In order to have a basic understanding of the budget development and oversight process, having the opportunity to talk with someone who has experience in this area (from beginning to end) will help you develop a better understanding of how it works.
Allocate at least 5 hours in the field to support this field experience.
Part 1: Collaboration
Arrange your field experience for this course in a PK-12 school setting in which you will observe and collaborate with a certified school principal. At this site, conduct a meeting with two of the three people who are responsible for overseeing a school program budget: a teacher, staff member, or volunteer (e.g., booster club president, treasurer, etc.).
Your discussion should address the following:

What program do you work with that has a budget?
Who helps to determine how the funds are allocated and spent?
How did you find out the budget amount? Does this amount fluctuate from year to year?
What determines the budget amount? How are the needs assessed and analyzed?
Are there restrictions to what can be purchased/funded with the budget?
How do you determine what the funds will be used to purchase?
Does the program generate any funding that adds to the budget? If so, how are the funds generated?
How is the budget aligned to the school’s mission and values?
How does the budget support the success of students?
What does the reconciliation process look like each month for this budget? How many people are involved?

Ask your mentor principal for permission to review the schools current budget and continuous improvement plan (CIP) or school improvement plan (SIP). This will be needed for an assignment in Topic 3.
Part 2: Program Needs Assessment
Administer the online needs assessment survey created in Topic 1 to the individuals you interviewed in Part 1. (Here is the online assessment –   
Link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd8Z66mGIEG3-KjSVE-d34QaNHlmR4_6mVnSttwyjL5IhTWEA/viewform?usp=sf_link