Reducing School Expenses: Containing Insurance Costs, Funding Capital, and Tackling the Challenges

by Clinton Born

Overview

Reducing School Expenses: Containing Insurance Costs, Funding Capital, and Tackling the Challenges presents pragmatic strategies and evidence-based solutions to reduce school expenses; contain health insurance, pension, and risk management costs; and fund capital projects.With robust state-specific data on numerous subjects, discerning readers can investigate and compare local and state tax systems along with primary and secondary school funding schemes, particularly in regard to state fund distribution systems, basic plus categorical aid formula variables, and capital funding means. The text offers policymakers and school officials research-supported recommendations to tackle critical funding issues, such as overall escalating costs, spiraling special education expenses, tax reform, unfunded and underfunded mandates due to state and federal laws, and sustainable adequate and equitable funds for primary and secondary education. This book empowers aspiring and practicing public, nonpublic, and charter school leaders who steward school district fiscal resources with realistic suggestions to navigate the unsettled world of school finance.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781475856682
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	07/15/2020
Pages:	186
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.04(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Dr. Clinton Born is an educational practitioner with a distinguished thirty-year career in public schools and has taught aspiring school administrators and business officials for years in the Graduate Education Program at Franciscan University of Steubenville. As a Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Born led a district from a major financial crisis to fiscal stability, guided the district’s health insurance program from a million dollars in debt to a substantial positive fund balance, and directed numerous facility renovations.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Foreword

Preface

Acknowledgments

Chapter 1. Procurement

Expenditures

Purchasing Procedures

Cost-efficient Procurement Practices

Price Quotations and Competitive Bids

Procurement at Nonpublic and Public Charter Schools

Nonpublic Schools

Public Charter Schools

Summary

Projects

Chapter 2. Employee Benefits and Risk Management

Employee Benefits

Paid Leaves

Group Medical Insurance

Group Dental Insurance

Group Vision Insurance

Group Life and Disability Insurance

Pension Assurance

Professional Liability Insurance

Unemployment Insurance

Workers’ Compensation Insurance

Risk Management

Property Insurance

General Liability Insurance

Fleet Insurance

Summary

Projects

Chapter 3. Funding Capital Investments

Capital Finance Options

Capital Funding for Nonpublic and Public Charter Schools

Nonpublic Schools

Public Charter Schools

Summary

Projects

Chapter 4. School Finance Challenges

American Tax System

Budget Cuts

Escalating Costs

Unfunded and Underfunded Mandates

Equitable and Adequate Funding

Funding Challenges for Nonpublic and Public Charter Schools

Nonpublic Schools

Public Charter Schools

Summary

Projects

References

Index

About the Author

Editorial Reviews

I have known Dr. Clinton Born for many years and have taken numerous classes under him. His information has always proven to be highly accurate, up to date, and on the pulse of what is currently happening in education. Dr. Born’s book, Reducing School Expenses: Containing Insurance Costs, Funding Capital, and Tackling the Challenges,does an outstanding job of explaining the details of district-level finances. I believe this text will prove invaluable to central office administrators just starting their career and will be a useful resource for the experienced administrator. The state-by-state comparisons in tables are eye opening and are information I plan to use in conversations with my legislator while lobbying for improvements to our state’s funding model. The superintendent, chief financial officer, and school board members have a legal and moral obligation to be good stewards of the monies entrusted to them; this text is a ‘must have’ edition for every administrator’s bookshelf.

John L. Belt

Reducing School Expenses is an interesting look into strategies to reduce expenses common to all school districts. Clinton Born lists practical considerations that are proven to work well in this context. Born delves deeply into employee benefits and risk management, capital investment and what he sees as school finance challenges. He also shows how “a fiscally responsible school district should have management processes in place to purchase resources from the right source, for the right quantity, with the right quality and at the right price.” Born’s suggestions are based on his 30 years of experience in public schools as well as his stewardship bringing a school district he inherited back from financial ruin. For new superintendents, Reducing School Expenses is a clearinghouse of information on school finance for what to do when you acquire your first district. For the experienced superintendent, it will supply ideas to take your finance game to the next level. For superintendents who cross state lines in their career, this book will help them know what questions they should ask their new fiscal team.

School Administrator

This book confronts the risks and addresses the potential challenges that Superintendents, CF's, and Human Resources Directors face as stewards of school district’s financial resources. If you need practical advice on how to handle your school district’s finances, look no further. Like every social, political and economic policy in our country, health insurance is complicated.Chapter 2 is a master class in employee benefits and risk management. Further, Dr. Born’s clear and concise definitions of terms throughout the book simplify complex concepts for the reader leading to a greater understanding that will help them make better decisions. Reducing School Expenses: Containing Insurance Costs, Funding Capital, and Tackling the Challenges is not only a timely book, it’s essential reading for every Superintendents, CF's and Human Resources Director in the field of education. This thoughtfully organized and theoretically sound book will empower educational leaders with the tools they need to navigate the world of school finance.

Leslie Scott

Dr. Born’s Reducing Expenses: Containing Insurance Costs, Funding Capital, and Tackling the Challenges is a comprehensive look at the major financial issues facing school administrators. His years of experience and study provide guidance on a wide variety of areas. Most notable are the links to individual state policies, which make this guide applicable to school leaders across the nation. As an administrator of a nonpublic school, I especially appreciated his coverage of issues that affect nonpublic and public charters, which makes this text unique.

Theresa Danaher

Dr. Born’s book, Reducing Expenses: Containing Insurance Costs, Funding Capital, and Tackling the Challenges, provides a comprehensive look into school finance issues from a national lens and is conducive to practical application. Current and aspiring administrators, both building and district level, will find the content useful for future planning and more routine practices or daily reference. His Chapter 2 work on employee benefits and risk management is critically important, but a topic that is often overlooked. The projects in each chapter offer the reader an opportunity to extend topic understanding and application. The reference section is especially thorough, permitting the inspired reader a springboard for additional investigation.

Mark Furda

The intensive and in-depth research in this book is a unique and fantastic analysis of school finance. The realistic and practical approach is refreshing and is a true-to-life snapshot of how all facets of school finance affect daily operations. In particular, I found the “outside the box” thinking surrounding health insurance compelling. It is clear that Dr. Born’s experience and research have created a “must have” resource for any school leader.

Richard A. Hall Ph. D.