The Principal's Guide to School Budgeting

Align your school budget with your vision for student achievement

Since 2006, The Principal′s Guide to School Budgeting has been a best-seller, supporting thousands of principals in navigating the complex process of school budgeting. This fourth edition hones in on the message that a school budget should be a reflection of the school’s vision for student growth, an open culture, and a positive school climate. This edition offers new information on how national and state reform and political practices affect school allocations and emphasizes the need for appropriate budget visioning, planning, analysis, and needs assessment. Covering the budgeting process, effective budgeting practices, accounting and auditing procedures, and building the school budget within a collaborative decision-making context, this comprehensive guide includes:

• In-chapter vignettes and discussion questions
• Case study applications and experiential exercises
• A budget development project
• New discussion of technology′s impact on budgetary practices, phishing scams, and fundraising

The Principal′s Guide to School Budgeting is an essential resource for practicing and aspiring school administrators who want to master their accounting and auditing procedures. By effectively managing the school budgeting process, principals can contribute to improved student achievement and strengthen connections with the school community.

Richard D. Sorenson, professor emeritus, is the former director of the Principal Preparation Program and chairperson of the Educational Leadership and Foundations Department at The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). He earned his doctorate from Texas A&M University at Corpus Christi in educational leadership. Dr. Sorenson served public schools for 25 years as a social studies teacher, assistant principal, principal, and associate superintendent for human resources.

Dr. Sorenson worked with graduate students at UTEP in the area of school-based budgeting, personnel, educational law, and leadership development. During his 20-year tenure, he was named The University of Texas at El Paso College of Education Professor of the Year, and he remains an active writer with numerous professional journal publications. Dr. Sorenson continues to author other principal-oriented textbooks. He also developed teacher resource guides, and workbooks in the area of the elementary and secondary social studies curricula. He has been actively involved in numerous professional organizations, including the Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association (TEPSA) and the Texas Association of Secondary School Principals (TASSP), for which he conducted, for a decade, annual new-principal academy seminars.

Dr. Sorenson has been married to his wife, Donna, for the past 48 years and they have two adult children, Lisa (a school counselor with the Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District in Houston, Texas) and Ryan (an exercise physiologist in Dallas, Texas); a wonderful son-in-law, Sam (a petroleum engineer in Houston, Texas); and a delightful daughter-in-law, Nataly (executive director of a Christian center in Dallas, Texas) along with four amazing grandchildren: Savannah, Nehemiah, and Amelia, and one little guy, Oliver―all of whom are the pride and joy of his life. Rick and Donna, long-term residents of El Paso, out in the mountain and desert region of “true” West Texas, now reside near their grandchildren in Cypress (northwest Houston), Texas.

Lloyd M. Goldsmith, professor emeritus, earned his EdD in educational leadership from Baylor University. He was a professor for 20 years at Abilene Christian University (ACU), some of those years at ACU (Dallas), where he taught doctoral courses in leadership theory. He also served as an admissions officer as well as a former director of the Principal Preparation Program and department chairperson at ACU. Dr. Goldsmith taught school budgeting, instructional leadership, and leadership theory. He served public schools for 29 years as an elementary science teacher, middle school assistant principal, and elementary school principal.

Dr. Goldsmith and a fellow chemistry professor codirected a program facilitating high school chemistry teachers in developing effective instructional strategies. Dr. Goldsmith served on several state committees for the Texas Education Agency. He also served two terms as president of the Texas Council of Professors of Educational Administration.

He is an active member at his church and enjoys serving others. He spends time volunteering at his grandchildren’s schools and supporting their activities. He also enjoys traveling and attending ACU sporting events. 

Dr. Goldsmith has been married to his wife, Mary, for the past 40 years. They reside near their three children and families in Abilene, Texas. Mary is a retired high school biology teacher, serving students for 41 years. Lloyd and Mary have three adult children―Abigail (active in the PTO where she serves as president) and her husband, Andrew (works in business development for a nuclear research lab), Eleanor (a second grade Title I teacher), and her husband, Kris (a chef, restaurant owner and culinary arts teacher), and Nelson (a licensed professional building inspector) and his wife, Kristen. He also has four grandchildren, Luke, Hilary, Levi, and Oliver. Plus, the Goldsmiths’ have six grand dogs! Life is good!