School Finance and Management – EDUC 648

Course Description

Basic methods of school finance and business management and principles of plant, finance, budgeting and accounting will be discussed. Federal and State regulations and grants will be studied.

For information regarding prerequisites for this course, please refer to the Academic Course Catalog.

Rationale

Financial and managerial leadership of a school building or district is a primary factor in the success or failure of school instructional programs. This course provides an opportunity for public and private school practicing and prospective administrators to gain an understanding of their role in these critical areas. A comprehensive understanding of the financial implications of systemic reform, centralized goal setting, accountability standards, and decentralized forms of site-based management, school choice, charter schools, and the voucher system will be the main focus of this study.

Course Assignment

Textbook readings and lecture presentations/notes

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in Module/Week 1.

Discussion Board Forums (4)

Discussion boards are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the candidate will participate in 4 Discussion Board Forums.

Thread

The candidate is required to write a thread in response to the provided prompt for each forum. Each thread must be at least 300 words and demonstrate course-related knowledge. Each thread must contain at least 1 scholarly citation in current APA format. Acceptable sources include the textbook, the Bible, or other scholarly resources. (CLO: A, C, D, E, F, H)

Replies

In addition to the thread, the student is required to reply to at least 2 other classmates’ threads. Each reply must be at least 150 words. Each reply must contain at least 1 scholarly citation in current APA format. Acceptable sources include the textbook, the Bible, or other scholarly resources. (CLO: A, C, D, E, F, H)

Practicum Requirements

Practicum Proposal Form

The candidate is required to complete 30 practicum hours in a school in order to pass this course. (CLO: C, E, F)

Field Experience Summary (FES)

The candidate will complete the provided form and include relevant information from the practicum. This assignment is required in order to pass the course. (CLO: C, E, F)

Field Experience Assessment (FEA)

The candidate’s onsite mentor will complete the FEA online. The mentor will receive an e-mail from Liberty with a link, username, and password to access the FEA. This assignment is required in order to pass the course. (CLO: C, E, F)

Financial Needs Assessment

The following 3 parts of this assignment will initially be submitted in Blackboard but will be submitted again at the end of the course in LiveText after revisions are made:

Analysis of Financial Processes & Operations

Strategic and Tactical Challenges

Prioritized Challenges Resulting in Operational Policies & Procedures

(CLO: A, B, D, E, F, G)

Case Studies

The candidate will access each Case Study by a link and code that will be provided by the instructor. Each Case Study must be at least 1,000 words. (CLO: A, B, D, E, F, G)

Budget Review

The following 2 parts of this assignment will initially be submitted in Blackboard but will be submitted again at the end of the course in LiveText after revisions are made:

Budget Review Collaboration Strategies

Leading Financial Goal-Setting

The following 2 parts of this assignment will initially be submitted in Blackboard but will be submitted again at the end of the course in LiveText after revisions are made:

Goals

Distributed Leadership in Goal-Setting

(CLO: A, B, D, E, F, G

Resource Management Plan

This assignment will initially be submitted in Blackboard but will be submitted again at the end of the course in LiveText after revisions are made. (CLO: A, B, D, E, F, G)

Financial Accountability Plan

This assignment will initially be submitted in Blackboard but will be submitted again at the end of the course in LiveText after revisions are made. (CLO: A, B, C, D, E, F, G)

Financial Review Plan (FRP)

Refer to directions and rubric in LiveText. The parts of this assignment will be submitted in Blackboard throughout the course. Revisions may be made before all the parts are submitted in LiveText at the end of the course. (CLO: A, B, C, D, E, F, G)

Quizzes (7)

Each quiz will cover the Reading & Study material for the assigned module/week. Each quiz will be open-book/open-notes, contain 15–30 multiple-choice and true/false questions, and have a time limit of 2 hours. (CLO: A, B, D, E, F, G)