The most challenging balance in fund accounting (use it or lose it) is spending down your budget without going into deficit.  It is particularly challenging this time of year as we come near our closing date approaching like a run-away train.  We deficit spend so my charge is to be sure the sport cost centers have fund raising and camp funds to balance their deficit.

Let me rewind a bit.  The last several years have not been easy in any business office no matter what the size of school, public or private, funded or tuition driven.  Even if a school is blessed with stable enrollment they are still experiencing issues with rising costs things like health insurance and fuel. 

We have been suffering through retrenchment the past few years.  Our resources are shrinking and we have tried our best not to reduce the sport cost centers by taking the impact of cuts on the non-program areas.

In Athletics, the operating cost that seems to be rising more quickly than any other is the cost of officials.  This year the per diem and transportation costs have elevated my officials cost by 25% in Women’s Basketball alone.  I call this an unfunded mandate.  What am I going to do, not pay them?  Tempting when you think they miss calls but silliness aside, how do you manage this expense when you cut back budgets to begin with?   The result is that we faced one set of budget cuts directed by the college and yet another necessary because of rising costs which are not supported in the budget.

This is another reason why I don’t sleep very well in May (see my last blog update to see what keeps me up at night http://tinyurl.com/385kfdx).  I work so hard to manage budgets, creating a culture of fiscal integrity and it can all be undone by an expense which I have absolutely no control.

God I love my job!

Until next time!

Jude Russo Caserta

AthleticBudgetCoach.com/blog

Twitter: JudeCaserta Linkedin: Jude Russo Caserta

E-mail: judi_caserta@athleticbudgetcoach.com

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