THE ROLES OF THE SCHOOL HEAD AS:

1. Fiscal Manager
According to Onyango (2001), head teachers must ensure the budget is properly
administered especially when incurring different form of expenditure .He argues that the
head teacher is held responsible for financial accounting and auditing. This accounting is
useful in order to control the already approved budget .It is his/her responsibility to
ensure proper documentation of all financial transaction in different books of accounts
e.g the ledger ,journal, inventories ,cashbook etc. He further notes that, with the
assistance of the bursar or the accounts clerk, the head teacher should ensure internal
auditing of school accounts is done. The condition of expenditure and receipts should be
clearly shown.
Proper management of school finances is pivotal to the successes of all educative
teaching endeavors of any school on which the head of the school is the highest
administrator. He is in charge of the overall operation of the school. It is his
responsibility to prepare the school budget, a record of projected revenue and
expenditure. A principal can delegate the financial functions down but still has to know
what is happening with the finances. This implies that he need to ensure effective,
efficient, economical and transparent use of financial and other resources within the
school ,which includes taking appropriate steps to prevent any unauthorized irregular and
fruitless and wasteful expenditure which in essence ,implies being accountable for the
school’s finances.
Being the fiscal manager he is entitled to handle the finances of the school, settle
all the monetary obligations, liquidate School MOOE and monitor school projects. He
needs to make sure to prioritize the needs of the school in making the budget plan.
As a school head you need to make your budget work for your school
improvement plan. Budget must reflect the school improvement plan –set on three-year
basis. For this reason he should understand the basic principles of school budget
especially the different funding streams by which the school receives its resources. If you
 know the where your funding is coming from then you can create a budgeting calendar
plan ahead of all scenarios.
As fiscal manager if other member of the committee on finance is/are not in favor
on the decisions made by the head, the decision of the head will still prevail on the
matter. And the as head he will be held liable for that statutory obligation.

2. Revenue Producer
It is the school’s head responsibility to account for the school's revenue and how
it is spent. Most schools use manages their finances using accounting systems that are
able to generate and compare required reports such as cash flow statement quickly and
correctly.

Head teachers play a major role in the management of all school financial
activities, which involve expenditure of the disbursed money. The money is obtained
through sources such as fees, MOOE, canteen funds, grants and donations.

If there is a project and no available budgets for it to be materialize, the school

head must plan on how to raise funds for the said project. He may accept suggestions but
being the revenue producer he is still the one who will approved for how the school will
come up to have the budget for the project that needs to be accomplished.

The head may opt to have a fundraising activity or program. Fundraising is a

method that communities use to support the growth of their schools, and the principal is
often responsible for his school’s fundraising activities. It is also his duty is to ensure that
the school uses the funds for the right purpose. Before conducting a fundraising effort, a
principal has to discuss the purpose with staff and students’ parents. When a school
decides to conduct a fundraising, the principal should consider the guidelines of public
education, if applicable, and comply with them.
3. Manager of Waste
Monthly and annual reporting is a key part of keeping financial systems secure
and successful. It is the responsibility of the school head to account whether there is an
excess on their budget and to allocate it in accordance to the school development plan.
If there is an excess budget and there are two more priority projects that needs to
be accomplished but the excess budget is just enough for one it is the responsibility of the
head to decide on to which it will be spent. The head is the one accountable for it and
assured that it will not put into waste especially if it’s government money that comes
from the taxes of the people.

4. Agent of Resource Productivity

In education, productivity is often taken to mean using the inputs and processes of
schooling in ways that increase desired outcomes. The most common measures of
outcomes have been students' academic achievement while they are in school (often
measured by scores on standardized tests) and student performance upon entering the
labor market (generally measured by wages) (Burtless, 1996)

The school head must have a full understanding that the school income is handled
in accordance with relevant requirements, regulations and rules. Ensuring that he and the
members of financial management in the school follows those guidelines.

Aside from handling the school incomes and preparing budget plans it is also the
duty of the school head to outsource budget through income generating projects or
fundraising. He may also ask the help of the stakeholders of the school for help.

5. Agent of Change
According to Donohoo the principal should ensure that teams focus on the right
work (inch) by identifying common issues that stem from current student needs that align
with larger school improvement efforts.
If the members of the financial management is not considering themselves
accountable for the schools’ financial matter as an agent of change he should build staff
members sense of internal accountability by promoting staff to regularly use data and
make connections between school goals and their own commitment to improvement
efforts. He also need to make sure that the demands for external accountability is meet by
clearly defining his expectations, measure and monitor and providing accurate and
transparent account of the school’s performance to all stakeholders.
Principals are the primary agents of change in schools, and their effectiveness as
leaders plays a key role in improving student achievement. As the leader of a school, the
principal plays a vital role in setting expectations for teachers and students.
"When you think about it, the principal is the pedagogical gatekeeper at the
school level. If we can fully engage the principal in understanding and really owning the
change needed to promote a learner-centered experience, then there is a significantly
greater probability that change will become infused into the school culture." -Matt Doyle
The role of the principal in the era of school choice is to build trust and
engagement proactively with both internal and external stakeholder communities.
If there is no good relationship between the stakeholders, community and the
school it is the task of the principal to build it so that they will work harmoniously for the
benefits of the school.