Effective Music Budget Procedures

1. Effective Music Budget Procedures Seeking the support. Finding adequate funding to support a quality music-education program can be complex, demanding, and at times a nearly overwhelming obligation of the music educator.

2. Effective Music Budget Procedures Revenue sources. Taxes and state aid to education Special funds collected by the music department Fundraising Gifts Grants

3. Effective Music Budget Procedures Taxes. All public school districts are supported primarily from tax moneys collected from all citizens residing within counties in a particular school district. Money is allocated by state governments to school districts throughout the state.

4. Effective Music Budget Procedures Special funds collected by the music department. Admission for concerts Rental fees for school owned instruments and concert wear. Activity Fund – An annual fee for participating in activities within the school.

5. Effective Music Budget Procedures Fund-raising. Fund-raising by parent organizations and student groups have become the major source of funds to support the annual music budget.

6. Effective Music Budget Procedures Gifts. Local businesses, corporate and private foundations, as well as wealthy individuals can also be a source of additional funding for music education. Donations from performances for private organizations, parades, or similar functions cannot be ignored as a potential revenue source. Local service and music clubs are also potential sources.

7. Effective Music Budget Procedures Grants Proposals can be written for a variety of projects to support a music education programs. Likely candidates for proposal acceptance are: Commissioned works Guest performances Residency programs by regional artists

8. Effective Music Budget Procedures Need for the Budget Process. Imagine the chaos that would result in even the smallest school district if an organized approach to determining annual budget needs did not exist. The system, as cumbersome as it often appears to be, is the only logical manner in which a school district can handle public moneys with a high degree of responsibility and accountability.

9. Effective Music Budget Procedures Need for the Budget Process Cont... Revenues must be estimated – the budget process also requires the estimation of anticipated revenue from the sources that financially support a school district. Local and state government agencies must be actively involved in the projection of tax revenues available for dispersal to public education.

10. Effective Music Budget Procedures Need for the Budget Process Cont... Projected expenditures – school administrators must compile detailed and accurate estimates on all anticipated expenditures. A good school administrator will request input in this portion of the process from even the smallest program in the school district and will insist that a budget proposal be submitted for music education

11. Effective Music Budget Procedures Needfor the Budget Process Cont... Funds to be raised – should the anticipated expenditures considerably exceed the anticipated revenue for a school district, school administrators must raise additional funds through increased tax support and government grants or reduce the amount of expenditures for the district. Then need to limit expenditures has adversely affected music education in recent years and has resulted in increased fundraising efforts by music educators and parents who support the program.

12. Effective Music Budget Procedures Types of Music Budgets. Departmental Music Budget – this plan is generally found in large school systems and is compiled by a music supervisor or music coordinator. Budget support for all music activities within the entire system, from preschool to senior high is included in the departmental budget request

13. Effective Music Budget Procedures Types of Music Budgets Cont... Autonomous Music Budget – often used in large school districts. In the autonomous budget approach, each school or unit within the district is granted funding according to the activity level of the music program in that particular school. The danger of the autonomous budget style is that it fragments the total music program and creates a balance problem throughout the entire district.

14. Effective Music Budget Procedures Types of Music Budgets Cont... “No Budget” Music Budget – The “no budget” approach to funding music education exists when the school administrator allows the music educator to present expenditure request as “the need arises” and then takes positive or negative action on each request. This practice occurs most frequently in small school systems where school officials pay “lip service” to wanting a quality music education program in their schools and where they are dealing with an inexperienced music educator This approach holds absolutely no future for building a strong music program

15. Effective Music Budget Procedures Multi-Unit School District Budget Procedures. Several junior high’s and senior high schools A combination of the first three types of budgets would be the most appropriate to fit today’s needs. Each department within the district would submit a budget request to the music supervisor. Music supervisor would organize all the department request into a single document and would be presented to the district.

