School Budget Planning Guide: Maximizing Resources for the 2025-2026 Academic Year

Most teachers or school administrators need to get involved with their school's finances at some point in their careers. From budgeting funds raised for special events to handling petty cash for excursions, there are many different factors of school budget planning. 

How do you go about planning the school budget, and what are some products you must include? Learn this and more with our advice on how to plan a school budget. 

Tips for Maintaining Quality While Managing Budgets

If you aspire to become part of your school's senior leadership team (SLT) or you just want to make sure your students have the best school experience possible, here are the top tips for managing school finances for administrators and teachers: 

• Focus on the bottom line: Don't lose track of the bottom line during the budgeting process. A good way to ensure you don't overspend is to focus on what your key vision is for the year and streamline the budget for those areas. 
• Build a focused strategy: Before you start budgeting, decide what your school needs to achieve for the year and set goals that your school development plan (SDP) will support. Setting a strategy with timelines and specific goals can help you focus the main chunk of the budget on the essentials while still having funds to spare. 
• Use the right tools: Use tools that simplify the budgeting process, like cloud-based financial software and Excel spreadsheets, instead of the old-fashioned calculator and paper. These tools can help you finish budgeting quicker and do it with fewer potential errors. 
• Aim for accuracy: Recording income and expenditure incorrectly has a ripple effect on accuracy, which can definitely land you in trouble when you need to pay for events or find funds for unexpected expenses. 
• Have a five-year plan: As part of your annual budget process, you should also detail a budget for the next three to five years. It can help you gain perspective on the long-term financial impact of the current school budget planning decisions. 

Steps for Preparing a School Budget

From buying the top classroom essentials to planning extravagant events, preparing a school budget may seem challenging, but with the right steps, you can excel at it. Here's how to plan a school budget: 

1. Organize Expenditures

School budgets should focus on student outcomes and financial sustainability. When organizing expenditures, identify extracurricular activities and upgrades that contribute to improving academic performance. The budget must also reflect the emphasis on student outcomes when allocating school resources. 

Administrators should collaborate with the community, staff and teachers to gain deeper insight into the priority resources and programs. Does the current expenditure align with these priorities? Organize the expenditures by must-haves for improving academic performance and consider any other costs that may fall outside this bracket but would still be good to have if the budget allows. 

2. Identify Revenue Opportunities

Once you've identified and prioritized expenditures, you'll need to figure out where the revenue will come from. There are several options that schools usually consider for building a consistent revenue, such as renting out school facilities and space. There are also seasonal revenue opportunities like fundraising events and grants that your school may qualify for. Here are the factors to consider with most revenue sources for school funding: 

• Student fees: Student fees provide a consistent and secure source of revenue for a school. They typically include tuition, activity fees and other fees for extracurricular activities. As part of the budget plan, you'll need to highlight what the school fees cover to maintain transparency with parents. A crucial part of school fees decisions is making it accessible. Consider scholarships or sliding-scale fees for students from lower-income homes. 
• Government grants: Many schools, specifically public schools, greatly rely on government grants. In fiscal year 2024, 18.9% of the state budget appropriations went to K-12 education. As part of your budgeting process, identify government grants your school might qualify for. Check out the eligibility requirements and application process so you can meet the deadline. If your school qualifies for budgeting and is successful, it can free up more money in the budget to take on additional expenditures. 
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• Donations: Plan fundraising events or charity drives for the year that would attract donations from community members, local businesses and alumni. You can allocate the funds raised toward specific projects that would improve the school experience for students. You can invest in new classrooms, sports facilities or a scholarship fund. 

3. Conduct a Cost-Benefit Analysis

Cost-benefit analysis is a crucial part of school financial planning. It enables you to evaluate and justify expenditures to determine if they are truly delivering value to the school and unpack any other expenses that may come along. For example, after-school programs can be crucial to reduce dropout rates, but you'd also need to consider factors like late pickup fees and extra facilities costs. To conduct a cost-benefit analysis, gather teachers and administrators and consider these questions:

• What are the expected outcomes of each expenditure? 
• What will you use to evaluate the effectiveness of the expenditure? 
• Are there any long-term financial benefits or disadvantages of this expenditure? 
• Is there any way you can achieve the same goal with a lower-cost option? 
• What are some of the indirect costs or unexpected costs that may show up later on as a result of this expenditure? 

4. Present the Budget to the Authorities

Once the budget is ready, it has to be presented to the school authorities. Once approved, this final budget will dictate the school's financial decisions for the year and offer transparency to the school budget management team. As part of your presentation, you'll need to provide a thorough breakdown of the expenses, revenue sources and showcase the results of the cost-benefit analysis. Use visual aids like graphs to make it easier for school authorities to see the full financial picture. 

Authorities may ask questions so be prepared to clarify each step of the budget. Keep in mind that involving the school authorities is a crucial step to build transparency and accountability. Their approval is key to securing financial support to set the budget in motion. 

Top Items to Add to a School Budget

One of the crucial factors to consider when planning school budgets is the products you need. Here are some of the top classroom essentials that most schools need: 

• Hygiene supplies: Many health problems that affect students are preventable through promoting hygiene, using both educational resources and supplies. Consider adding supplies like disinfectant wipes or hand sanitizer that teachers can keep in their classrooms to encourage hygienic practices.  
• Classroom supplies: A well-stocked classroom can help teachers better handle the classroom and make lessons more rewarding for students. Even small items like index cards can help make lessons more interactive and encourage good studying habits. 
• Student supplies: It's crucial to add essential school supplies like folders, rulers and pencils to the budget so no student is left behind when it comes to classwork and assessments. 

When purchasing supplies, look for a company that has been around for a long time and is trusted among schools. It's also crucial to look for a company that has a large facility to provide your school with the supplies you need, when you need them. 

Stay on Budget With Supplies From Kurtz Bros.

Are you looking for supplies from top brands at affordable prices? Kurtz Bros. has been providing supplies to public and private schools on the East Coast since 1894. By including the right school supplies in your budget, you can provide students and teachers with an environment that's conducive to learning. 

We genuinely care about empowering schools with the right resources. Whether you're looking for classroom materials like notebooks or music department equipment, we have it all. 

Shop our top-quality classroom products today or contact us to learn more about why Kurtz Bros. is your ideal school supply provider.