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Section V: Budget Plan

Since Bulloch Academy is a private school the money allocated for the media center is

determined by the headmaster and board of trustees. If you break down the money that is

allocated in the budget the media center gets roughly $3.33 per student. General office supplies

used in the media center and laminating film are taken out of the media centers budget.

The media center has the opportunity to help build their yearly budget but hosting 2 book

fairs and The Friends of the Library book drive. The book drive helps Bulloch Academy by

adding hardback books to the schools media center. This event usually brings around 150 new

books into the media center each year. They hold the book fair twice a year, once in the fall and

again in the spring. The money raised from the book fair is split between cash money and

Scholastic Dollars. The media specialist uses the scholastic dollars to purchase books and

resources requested by the teachers. They keep $1,500.00 cash from each book fair to go into

the media center budget. The two book fairs together add $3,000.00 to the media center budget.

As the media specialist feels that they have adequate funding to meet the needs for thier

current media center. It helps the media center budget with the technology department paying

for the Accelerated Reader subscription. The media center has enough funding to purchase the

necessary books and supplies needed for the students and teachers at Bulloch Academy. There

are plans in the future to build a new media center, but as of right now they are in their current

location. The current media center needs to be updated with new seating and other furnishings.

There are plans to purchase two laptops and stands where students can look up their own books,
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rather than ask someone to look them up for them. As technology changes, the media center

could always use new technology or update the current technology that we have.

Budgeting Plan
Empowering Learners states, The school library program requires solid funding to support

teaching and learning throughout the school. By creating a budget that is beneficial to both the

students and the teachers, the media center can purchase the books, resources and supplies

needed to help make 21st century learners. When the media specialist looks at spending for the

media center she bases her budget off of the $2,000.00 that she gets annually and the $3,000.00

she makes at the book fairs. This $5,000.00 budget is what she bases her spending for the year

on. If she has any money left over at the end of the year she uses it to update the media centers

overall appearance to make it more inviting to the students. To help meet one of the goals she

set for the media center, it would be to change to the Atriuum Book System and OPAC. This

would be used on the new media center website that will be created. This system will help

students become 21st century learners. This new website would allow students to research topics

both on and off campus and look up books in the media center. This would take a large chunk

out of the budget but the media specialist thinks that this will be worth it in the long run to help

meet the technology goals set. New updated furniture is needed in the media center. After

pricing new tables and chairs for large group seating the total is over the budget for the media

center. The media specialist would use $1,000.00 of the budget to purchase furniture that is

comfortable and students could sit and work in small groups, read or just hang out together. The

media specialist said that she would shop wisely looking for the best buy for the money that she

has budgeted. Having this type of seating allows students to work in a comfortable area and

where they can work together and feel that they are not in a classroom setting. The media
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specialist has allocated $900.00 for new technology to be used with the new Atriuum Book

System. This will be for 2 new look up stations and stands to be placed in two different places in

the media center.

There are a few things that she would like to have in the media center but would require

additional funds to purchase. With Bulloch Academy being a private school they are not allowed

to apply for many grants or DonorsChoose.org. The funds needed for the media center has to

come from donations to the school and the fundraisers that they participate in. To replace the 9

tables they currently have the cost would be $6400.00 and the chairs would add another

$3,500.00. The addition of GALILEO would benefit the students. Being in the GISA, the

schools participate in a consortium for GALILEO. The current cost per student is $10.60, and

with roughly 600 students that is a big expense of $6360.00. This could possibly be paid for by a

donor who wants their money to go toward technology.

Spending

Atriuum Book System and OPAC : $3,079.00

New collaboration furniture: $1000.00

New Technology: $900.00

References
Librarians, A. A. (2009). Empowering Learners. Chicago: American Association of School
Librarians.