Budgetary Thought For School Officials

First published in 1981, this revised, expanded edition of Budgetary Thought for School Officials, first published in 1982, provides a commentary concerning the intellectual foundations of budgetary craftsmanship, applied to education. Given the contemporary stress on educational institutions, educators need models of appropriate thinking centered on the key task of rationing scarce resources. This book identifies habits of mind and supporting practices that help educators allocate scarce resources to the most effective educational techniques advancing student achievement and attainment.


This slender volume is addressed to elected and appointed educators who have finance and budget responsibilities, especially those who lead the public schools. It goes beyond expenditures, as one might expect in a book about budgeting. It is, rather, a book about mental qualities and methodical work, done to exacting standards. Its recommended approach provides educators, institution by institution, with decision-making machinery and implementation instruments that can help them. 


"Budgetary Thought for School Officials is refreshing, illuminating and useful. No educator should be without it!" –Josephine Genovese, Former Chairperson, School Board, City of Rochester, NY