A crucial and difficult component of budgeting is planning for expenses within the available resources.

Based on the information collected in Clinical Field Experience A, create an annual budget for the small group using a digital spreadsheet (e.g., Excel) to allocate funds to the selected group. Base this budget on both current and anticipated expenditures and revenues.

Include the following components in your budget:

• Current budget revenue and expenditures.
• Proposed revenue and expenditures.
• For line items that are increasing or decreasing significantly, include an explanation for the increase or decrease, supported by data you obtained through the needs assessment survey or interview.
• Strategies demonstrating line items you would adjust if you do not receive the funds you are requesting.

Write a 250-500 word rationale for the budget, addressing the following:

• How this group operates to support the school’s mission and vision
• Justification of how the requested expenditures will support the school’s priorities and goals and promote continuous school improvement
• Strategies to build organizational capacity to rely less on school funding

APA format is not required, but solid academic writing is expected.

This assignment uses a rubric. Review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

https://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/2016/jun/19/beginners-guide-planning-managing-school-budgets

You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. A link to the LopesWrite Technical Support Articles is located in Class Resources if you need assistance.

Running head: CLINICAL FIELD EXPERIENCE A 1

 

CLINICAL FIELD EXPERIENCE A 5

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CLINICAL FIELD EXPERIENCE A: A Program Leader Interview

Darius Washington

Grand Canyon : EAD – 510

December 2, 2021

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Clinical field experience A: program leader interview

The interview conducted with the principal secretary, the financial clerk, and the school principal offered a better understanding of the collaborations and the work which must occur for the finances in the campus to be assigned in the correct manner and within the available resources. These three individuals were interviewed regarding how they work with the learners, their operations within the campus, their Title within the institution, and their overall operations that regard the finances. The reviews of how funds are assigned and the determination of the most appropriate utilization of the money that is available in the school are done by the sponsors of the school, the principal of the school, as well as the county budget services officer who is in charge of the district schools. The daily reports of finances that are available are generated to keep track of the overall amount the budget will have. These summaries are also provided by the budget services within this district.

It is crucial to understand that the overall financial resources a campus might get may vary each year, and some funds accounts can be expected to roll over to the next school year. There are various factors that determine the amount of budget an institution has in place. The campus budget does not include matters such as the groups and clubs that are formed within the institution. Organizations and clubs like the cheerleading squad, drama club, or music club collect their finances from the donations that well-wishers provide to them, the fundraising operations they conduct, and the winning prizes that they may get as a result of their competitiveness in certain functions (Jarrell, 2020). The budget of the school is mainly related to issues that directly involve the student’s enrollment on the campus.

The institution utilizes a specific unique formula for assigning each dollar value that is provided for every learner. An assessment and analysis of the needs of the learners are conducted by the income of the parents. There are certain restrictions that are put in place regarding funding or making purchases using the budget that is set. Only purchases made by the vendors that the school has said they are qualified are allowed. The particular products which are bought are funded with the proper accounts to ensure accountability can be made. Only specific individuals who are listed as having Title I are allowed to perform these operations. It is essential to understand that the time that the approval operations take can cause an extension in the overall time interval for receiving the products which are ordered within the institution (Counts & Learns, 2020). It is quite a process of getting the necessary people involved to sign and approve these purchases. In some instances, the institution will include limitations in the acquisition by limiting the properties of the items which are not supported by the facility.

The program does not have the capability to add to the budget of the school. The funds in the program are limited to the money collected during fundraisers and donations. These money acquiring methods do not offer substantial financial resources that could be helpful in boosting the budget of the entire school. The school’s mission is to ensure that all students, regardless of their social backgrounds, are able to get equal opportunities for learning to ensure that they can become their best selves (Bandiyono, 2020). The school’s budget is aligned in that it allows all students to contribute equally to the realization of the funds that are useful in providing education opportunities to all learners. It will enable the school to fulfill the objective of managing the school in a manner that provides the best conducive environment for learning without disruptions.

The budget ensures that the academic and financial goals of the students are supported. It allows management of the institution to allocate necessary funds towards offering the best learning tools, which are essential in determining the manner the students are taught, the level of accuracy in the teaching techniques, and the understanding capabilities of the students. It ensures that the long-run operations of teaching are projected in the high performance of the students. Also, it allows students to learn how to utilize their financial resources accordingly in the present as well as in the future. The school’s budget reconciliation operations involve discussion of the changes in spending which are expected in specific departments, the revenue changes which has to be put in place, and the limit of deficits that the school can have regarding the various projects which have been started or underway (Courtright. et al., 2019). The targets which have been discussed and set up have to be achieved through the drafting of bills that will ensure the financial operations of various departments are guided in their spending.

