Fund accounting, currently used by many colleges and universities to report their economic performance, may obscure rather than clarify the facts for institutional constituencies. Global accounts are more thorough and descriptive of the institution's financial status, and can be used in conjunction with traditional accounting. (MSE)

Dade County (Florida) Public School Superintendent Octavio Visiedo demonstrated his four-star leadership capabilities in the wake of Hurricane Andrew's devastation. For weeks, Visiedo tirelessly directed military personnel and school workers in massive clean-up and repair efforts. When all but 10 of the district's 287 schools opened in…

Managing college or university budget reduction involves more than careful matching of available dollars and essential and high priority programs. It is necessary to (1) have in place appropriate individual/personal policies and institutional policies and data; (2) take steps to decide on budget cuts; and (3) act to implement them. (MSE)

Educational funding in many states is declining in amount and political priority. The AASA recommends that school districts use curriculum-driven or performance budgeting to alleviate the crunch. Budgets should garner public support and reflect school district program effectiveness, comparative benefit, and collaborative planning, rather than…

The current recession in the United States imperils teachers' jobs and school reform. States are prioritizing increased spending in such areas as health care and transportation rather than educational improvement. The article discusses specific educational hard times in several states and counties. (SM)

Governors and legislators are looking for ways to help offset budget deficits, and the public pension funds that cover working and retired school employees are tempting targets. Discusses problems in a number of states, pros and cons of federal regulation, calculating retirement benefits, and how pension funds are controlled. (MLF)

Using survey and observational data on families in rural midwest, found that, in families headed by man with unstable work history, wife's support from relatives and friends was positively associated with husband's negativity toward spouse. This type of wife support in stable work families was inversely associated with husband's negativity.…

Outdoor education is financially and environmentally costly. Goals attributed to outdoor education such as recreational skills, experiential learning, and personal development are not unique to outdoor education. The distinctiveness of outdoor education is that it leaves the conventional setting behind. The only justifiable goal of outdoor…

Once a financially healthy part of American universities, many academic health centers are struggling to survive. Many are merging with for-profit chains or declaring bankruptcy. The advance of managed care and insurance companies focusing on reducing costs appears to be affecting teaching hospitals more than community hospitals. (MSE)

Section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act offers no financial assistance to school systems serving disabled children. This article reviews Section 504's main provisions and examines questions arising when school districts confront the financial issues inherent in this law and discusses how added compliance costs can affect operations. (13…

Some superintendents successfully exploit competitive intentions of the charter-school movement to improve district schools. A 1997 study of randomly selected districts found that half had experienced little financial effects from charters. Districts often lose certain ethnic groups and disgruntled parents. Ripple effects and policy…

Evaluates a stress-distress mediation model of relationships among economic hardship, maternal financial strain, maternal marital happiness, the parent-child relationship, and adolescent distress. Results, based on 398 sixth and eighth graders and their mothers, indicate that economic hardship increases maternal financial strain, which leads to…

Discusses results of a study of four "downsizing" Colorado school districts characterized by annual budget cuts, increasing enrollments, stable superintendencies, and reasonable school boards. Strategic cost-cutting options included reviewing accounts for "loose change," instituting tighter budget control, cutting central…

Examines coping strategies adopted by eight Manitoba principals in light of current environmental (fiscal) restraints. Identified both general coping strategies (proactive planning, decentralized decision making, and alternative resource generation) and unique approaches (routinization of problems, negotiated order, and support groups). Confronted…

Describes how Rampano College preserved and redesigned its student affairs programs and services while being forced to manage statewide cutbacks in overall funding. Discusses how the Division of Student Affairs agreed upon concrete principles on how to best use resources and services, thereby meeting the challenges of the fiscal crisis while also…