Study Guide

Field 224: Chief School Business Official 
Sample Multiple-Choice Questions

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Each multiple-choice question has four answer choices. Read each question and its answer choices carefully and choose the ONE best answer.

During the test you should try to answer all questions. Even if you are unsure of an answer, it is better to guess than not to answer a question at all. You will NOT be penalized for choosing an incorrect response.

Objective 0001 
Understand the foundations of public education and skills and the personal qualities associated with educational leadership.

1. Which of the following statements most accurately describes the responsibility of school districts for educating the whole child?

  1. The primary responsibility of a school district's leadership is providing a safe learning environment for students.
  2. A school district's top priority is supporting all students in meeting high standards of academic achievement.
  3. The health, social-emotional development, and academic progress of all students are priorities for a school district's leadership.
  4. School districts have a responsibility for students' physical, emotional, and cognitive development primarily in elementary grades.
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: C.
In education, the concept of "the whole child" includes the physical, social, emotional, and cognitive aspects of each child's development and learning. Thus, a whole child approach requires that teachers and administrators prioritize each of these areas, including the health, social and emotional development, and academic progress of all students.

Objective 0002 
Understand procedures for using strategic planning and evaluating school district programs and services.

2. Which of the following strategies is likely to be most important in planning and implementing a significant change to a well-established school district program?

  1. making the proposed change available for public comment for a period of time before implementation
  2. soliciting the involvement of stakeholders representing the full range of viewpoints on the proposed change
  3. ensuring that parents/guardians are represented on committees working to implement the proposed change
  4. holding public forums for district staff to describe the proposed change and allow critics to voice their concerns
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: B.
In general, a "bottom-up" approach to significant change is more likely to be successful than a "top-down" approach. Involving all stakeholders from the beginning and allowing them a significant voice in planning and implementing change stimulates discussion and debate, provides alternatives for effecting change, and significantly increases support for that change when consensus is reached.

Objective 0003 
Understand public education policy, intergovernmental relations, and legal aspects of educational leadership.

3. Which of the following laws best illustrates the steps taken by the state of Illinois to limit the influence of special interest groups on school district policy?

  1. laws regulating the election and appointment of school board members
  2. the law requiring school board members to file an annual economic interest statement
  3. laws prescribing the qualifications and compensation of school board members
  4. the law prohibiting school board members from simultaneously holding other specified offices
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: B.
Historically, special interest groups have attempted to influence public officials to make decisions that will benefit the groups economically. By requiring school board members to file annual economic interest statements, Illinois state law allows the public to identify the economic ties each board member has to businesses or other special interest groups. Board members may be required to recuse themselves when votes are taken to approve bids or payments to such businesses or groups.

Objective 0003 
Understand public education policy, intergovernmental relations, and legal aspects of educational leadership.

4. Unlike most school districts, the election of school board members in consolidated districts and some community unit districts in Illinois may require:

  1. staggered balloting so that only two board seats come up at a time and continuity is preserved.
  2. proportional representation among congressional townships and between urban and rural areas.
  3. districtwide at-large elections in which candidates do not represent specific towns or precincts.
  4. term limits that bar board members from serving for more than a predetermined number of years.
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: B.
In small school districts, school board members are elected at-large; any person can serve on the board wherever they live in the district. However, in larger districts, such as consolidated and some community districts, at-large representation may result in a concentration of members who live in one area of the district. These larger school districts are subdivided into smaller voting units, which may consist of different towns or rural versus urban areas, to ensure that all residents of the district have representation on the board.

Objective 0004 
Understand principles and procedures of public school finance and budgeting.

5. The primary advantage to school districts of zero-based budgeting is that it:

  1. saves time by building upon previous budgets.
  2. allows a single manager to develop the entire budget.
  3. allows only a fixed increase to any budget category.
  4. requires cost centers to justify their budgets each cycle.
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: D.
In zero-based budgeting, funding for each element of a district's budget is set at zero at the start of the budget cycle. Each budget line is then analyzed for its needs and costs in the upcoming year, and funds are allocated according to that analysis. The effect of this approach is that costs must be predicted and justified for each budget line at the start of each new budget cycle, thus helping to ensure that lines are not over- or under-funded.

Objective 0004 
Understand principles and procedures of public school finance and budgeting.

6. For Illinois, the evidence-based funding (EBF) model creates tiers of school district funding and dispersed additional state funding based on:

  1. the adequacy target for each district.
  2. the level of funding for each district.
  3. the percent of adequacy for each district.
  4. the tax rates of each district.
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: C.
In the system of evidence-based funding adopted by Illinois, each district's adequacy target is the calculated cost to educate the students within the district, based on cost factors for the district. The amount of state aid that the district receives is based in turn on tiers of funding, which are determined by the percent of its adequacy target that the district can meet using local sources of funding.

Objective 0005 
Understand principles and procedures for accounting, auditing, and financial reporting.