In summary, it is clear that the institution’s budget is structured by the approved school committee and must follow the financial resources that are available. It is aligned with the mission and vision of the school, and therefore, it ensures that the learning environment is made conducive for learning purposes to all students. Purchasing of items within the institution is guided by the allocating finances and must be approved by the obligated school members.

 

 

 

 

References

Bandiyono, A. (2020). Budget Participation and Internal Control for Better Quality Financial Statements. Jurnal Akuntansi, 24(2), 313-327. Retrieved from https://scholar.archive.org/work/gmwi3xey4rhmbmjuzgqskvnywi/access/wayback/https://ecojoin.org/index.php/EJA/article/download/699/679

Counts, E., & Learns, E. (2020). BUDGET DEVELOPMENT 2020-21. Retrieved from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/2b85/6e5064dbad7d2132b280208e10e57cb198c7.pdf

Courtright, P., Banzi, J., & Lewallen, S. (2019). Budgeting for a district VISION 2020 program. Community eye health, 18(54), 90. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1705674/

Jarrell, B. E. (2020). Budget Reductions. Retrieved from https://archive.hshsl.umaryland.edu/bitstream/handle/10713/13697/BudgetReductions_2020.09.14.pdf?sequence=1

Read the case study, “Transforming the Postal Service” (Shafritz, Russell, & Borick, 2012, pp. 374-377), and answer the following two questions posed at the end of the case study.

1. What steps has the U.S. Postal Service taken to transform itself?
2. How this the fear of increased competition from FedEx and UPS motivated the Postal Service to reform?

Write a 2- to 3-page (in addition to the title and reference pages that you must include) minimum response in essay form. Include in text citation. APA Format

Transforming the Postal Service

Ever since the nineteenth century when stamps were first used as postage on letters, people have collected them for their artistic merit and their investment value. The United States first issued adhesive postage stamps in 1847. These stamps had portraits of Benjamin Franklin and George Washington. Governments have produced a multitude of commemorative stamps for the collectors’ market. After all, a stamp purchased and saved is almost pure profit to the post office.

When the U.S. Postal Service decided to issue a stamp commemorating the rock ‘n’ roll star Elvis Presley, it created publicity by asking Americans to “vote” on stamp designs featuring either the young or old Elvis. When the “polling” was complete, the young Elvis design won by four to one. More importantly, this created a ready audience—a ready market—for the stamp when it was released in 1992. Nevertheless, the Postal Service was surprised at the depth of the public’s enthusiasm. People who had never saved stamps before suddenly become collectors—at least of this stamp. The Postal Service could barely keep up with the initial demand for the Elvis stamp. Because hardly anyone bought the first Elvis stamps to use on letters, the Postal Service, from its point of view, was almost literally printing money.

Taken by surprise by the public’s tremendous response to the Elvis stamp, the Postal Service was determined that the next time it would be ready—ready with more stamps to sell. But stamps of what? Most commemorative stamps are issued, bought by collectors or people who prefer stamps with some distinction, and then forgotten. The Postal Service searched for another dead national icon with a following comparable to Elvis’s. “Dead” was an important consideration here. Contrary to the philatelic policies in monarchies and dictatorships, only the likenesses of the deceased are allowed on American stamps. Marilyn Monroe, dead since 1962, had never faded from the public’s mind. As with Elvis, her face and persona were instantly recognizable. Both had died prematurely of drug overdoses when they were still enormously popular.

Realizing the market potential, the Postal Service gave the Marilyn stamp a lavish publicity send-off. Postmaster General Marvin Runyon made the rounds of the TV and radio talk shows as if he were hawking a book. He scheduled visits to shopping malls where he would judge Marilyn Monroe look-alike contests. They even advertised her on TV. Over old news clips of Marilyn, an announcer asks, “When is a stamp not just a stamp? The Marilyn stamp [picture of stamp replaces news film] now at your post office.” Many people give great patriotic service to their government when they are alive; to do so after death as Marilyn has done—and is still doing—is patriotism indeed.

Today’s Postal Service was created by the Postal Reorganization Act of 1970. This federal statute converted the Post Office Department into an independent establishment—within the executive branch of the government— to own and operate the nation’s postal system, thereafter known as the U.S. Postal Service. The old Post Office Department was “reinvented” (before this term was in common usage in government) as a public enterprise because the Nixon administration was unhappy with its poor management and constant need for public subsidies.

Amid a dramatic postal strike in the spring of 1970, the government for the first time in history agreed to allow wages, which hitherto had always been set through the legislative process, to be negotiated between union and government representatives. That ended the strike. Subsequently, the Postal Reorganization Act was passed, establishing the corporate framework sought by Nixon and providing for collective bargaining with postal employees in the future. The Postal Service remains the only federal agency whose employees are governed by a collective-bargaining process that permits negotiations over wages.

