exam will appear on your screen. Once you access the exam, you have 24 hours to submit your answers. The program provides me the exact date and time that you accessed the exam. The program also notifies me of the exact date and time that you submitted your answers. Thus, the program is timing you. When you are ready, go back into the classroom and click in your responses and then click submit. Shortly, you will receive the exam in your email box with your computed score. You will also know what questions, if any, that you missed, and what the correct answer is. I also receive a copy of your exam and your score.

GRADING: The grading scale for this course is as follows:

90-100%    = A
80-89%      = B
70-79%      = C
Below 70% = Fail

COMMUNICATION: You are encouraged to communicate with me. I am available as a teacher, coach, and mentor to assist you in meeting your goals for this course. Primarily, communication is through email. However, I am also available for conversation by telephone if you would like. Our classroom for this course has a "chat" room. I am also very willing to meet with you one-on-one in the chat room at your request. From time to time, depending on how many students are enrolled in this course at a particular time, we will have some scheduled group chats. You will receive more detailed information at the time such chat sessions are scheduled. Please keep my email address handy so that you can contact me. If at any time during this course you change your email address, please be sure to notify me right away.

WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS: There is one written assignment for this course, in the form of the mid-term project. If you are not clear as to what is expected of you, it is your responsibility to contact the instructor in plenty of time to assure the best possible grade. Late assignments will drop one letter grade for every week late.

ABOUT YOUR INSTRUCTOR: I, Jeanne M. Herbert, M.Ed., BS, currently teach graduate courses at Breyer State University. I hold a Masters in Educational Administration/Leadership. Currently I work for the State Educational System of New York state as a professional development specialist. I provide technical assistance and training to over 35 school districts. I am a certified Educational Mediator and have provided Advocate assistance to parents. I am a former public school teacher, Department Chairperson, CSE/CPSE Chairperson, Director of Special Education and Director of Special Programs. I write poetry and am currently working on a historical fiction novel on a non-fiction person.

COURSE OBJECTIVES: Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:

1). Understand that money & student achievement are related.
2). Have some knowledge that education's current condition is a product of history.
3). Understand the weakness and strengths of globalization.
4). Review sources of revenue & expenditure.
5). Understand the flow of money into schools.
6). Understand the proper handling of money.
7). Understand how proper money handling is the basis for good decision-making.
8). Understand how budgets are built.
9). Understand the following: Budget for Personnel; Instruction; Student Activities.
10). Understand how budgeting can influence behaviors at both district & school level.
11). Learn how to budget for school infrastructure.
12). Understandi budgeting for transportation & food services.
13). Understand the need to budget for liability & risk management.
14). Understand how site-based leadership can have strong budget implications.
15). Look into the future to determine how schools are facing radical changes.

ASSIGNMENTS: For specific assignments, please click on the link "Assignments"

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