Planning the School Budget | First steps for MYP candidate schools

Toddle

3 min read

Adopting the MYP requires a considerable investment of time and resources throughout candidacy, as well as an ongoing investment as an authorised school. Your school’s budget is important evidence of the school’s commitment to implementing and developing the MYP over the next 5 years.

What you need to know

There are a few ways you can approach the budgeting process. You may use zero-based budgeting to establish a new budget each year. Alternatively you, you may use the current budget as a basis for making financial plans for the coming year. Be sure to find out if there is a specific budget process already in use at your school so that you can work within that process to get the budget allocations that you need.

Keep in mind that large school districts and school boards plan their budgets several years in advance. You may need to plan several months in advance to request additional funding. Likewise, you may need to make persuasive connections to the strategic plan in order to get the funding that you need in your annual budget.

What you’re required to produce for authorization

The school budget that you submit should show the amounts allocated over the next 5 years for:

IB fees

• The Candidacy and application for authorisation services fee is billed annually until the school becomes authorised. The amount of the fee depends on the region where the school is located, the currency in which the fee is billed and the type of school. Refer to Fees for Candidate Schools on the IB website for more information
• Once your school is authorised, you will be charged the Annual school fee. The amount of the fee depends on the region where the school is located, the currency in which the fee is billed and the type of school. Refer to Fees for Authorised Schools on the IB website for more information
• If your school plans to offer eAssessment in year 5, those fees should be accounted for here

Professional development

• You must demonstrate that you have sufficient funding in the budget for at least one teacher from each subject group to attend an IB workshop for that subject
• If you plan to send teachers to face-to-face professional development, make sure that the budget includes travel and accommodation costs

Resources

• Include physical and digital resources that you will acquire (or maintain) to support the MYP over the next 5 years. For example:
  • Subscriptions, such as learning management system, online research services, periodicals
  • Updating instructional resources: books, classroom materials and display items; this often includes acquiring materials in a range of languages and representing a variety of cultural perspectives

Facilities & equipment

• This includes the cost of acquiring new equipment and expanding/upgrading facilities in order to deliver the MYP. This often includes specialised facilities and equipment for subject groups like Arts, Design, PHE and Sciences

Staffing requirements

• This includes additional personnel required to meet the programme requirements. Note that it may also include release time for current staff who take on additional responsibilities in the MYP, such as Service as Action Coordinator or Personal Project Coordinator

Other costs

While it may be difficult to secure funding for these fees, activities and resources, it is not possible to implement the MYP without them. By taking the time now to ensure that this funding will be available over the next five years, you demonstrate that all the time you are investing now will pay off in a programme that is sustainable in the longer term.