The Meritorious Budget Awards Program: A New Budget Approach


In today's world of school business management, more has to be done with less, and it has to be done more efficiently, and with the best results possible. It's critical that a school entity’s annual budget clearly communicates how funds are being allocated to meet the goals of a school entity’s strategic plan.

ASBO International's Meritorious Budget Award (MBA) guidelines can serve as an invaluable resource as you reconsider how you present your school entity's annual budget.

The Meritorious Budget Awards Criteria
The MBA criteria were developed to provide school business officials with a set of budgeting guidelines that encourages a user-friendly budget document that explains what is happening in the school entity in language everyone can understand. Implementing the criteria is a professional learning experience that allows school business officials to build on their skills of developing, analyzing, and presenting a school entity budget. Until the development of the MBA criteria, practitioners had no guidelines to follow when attempting to explain the financial plan of the school entity to the public.

School entities have incorporated the criteria into their annual budgets and found that the criteria:
  • Provide clear budget presentation guidelines,
  • Define state-of-the-art budget practices,
  • Encourage both short- and long-range budget goals,
  • Promote sound fiscal management practices,
  • Promote effective use of educational resources,
  • Facilitate professional growth and development for the budget staff, and
  • Help build solid development, analytical, and presentation budget skills.

Incorporating the criteria into your budget document is the first step toward a new budget approach. The next step is participating in the Meritorious Budget Awards Program.

The Meritorious Budget Awards Program
The mission of the MBA Program is to encourage and recognize a high standard of excellence in school entity budgeting. Any school entity (including local school districts, educational service units, and colleges and universities) is eligible for participation in the program. More than 60 school districts have discovered the benefits of participation in the program, and more than 40 have received the prestigious Meritorious Budget Award for their exemplary budget documents.

Those who receive the Meritorious Budget Award are recognized with:

  • A handsome plaque and certificate
  • Comprehensive feedback about their budget from peers trained in up-to-date school entity budget techniques
  • Letters of accomplishment sent to their superintendent and school board
  • Recognition of achievement in ASBO Accents and School Business Affairs and in their state or provincial ASBO affiliate newsletters
  • News releases sent to their local media

Continuing education units for ASBO's Professional Registration Program

The Application Process
Within 90 days of the legal approval of the budget document, school entities submit the following documents to ASBO International for review:

  • Application
  • Four copies of the budget
  • Four copies of the criteria checklist
  • A check for the application fee based on the total revenue for all funds of the school entity

The application is forwarded to a review team that evaluates the budget using the MBA criteria.

Each team member prepares relevant comments and decides whether the budget meets the criteria to receive the Meritorious Budget Award. ASBO International receives the award decision and comments, and the school entity is notified in writing. Each participating school entity receives comprehensive feedback regarding the budget regardless of the award decision.

For More Information
Contact Michelle Perkins at mperkins@asbointl.org or 866/ 682-2729, x7067.