Budget Reflection

I learned a great deal during my sit down with both the CEO and Dean of Curriculum at CART about general school finance and the specifics of CART's considering its Joint Power Agreement designation.  I was a bit surprised to discover the amount of money that is needed to run a school of 1,400 students.  CART receives a  large portion of its operational funding through ROP, public and private donations and grants.  One of the most important things to keep in mind are the conditions associated with the money.  Always use restricted and non-carry over funds first, that way the lesser restricted funds are easier and more flexible to use.  Technology and operational costs eat up a great deal of money and require monitoring so as not to run out early in the year.  The one major take away for me were the terms, definitions and classifications of how to use and process the funding and the diligence need to insure that the money is where it should be, used for what it should be and properly accounted for.