* Building the Budget (Do)

Introduction: Now that you have collected the information, the fun begins...

Timeline:

Ideal: Spring two years prior (March 2016 for 2018-2019)

Real: Spring the Prior Year (March 2017 for 2018-2019)

eRate Bidding: November prior year (November 2016 for Summer 2017) or longer for priority 2

Who's Involved: Business Manager and Direct Supervisor

Components of the Budget (Speak the Business Manager's lingo):

Funding Sources:

• General Fund: Student allocation (FTE)

• Grants

  • State Grants (22i)

  • Federal Grants

  • MDE Grant Sources

  • Big Deal E-Newsletter

  • Issue: Getting people together is not always easy.

  • Issue: Is the effort worth the time?

• Bond Issue

  • Cannot spend on staff or training

• ISD Technology (Enhancement) Millages

  • An Enhancement Millage can only be levied by an ISD if approved by a majority of intermediate school voters. If approved, the revenue received by the ISD is proportioned to each constituent district based their pupil membership and is used to “enhance” their operating revenue.

  • Can spend on staff and training.

• Sinking Funds 2.0

  • Legislative Act - Sinking Fund

    • • Only for new sinking funds

      • Cannot exceed 5 mills

      • Security improvements would be defined as any capital improvement or purchase designed to deter unauthorized persons or items onto school premises, including, but not limited to, metal detectors, locks, doors, lighting,cameras, and enhancements to entryways. It would not include personnel costsor operation costs related to a capital improvement or purchase.

      • Technology would be defined as it is under section 1351a of the Revised School Code (MCL 380.1351a) and would mean hardware and communication devices that transmit, receive, or compute information for pupil instructional purposes, along with the accompanying initial purchase of operating system software or custom application software and their design and installation.

• ERate 2.0

  • Universal Service Fund (USF) website & MDE Site

  • Flow chart of USF process

  • USF Check List

• • • Form 470

    • Form 471

    • Form 486

    • Form 472 (Bear Form)

• • Eligibility List

  • Calculating your discount

  • Recommendation: Get a USF Company: Techplex, Triple R, Convergent, Convergent, etc.

• • • Bake Sales, GoFundMe, etc.

Rules and Regulations:

• • State

• • State of Michigan Accounting Resources

  • School purchasing pages (Lots of good info about MI School Rules)

  • Chart of accounts?

    • Chart of Accounts: Do you have a special chart for grants, bond, millage?

    • How does your business department handle the chart?

• • Board Policies: Do you know how your Board and your Business Department Interpret the Rules?

Build the Budget!

• Sample Budgets:

  • Budget Example

  • BUD0506_DRAFT.xls

• IT Budget Allocation Benchmarks

  • Information Technology Budget Allocation Scoreboard