7. A major responsibility of an auditor when evaluating a school district is to:

  1. ensure that accounting processes can be adapted to financial changes.
  2. provide financial information required for the issuing of school bonds.
  3. ensure that adequate documentation is available for all financial transactions.
  4. provide financial information needed for the preparation of school budgets.
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: C.
Illinois state law requires that school district accounts must be audited once each year by a qualified external auditor. The primary purpose of such an audit is to ensure that the district's accounting of revenues and expenditures is accurate. This requires auditors to determine that adequate documentation has been kept for all financial transactions.

Objective 0005 
Understand principles and procedures for accounting, auditing, and financial reporting.

8. School districts must maintain accounts for separate funds, such as the educational fund, operation and maintenance fund, and debt service fund, primarily for which of the following reasons?

  1. School finance requires heightened segregation of duties, access control, and other internal controls.
  2. Fluctuations in property tax collection from year to year can affect school revenue levels and budgets.
  3. School revenues and expenditures are subject to special regulations, restrictions, and limitations.
  4. Detailed records of financial transactions are needed to meet school auditing requirements.
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: C.
In Illinois, school district budgets are broken down into 9 separate funds (e.g., Education, Maintenance, Transportation, Working Cash). Each fund is a separate and independent accounting entity with specific objectives and activities and is operated in accordance with laws, regulations, and restrictions. These rules may specify how money in each fund may be used, how much money may be transferred between line items within each fund, and whether money may be lent from one fund to another.

Objective 0006 
Understand cash management, investment, and debt management procedures.

9. To finance capital improvements, a school district would be more likely to issue a general obligation bond than to use tax anticipation warrants, revenue anticipation notes, or interfund loans or transfers primarily because general obligation bonds:

  1. cost less to service than most other forms of debt.
  2. are fully backed by the state in case the district defaults.
  3. do not require the approval of the voters in the district.
  4. allow repayment of the debt over a longer period of time.
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: D.
According to Illinois state law, tax anticipation warrants must be repaid with taxes set aside from the year's tax levy, while revenue anticipation notes must be repaid within one year of the date of issue of the note. Interfund loans and transfers must be repaid within 1–3 years depending on the funds involved. In contrast, general obligation bonds must be repaid by 20 years from the date of issue, allowing districts to repay debt over a much longer period of time.

Objective 0007 
Understand purchasing procedures and supply and fixed asset management.

10. Life cycle cost analyses would be most important prior to a school district's purchase of which of the following goods?

  1. paper products
  2. cleaning supplies
  3. floor coverings
  4. nonperishable foods
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: C.
Life cycle cost analysis is a tool to determine the most cost-effective option among competing alternatives to purchase, own, operate, maintain, and dispose of an object. Of the response choices, only floor coverings would include factors such as operating, maintaining, and disposing of as part of a cost analysis. For this reason, life-cycle cost analysis would be appropriate.

Objective 0007 
Understand purchasing procedures and supply and fixed asset management.

11. A school district is preparing a bid for a multiyear contract to provide student transportation services. It is most important for the bid to include which of the following types of information?

  1. a review of state and federal student safety requirements under the contract
  2. identification of all factors that will be considered in awarding the contract
  3. an overview of service providers employed by the district prior to this contract
  4. projected student enrollment data for the district for the term of the contract
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: B.
When soliciting bids, it is important for potential bidders to know all of the factors that will be considered in accepting or rejecting a bid. For example, although cost may be a major factor, other factors such as the history and reputation of the business, the age and quality of its buses, and the ability of the business to provide safety guarantees may also be important.

Objective 0008 
Understand risk management procedures.

12. A chief school business official would most likely request a risk assessment study for which of the following reasons?

  1. to determine the economic feasibility of insuring a specific risk
  2. to identify the need for changes in the risk management plan
  3. to ensure that unemployment procedures are adequate to cover self-insured risks
  4. to evaluate the effectiveness of various risk reduction techniques
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: B.
A risk assessment study is carried out in an effort to identify all potential risks to health and safety that are present in a school or district. A risk assessment study is one of the first steps that a chief school business official would take in developing a risk management plan, because until risks have been identified, other elements of the plan—such as the necessity for insurance to cover specific risks and specific risk reduction strategies—cannot be addressed.

Objective 0009 
Understand the management of information systems.

13. Which of the following factors is most important to consider first when evaluating a new software application for use in a school business office?

  1. the ease of installation and maintenance of the software
  2. the compatibility of the software with other existing systems
  3. the availability and quality of technical support by the vendor
  4. the clarity of the user instructions and product specifications
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: B.
Although many factors must be considered when purchasing new software for a school business office (e.g., ease of installation, effectiveness, ease of use), the chief school business official should first consider the compatibility of the software with the hardware and software that the system already uses. A software package that is incompatible with existing hardware, for example, cannot be easily installed and may be essentially unusable.

Objective 0010 
Understand human resource management and labor relations and collective bargaining issues.

14. When planning a staff development program, a chief school business official should take which of the following steps first?