16. Effective Music Budget Procedures Small School District Budget Procedures. A split music budget combined with some elements of the autonomous music budget plan are generally best for small schools districts

17. Effective Music Budget Procedures Small School District Budget Procedures Cont… Establishing a budget plan – there are three situations in which he budget plan needs to be developed: If the music educator is in a first-year teaching position and no budget plan for music education has ever existed. And experienced music educator accepts a new teaching position and is dissatisfied with the budget approach Deciding to seek an expanded base of funding through a different approach

18. Effective Music Budget Procedures Small School District Budget Procedures Cont… Budget approach – there are two primary ways to approach the submission of a music budget request. The annual budget represents a year-long effort on the part of the music educator. The multi-year budget plan is used when a great deal of expensive equipment is needed and its cost prohibits a purchase at one time.

19. Effective Music Budget Procedures Organizing the Budget Request. The level of acceptance of any budget request is directly related to the manner in which it is organized and submitted.

20. Effective Music Budget Procedures Organizing the Budget Request Cont... Cover letter – the budget requests should include a concise and complete cover letter that provides a verbal explanation for the request. Because the cover letter is the first item in the budget proposal, it must be carefully structured to encourage the reader to consider thoughtfully the information that follows.

21. Effective Music Budget Procedures Organizing the Budget Request Cont... Budget summary – the first section of the budget request should be divided into 11 line-item categories. Administrators and administrative boards tend to look at the “big picture” rather than all the various elements that make up the picture.

22. Effective Music Budget Procedures Organizing the Budget Request Cont... Budget summary cont… –11 line-item categories New equipment Replacement equipment Music library Travel Awards Printing and publicity

23. Effective Music Budget Procedures Organizing the Budget Request Cont... Budget summary cont… –11 line-item categories Repair and maintenance Contest in the festival fees Contractual services Concert-wear maintenance Contingency Dollar amounts accompanying each line item, anticipated non-district income, and a total budget figure at the bottom of the page are all that is included as part of the budget summary.

24. Effective Music Budget Procedures Organizing the Budget Request Cont... Budget description by line-item categories – the second section of the budget request includes a list of the 11 line-items and accompanying subcategories, complete with a list of separate needs within each subcategory.

25. Effective Music Budget Procedures Organizing the Budget Request Cont... Support information – following the budget summary and budget description, justification for the budget request is included in section three of the proposal. This section includes specific reference to particular line items, as well as comprehensive support information.

26. Effective Music Budget Procedures Organizing the Budget Request Cont... Support information cont... A general statement of justification for the request can open this section, followed perhaps by cost per pupil figures. A comparison of music budgets in area schools of similar size can also be included

27. Effective Music Budget Procedures Organizing the Budget Request Cont... Support information cont... School administrators and their boards of education rarely comprehended number of school and community appearances made by the music performing groups in their own schools. Use this section to demonstrate the full extent of the music programs activities.

28. Effective Music Budget Procedures Preparation and Presentation of the Budget Proposal A final concern in preparing the budget document is the format as a separate sections of the proposal. The major format guideline is to leave a great deal of “white space” when typing each page.

29. Effective Music Budget Procedures Preparation and Presentation of the Budget Proposal Cont… The budget request will read more easily and have a much better chance of being considered if the format is clean, uncrowded, and uncluttered. Include more pages in the proposal, but make each page easily readable.

30. Effective Music Budget Procedures Preparation and Presentation of the Budget Proposal Cont… After the document is submitted to the appropriate administrative budget agent, the music educators should plan on being called upon to defend the proposal to the school board. If properly prepared, the budget proposal will nearly speak for itself from a justification standpoint, but the music educator can humanize the proposal by personally explaining portions of the request.

31. Effective Music Budget Procedures Administration of the Budget A systematic means of administering the budget must be implemented Using a small ledger with each section devoted to each line-item category. At all times, the music educator needs to have an approximate idea of the funds remaining in each line-item. Computerized bookkeeping can help aid in this process

32. Effective Music Budget Procedures Sample Budget Request See handout – sample budget request