Dramatic reductions in the dollars available for public education require a new and systemic approach to balancing school district budgets. This manual provides numerous examples of successful budget reduction strategies based on a six-step process that has demonstrated its effectiveness in small, medium, and large school districts. Supported by bargaining units and community leaders, the process described in this manual can enable the leadership of a district to plan its way through a financial crisis.

Dramatic reductions in the dollars available for public education require a new and systemic approach to balancing school district budgets. This manual provides numerous examples of successful budget reduction strategies based on a six-step process that has demonstrated its effectiveness in small, medium, and large school districts. Supported by bargaining units and community leaders, the process described in this manual can enable the leadership of a district to plan its way through a financial crisis.