  1. developing a reporting procedure for staff complaints
  2. conducting a needs assessment of district staff
  3. establishing criteria for evaluation of staff performance
  4. identifying outside resources that could be used in the program
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: B.
An effective staff development program has many components, including methods for conducting staff evaluations, a program for crediting employees for staff development activities, a survey of in-house and external resources for staff development, and procedures for obtaining feedback from staff. However, none of these can be implemented without first conducting an assessment of the staff's development needs. For example, an assessment of resources for staff development makes little sense until the specific development needs of the staff are fully understood.

Objective 0010 
Understand human resource management and labor relations and collective bargaining issues.

15. In a school district that has adopted a salary schedule, increases in teacher salaries are typically based on:

  1. assignment to school buildings that are difficult to staff.
  2. achievement of professional development goals.
  3. level of education and years of service.
  4. class size and subject area taught.
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: C.
School districts typically use salary schedules to determine salary increases for teaching staff, with teacher compensation based on step increases on the salary schedule. According to Illinois state law, these step increases are based on the teacher's level of education and their accrued years of experience.

Objective 0011 
Understand procedures for real estate management and school facilities planning and construction.

16. During which of the following steps in the planning process for the construction of a school building is input from the entire educational staff most important?

  1. determining the functional needs of the building
  2. selecting the most advantageous site for the building
  3. reviewing the final specifications for the building
  4. gathering evidence to support the need for a new building
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: A.
The planning process for construction of a new school building involves a large number of steps, such as projecting enrollments to determine the building capacity, evaluating potential sites, and working with architects to develop plans. Many of these tasks can be completed by various members of the administrative staff working with the superintendent and the school board. However, determining the functional needs of the new building—including the location, configuration, and accessory elements of regular classrooms and specialized rooms such as science laboratories, libraries, gymnasia, language labs, and music rooms—requires consultation with the educational staff who are going to teach in the new facility.

Objective 0011 
Understand procedures for real estate management and school facilities planning and construction.

17. Illinois school districts generally must require contractors undertaking school construction projects to provide a performance bond, primarily in order to:

  1. ensure that all workers employed by the contractor will be paid a prevailing wage.
  2. protect the district in case the contractor fails to complete the agreed-upon work.
  3. ensure that the contractor continues to meet requirements if specifications change.
  4. protect the district from liability for injuries to workers employed by the contractor.
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: B.
According to Illinois state law, contractors for work of any kind costing over $50,000 must post a performance bond. This bond is posted to ensure that the contractor will perform the agreed-upon work described in the contract. Failure to perform the work as contracted will result in forfeiture of the bond, if the failure is not fully addressed.

Objective 0012 
Understand maintenance, operations, and security procedures for school buildings.

18. A chief school business official is using time-motion studies to generate a custodial workload formula. Before fully implementing the formula the business official should:

  1. examine other school districts where the formula is being used to calculate workload allocations.
  2. incorporate an explanation of the formula in the operations handbook for custodial employees.
  3. review and revise the formula in light of available resources and specific characteristics of buildings.
  4. determine whether the formula can be used to generate districtwide comparative workload data.
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: C.
A time-motion study is a technique for measuring the efficiency of performing a task or series of tasks by analyzing the time required for the motions involved in completing the task(s). As applied to custodial work, time-motion studies analyze the time that it takes custodians to complete tasks such as mopping floors or arranging desks. By allowing estimation of the time needed to compete a custodian's assigned tasks, the number of tasks that could be completed in a specified period of time, and the most efficient way to perform a series of tasks, such studies would help a chief school business official develop formulae for the appropriate custodial workload—if they are considered in light of the available resources and the configuration of a given building.

Objective 0012 
Understand maintenance, operations, and security procedures for school buildings.

19. Which of the following protocols would be most practical and cost-effective for schools to adopt in order to maximize efficiency of energy consumption?

  1. scheduling additional maintenance procedures for all building equipment
  2. installing automatic controls for lighting, heating, and cooling
  3. minimizing the use of auditoriums, gymnasiums, and other special-use spaces
  4. turning off heating and air-conditioning during school vacations
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: B.
The amount of energy needed for heating, cooling, or lighting a building varies according to the time of the day, the week, and the year. For example, more energy is needed when classes are in session; when classes are not in session, but teachers, administrators, or community groups are using the building, some areas may require higher energy use than others. Automatic timed thermostats that control the HVAC system and timers that control lighting are inexpensive and practical and allow the adjustment of the amount of energy used to the amount needed during the daily and weekly cycle.

Objective 0013 
Understand school transportation services, food services, and health and safety services.

20. Which of the following actions is most important for chief school business officials to take when reviewing the performance of health and safety programs?

  1. focusing closely on emergency preparedness procedures in the review
  2. providing opportunities for community involvement in the review process
  3. emphasizing compliance with federal and state regulations in the review
  4. quantifying the methods and procedures to be used in the review process
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: C.
Elements of health and safety programs in school districts (e.g., when and how often fire drills are required to take place, what hazards must be covered by a district disaster-response plan, what the roles of school nurses are, how accidents are reported) are subject to specifications contained in state and federal regulations and laws. In reviewing the performance of a district's health and safety programs, ensuring compliance with these laws and regulations should be the highest priority of the chief school business official.