With recent research from the Institute for Higher Education Policy showing that college is unaffordable for as many as 70% of working- and middle-class students, concerns about college costs are mounting. The cost of operating an institution of higher education, with very few exceptions, is reflected in the price of attendance that students,…

The 2014 edition of "Financial Accounting for Local and State School Systems" updates the 2009 (see ED505993) and 2003 editions of the handbook. The 2003 edition was the work of the NCES National Forum on Education Statistics, Core Finance Data Task Force. That task force systematically rewrote nearly the entire text, incorporating new…

To address the economic crisis facing the country, the President signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) into law on February 17, 2009. The ARRA offers numerous opportunities for full-service school leaders and may provide the necessary funding to prevent significant decreases in operating budgets. One of the largest investments…

This reference guide presents the basic accounting concepts, terminology, and definitions used by colleges and universities. The guide, a companion to the National Association of College and University Business Officers' (NACUBO's) online self-study course of the same name or a standalone reference, compares college and university accounting…

The paper offers a sample budget for the operation of a Committee on the Handicapped. The rationale for the existence of a budget is discussed and the development of the budget is examined. It is explained that the budget should be developed by those most familiar with the operations of the committee and that budget assumptions should be shared…

Cost analysis involves breaking down operating costs of a school district and allocating those costs to the appropriate unit of analysis so various comparisons can be made and used by school boards in making decisions about whether to continue certain programs or whether to close or consolidate school buildings. A cost analysis does not provide…

The materials on budgeting presented here are based on training programs conducted for women's centers through the Women's Educational Equity Project of the women's center at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. The booklet's purpose is to provide users with explicit information on developing and negotiating budgets for women's programs.…

This paper presents a standard costing model appropriate for determining real costs of programs which are not entirely self-contained. Central to the model is the concept of allocation pools involving resources which are not attributable to a single program or program component, but whose costs must be shared by any given program which is part of…

Discusses annual cost and present worth methods as two basic ways of calculating life-cycle cost to make purchasing decisions when replacing training systems. A training cost analysis worksheet to aid in asking comprehensive questions about training costs as they currently exist is included. (MBR)

Measures public school transportation directors are taking to solve their current budget problems. (MLF)

Asserts that the complexity of interrelated energy management factors means that business officers have to be more closely involved in assessing and communicating the effects of energy on campus maintenance and operations and utility budgets. Discusses identifying appropriate energy initiatives, developing realistic utility infrastructure plans…

Discussed is the development of an energy management program for New York State's school buildings and related facilities by Educational Facilities Laboratories (EFL). Based upon a prior assessment of the need and potential for an energy conservation program, EFL identifies six recurring concerns regarding the establishment of such programs. The…

In college and university administration, overhead costs are often charged to programs indiscriminately, whereas the support activities that underlie those costs remain unanalyzed. It is time for institutions to decrease ineffective use of resources. Activity-based management attributes costs more accurately and can improve efficiency. (MSE)

In response to a trend in which library services are made available to individuals and groups normally without access to them, direct and indirect costs for various units within a library are reviewed to provide a generic format for deriving those costs and establishing user fees. Precautions are also discussed. (MSE)

A discussion of federal cost accounting standards (CAS) chronicles briefly the history of CAS, notes other pertinent regulations applicable to higher education, summarizes the initial standards drafted for colleges and universities, and examines disclosure statement requirements and implications of noncompliance. (MSE)