The study aims at the assessment of the adequacy of education-budget organization for the public schools in view of the standard education expense and the equity of the budget allocation to each school which was carried out by the Seoul Metropolitan ...
The study aims at the assessment of the adequacy of education-budget organization for the public schools in view of the standard education expense and the equity of the budget allocation to each school which was carried out by the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education(herein after referred to as SMOE). The study looks about the practices of public schools' education-budget management as well. Based on the 4 years' (2006-2009) settlement of accounts, the study comes to a conclusion as follows:
The standard education expense for the public schools is a minimum expense for education itself. Department for Education and Skills allocates the budget for Offices of Education based on the standard educational expense. Offices of Education are discreet how to allocate the budget for curriculum operation expense for the public schools
By comparing the standard education expense with the curriculum operation budget for the public schools, the study assesses the adequacy of the curriculum operation budget for the public schools. The Department for Education and Skills applies the standard education expense for 2005 in allocating the budget. On the other hand, Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education applies the one for 2000. This is the reason for a different conclusion between the perspective of DES and the one of SMOE about the adequacy of curriculum operation budget in the public schools. However, it turned out that the public schools have not spent curriculum operation budget efficiently, considering the amount of the budge unspent.
In the process of allocating the curriculum operation budget to the public schools, it turned out that even the same public schools were different in securing the amount of the standard education expense due to their different sizes. Medium as well as large scale of the public schools are disadvantageous in securing the standard education expense, while small scale of public schools have the advantage. The scale of public schools should be taken into account for realizing the equity of educational finance allocation. It represents that the public schools put more effort in securing the budget of maintenance expense over the one of education-learning curriculums. A curriculum operation with inadequate budget can be managed when a public school has an sufficient budget for maintenance while the other way around is improbable. This stands for the public schools' tendency in putting more effort on securing the budget of maintenance In addition, the public schools turn out to be inefficient in budget management given the amount of the balance of budget. Therefore, an efficient management of curriculum operation budget is required as well as securing the adequate educational finances for curriculum operation budget.
As a solution for this matter, the study suggests the securement of the adequate educational finance and elaboration of the appropriate funding of SMOE by adding the scale factor in the process of budget allocation, the continuous education for the staffs in emphasizing the importance of securing the adequate educational finance in the curriculum operation of the public schools and the legal approach obligating a public school in securing the budget for curriculum operation. To induce the efficient management of curriculum operation budget from the public schools, it is vital to apply the assessment system.