The chief executive officer of the Postal Service, the postmaster general, is appointed by the nine governors of the Postal Service, who are appointed by the president, with the advice and consent of the Senate, for overlapping nine-year terms. The ambiguous legal status of the Postal Service has been the source of political controversy since it was established in 1970. It does not report to the president and is only indirectly responsible to Congress. Even though it is an “independent” government corporation, it cannot even set its own prices for services. A Postal Rate Commission, created by the 1970 Reorganization Act, must approve all postage rates, fees, and mail classifications. The commission also has appellate jurisdiction to review Postal Service determinations to close or consolidate small post offices. There have been a number of bills introduced in recent congresses to return the Postal Service to the status of a regular executive department—and to greater political control. Such proposals tend to increase dramatically whenever local post offices are forced to merge or close.

Despite perennial criticism, what the Postal Service (USPS) does is impressive: In 2006 more than 213 billion pieces of mail were delivered to 146 million residences and businesses by almost 700,000 career employees in 37,000 post offices. With annual revenues of more than $72 billion, and the largest civilian fleets of vehicles on the planet, it delivers more than 46 percent of the world’s card and letter mail each day. But the USPS is changing rapidly. Because of the decline in mail volume due largely to the Internet and text messaging, by 2011 there were 5,000 fewer post offices. Employees were down to 532,000. Physical mail peaked in 2006 with 213 billion pieces; by 2010 it was 20 percent lower and declining.

While most Americans do not realize it, their daily mail is cheap, comparatively speaking. The United States has the lowest first-class postage of any industrialized state. For the price of a first-class stamp, even one with Marilyn or Elvis on it, the Postal Service will take your letter—if properly addressed—to the bottom of the Grand Canyon by mule, to the Arctic Circle in Alaska by bush pilot, or to ships on America’s remote rivers by mail boat. The current motto of the Postal Service is “We Deliver for You.” It knows that if it doesn’t, that if there are too many complaints, Congress may change its mandate.

The Postal Service’s worst nightmare is that Congress will jeopardize the service’s solvency by allowing others—maybe Federal Express (FedEx) or United Parcel Service (UPS)—the right to deliver first-class mail. Such totally private corporations could then easily skim off the easy and profitable urban delivery routes and leave the Postal Service with all the unprofitable and difficult ones. Thus “express mail” overnight delivery was created in 1977 specifically to compete with Federal Express, and the Postal Service has conducted quarterly performance evaluations since 1990 to monitor the timeliness of its first-class mail delivery. And with perpetual fears of losing its monopoly and viability, the Postal Service is hustling to improve its core services, to create new products, such as the 2005 Muppet stamps and the 2006 “Forever” stamp that can be used to mail a standard first-class letter anytime in the future.

The Marilyn and Elvis stamps are indicators of a major new trend in public administration in general, and the Postal Service in particular: the concern for marketing. Marketing, entrepreneurship, and promotional management are relatively new areas of interest in the public and nonprofit sectors. The first published argument (that we have been able to locate) that nonprofit organizations should engage in marketing even though they face somewhat unique circumstances is in Philip Kotler and Sidney Levy’s 1969 article “Broadening the Concept of Marketing.” The first textbook on the subject, also by Kotler, was not published until 1975. Although some nonprofit organizations have engaged in business-enterprise-type activities at least since the beginning of the twentieth century—for example, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City opened its first official sales store in 1908—only scattered attention was paid to such income-generating activities prior to 1980.

Entrepreneurial-type business ventures by agencies of the public sector are not limited to the Postal Service. Creating and capitalizing on chances to make money—the core of entrepreneurship—are becoming increasingly fashionable. Thus organizations as diverse as the Chicago Public Library and the Los Angeles County coroner’s office sell a wide range of memorabilia.

The result of entrepreneurial forays by the Postal Service and other public sector entities is to raise revenue through non traditional methods rather than increasing taxes or user fees (or stamp prices). Entrepreneurship is a frame of mind, a willingness to create and to be receptive to opportunities, an orientation toward risk-taking ventures. But nonprofit organizations cannot allow the current interest in entrepreneurship to allow them to forget their traditional purposes. Business ventures can be dangerous when they compromise the organization’s original mission. Marilyn and Elvis stamps, pins, and other souvenir items are like best selling books. They generate tremendous income when first offered for sale and even have comfortable backlist sales, but they are no substitute for the organization’s core function: selling a service.

So what’s the lesson here? The public sector can benefit from some entrepreneurial techniques. If stamps with Washington, Franklin, and other dignitaries do not sell well enough as collectibles, then sell what sells. Sell Marilyn, Elvis, and even Miss Piggy. The Postal Service, by being made a public enterprise, has simply used its discretion to branch out into the entertainment industry. In so doing, it has found a way to improve its financial health so as to better fulfill its primary purpose: delivering the mail. While its long-term survival is still very much in question, the USPS appears to be making a good-faith attempt to keep itself a player in the twenty-first-century world of communication.v