To maintain and/or increase your budget to meet needs:

1. Know and follow the procedures for submitting budget requests
1. Schedule and deadlines
2. Required format
3. Chain of command (To whom do you submit your requests)
2. Provide relevant rationale for budget requests (see BudgetTemplates)
1. Show how materials help to meet specific standards / curricular demands
2. Be brief but specific about why materials are needed / how used
3. Be prepared to provide a budget history for any account
3. Spend all the money in your budget within your district's required time frame
4. Try to anticipate possible cuts in funding from outside sources (e.g. state funded databases)

In the event of anticipated cuts or losses in funding

1. Understand the potential loss and the reasons behind it
2. Talk with other district librarians. Assign research and information gathering to prepare response.
3. Talk with supervisor and/or building principal to see what his/her understanding of situation is. As a courtesy, inform and invite to any scheduled meeting of librarians for purposes of preparing a response.
4. Be familiar with the procedures for transfers between budget lines (if and when allowed)
5. Notify colleagues, students, parents, volunteers as appropriate of cut or action proposed
6. Carefully select articulate, informed, unemotional, highly-regarded spokespersons as needed
1. PTA or PTO officer
2. Family liaison (esp. Abbott districts)
3. Student volunteer or student council officer
4. District or building administrator or supervisor
7. Provide necessary resources to your advocates
1. Letters or brief presentations (See BudgetTemplates)
2. Suggested Responses to Frequently Asked Questions (See BudgetQuestions)
3. Handouts (brochures, fliers, etc.)
8. Inform community (stakeholders listed above) of probable impact of proposed cuts