These retained monies become discretionary funds. School-based budgeting requires cooperation, particularly from the school board, superintendent, and principals. Neal argues that a certain amount of disagreement should be expected in the early stages of implementation, and that particular care must be taken with collective bargaining agreements and central-office administrators whose roles are shifting. Yet he urges administrators to be assertive about the new system and to insist that it be supported. Teachers will need to be prepared to submit detailed requests and justifications for monies and to sit on advisory or decision-making committees.
Principals require particularly extensive training to fulfill their new responsibilities.
Like more centralized systems, SBB often requires adjustments during the year. Candoli urges schools to be scrupulously honest and open about these adjustments. Indeed, principals, teachers, and others who participate in SBB are less apt to blame central-office administrators for negative fiscal developments. If properly done, the reform can make the school budget everyone's responsibility. Paper presented at annual meeting of the American Education Finance Association, San Antonio, March 9-12, 1989.