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Appendix B: Common Core of Data Glossary

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administration expenditures
Expenditures for school administration (the school principal’s office), general administration (the superintendent and board of education and their immediate staff), and other support services expenditures (LEA planners/researchers, personnel, fiscal services, warehousing, and other activities of an LEA).
administration expenditures
Expenditures for school administration (the school principal’s office), general administration (the superintendent and board of education and their immediate staff), and other support services expenditures (LEA planners/researchers, personnel, fiscal services, warehousing, and other activities of an LEA).
capital outlay
Direct expenditures for construction of buildings, roads, and other improvements and for purchases of equipment, land, and existing structures. Includes amounts for additions, replacements, and major alterations to fixed works and structures. However, expenditures for repairs to fixed works and structures are classified as current expenditures for operations.
charter school
A school providing free public elementary and/or secondary education to eligible students under a specific charter granted by the state legislature or other appropriate authority, and designated by such authority to be a charter school.
current expenditures
Expenditures for the day-to-day operation of schools and school districts, including expenditures for staff salaries and benefits, supplies, and purchased services. Expenditures associated with repaying debts and capital outlays (e.g., purchases of land, school construction and repair, and equipment) are excluded from current expenditures. Programs outside the scope of public preschool to grade 12 education, such as community services and adult education, are not included in current expenditures.
debt
Long-term credit obligations of the school system or its parent government and all interest-bearing short-term (repayable within 1 year) credit obligations. Excludes non-interest-bearing short-term obligations, interfund obligations, amounts owed in a trust agency capacity, advances and contingent loans from other governments, and obligations to individuals from school system employee-retirement funds.
direct support for and on behalf of school districts
Expenditures for public education that are spent directly by the state government. State expenditure for staff retirement programs is the most common form of direct support. States often report these expenditures as lump sums to NCES, which distributes the amounts to specific functions and objects.

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elementary/secondary education
Programs providing instruction, or assisting in providing instruction, for students in prekindergarten, kindergarten, grades 1 through 12, and ungraded programs.
employee benefits expenditures
Expenditures made in addition to gross salary that are not paid directly to employees. Employee benefits include amounts paid by, or on behalf of, an LEA for retirement contributions, health insurance, social security contributions, unemployment compensation, worker’s compensation, tuition reimbursements, and other employee benefits.
enterprise operations
Activities that are financed, at least in part, by user charges, similar to a private business. These operations are sometimes subsidized by LEAs. Food services expenditures are reported food services, even if they are run as an enterprise.
expenditures
All amounts of money paid out by a school system, net of recoveries and other correcting transactions, other than for retirement of debt, purchase of securities, extension of loans, and agency transactions. Expenditures include only external transactions of a school system and exclude noncash transactions such as the provision of perquisites or other in-kind payments.
facilities acquisition and construction services
An expenditure function that includes the acquisition of land and buildings; building construction, remodeling, and additions; the initial installation or extension of service systems and other built-in equipment; and site improvement.
federal revenues
Revenues from the federal government, including direct grants-in-aid to schools or agencies, funds distributed through a state or intermediate agency, and revenues in lieu of taxes to compensate a school district for nontaxable federal institutions within the district’s boundaries.
fiscal year
The 12-month period to which the annual operating budget applies. At the end of the fiscal year, the agency determines its financial condition and the results of its operations.
food services
Activities that provide food to students and staff in a school or LEA. These services include preparing and serving regular and incidental meals or snacks in connection with school activities as well as delivery of food to schools.
function
A category of expenditure defining the activity supported by the service or commodity bought.
general administration expenditures
Expenditures for the board of education and superintendent’s office for the administration of LEAs.

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instruction and instruction-related expenditures
Include expenditures for instruction and instructional staff support services. These are expenditures that are directly related to providing instruction and for activities that assist with classroom instruction. These include salaries and benefits for teachers, teaching assistants, librarians and library aides, in-service teacher trainers, curriculum development, student assessment, technology (for students but outside the classroom), and supplies and purchased services related to these activities.
instruction expenditures
Expenditures for activities related to the interaction between teachers and students. Include salaries and benefits for teachers and teacher aides, textbooks, supplies and purchased services. These expenditures also include expenditures relating to extracurricular and cocurricular activities.
instructional staff support services
Activities that include instructional staff training, educational media (library and audiovisual), and other instructional staff support services.
interest on debt expenditures
Interest expenditures on long-term debt.
intermediate sources of revenues
Education agencies with fundraising capabilities that operate between the state and local government levels. Intermediate revenues are included in local revenue totals.
local education agency (LEA)
The government agency at the local level whose primary responsibility is to operate public schools or to contract for public school services.
local revenues
Revenues from such sources as local property and nonproperty taxes, investments, and student activities such as textbook sales, transportation and tuition fees, and food service revenues. Local revenues include revenues from intermediate sources.
long-term debt
Debt payable more than 1 year after the date of issue.
object
A category of expenditure defining the service or commodity bought.
operation and maintenance expenditures
Expenditures for the operation of buildings, the care and upkeep of grounds and equipment, vehicle operations (other than student transportation) and maintenance, and security.
operations expenditures
Expenditures for operations and maintenance, student transportation, food services, and enterprise operations.
other program expenditures
Expenditures for community services, adult education, community colleges, private schools, and other programs that are not part of public elementary and secondary education.
other support services expenditures
Expenditures for business support services (activities concerned with the fiscal operation of the LEA), central support services (activities, other than general administration, which support each of the other instructional and support services programs, including planning, research, development, evaluation, information, and data processing services), and other support services expenditures not reported elsewhere.

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purchased services expenditures
Expenditures for professional and technical services and the renting of equipment.
replacement equipment expenditures
Include expenditures for equipment for schools that are not new or recently renovated. Equipment is generally defined as items that last more than one year, are repaired rather than replaced, and have a cost over a level set by the state or local education agencies.
revenues
Additions to assets that do not incur an obligation that must be met at some future date, do not represent exchanges of fixed assets, and are available for expenditure by the LEAs in the state. Revenues include funds from local, intermediate, state, and federal sources.
salaries
Include the gross salaries of permanent and temporary staff on the payroll of LEAs, including temporary staff substituting for permanent employees. Salaries for full- and part-time staff are included along with overtime and salaries for staff on sabbatical leave. Also included are supplemental amounts for additional duties such as coaching or supervising extracurricular activities, bus supervision, and summer school teaching.
school administration expenditures
Expenditures for the office of the principal, full-time department chairpersons, and graduation expenses.
state revenues
Revenues received by LEAs from the state, including unrestricted grants-in-aid, restricted grants-in-aid, revenue in lieu of taxes, and payments for, or on behalf of, LEAs.
student membership
Annual headcount of students enrolled in school on October 1 or the school day closest to that date. In any given year, some small schools will not have any students.
student support services
Include attendance and social work, guidance, health, psychological services, speech pathology, audiology, and other student support services.
student transportation expenditures
Expenditures for vehicle operation, monitoring, and vehicle servicing and maintenance associated with student transportation services. Expenditures for purchasing buses are reported under replacement equipment.
support services
An expenditure function divided into seven subfunctions: student support services, instructional staff support, general administration, school administration, operations and maintenance, student transportation, and other support services.
total expenditures
The sum of current expenditures, non-elementary/secondary expenditures, capital outlay, and interest payments on debts.
total revenues
The sum of revenue contributions emerging from local, state, and federal sources. Revenue received from bond sales or the sale of property or equipment is not included.

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