ERIC Digest, Number 64. ERIC Digest, Number 64. The practice is not for every school district. It requires substantial time, training, and cooperative participation, but it can also bring significant benefits in staff involvement and community support. SBB offers many people a greater sense of participation in and ownership of public education.
Principals get an opportunity to develop fiscal and managerial skills.
Participating teachers, support staff, parents, and students may gain a greater stake in the broader educational system. Since these people reap the benefits of fiscal efficiency, they usually become more sensitive to cost-cutting measures ranging from better use of staff time to turning off lights in vacant classrooms. Parents and other community members who participate in their schools' budget decisions often become more sensitive to the link between district levies and school services. Moving budgeting decisions from the central office to the schools is no panacea. Indeed, the weight of high expectations may doom otherwise sound projects, particularly if participants are not prepared to invest a lot of time in the process.