Saving and Preparing School Finance Data from GEMS

Comparing LE’s through ANB and Levies

Paul Taylor, OPI School Finance

http://opi.mt.gov/Index.html

http://gems.opi.mt.gov/Pages/Default.aspx

Choose School Budget Reports then School Budget Dashboard

Use the State/Legal Entity dropdown and pick your LE

Scroll down to Property taxes right click the chart area (not the data) choose Report Type then Grid.

Use the dropdown and choose Export to Excel.

Open Excel and highlight the data to be graphed.

1. Choose Insert.

2. Stacked Bar Chart.

1. Right click data, Select Data Source and Switch Row / Columns.

1. If you want a data table use quick tools or change chart type.

2. Don’t forget to add labels.

1. On the School Budget Dashboard choose a school / right click on Budget Limitation ANB / Report type / Grid.

2. Use the dropdown and save to Excel. Repeat for additional schools.

1. Place your data in one Excel spreadsheet assuring columns are lined up correctly.

2. Delete unneeded rows.

1. Repeat the process for property taxes for all schools needed.

1. Repeat the process for property taxes for all schools needed.

2. Add rows to the bottom of the spreadsheet with the following formula. =B4/B2 or the ratio of the General Fund Budget to the ANB.

Note: Budget Limitation ANB is not the most appropriate ANB to use for this comparison however, currently it is the ANB type available through GEMS.

1. Create a graph to relate the schools data to each other.

Here’s an example for Gallatin County.