It's that 'use it or lose it' stress. I worked at a zoo in research, we had a zero based budget each year, and each year in Nov our lab manager was shopping for anything we could possibly spend it all on so the next year we wouldnt have a budget reduction. He said it reaked havoc on his personal finances since hed look for the more expensive options at work but then go home and be willy-nilly about grocery costs and stuff. Sometimes there was up to $70k he'd try to spend down. Never occured to him maybe we shouldnt get it...
Yes , that’s the inefficiency of the government. I am probably a drop in the bucket but I reported it to DOGE as one of the systems of waste. Yearly grants should be needs based and not fixed amounts. You spend what you need and the rest goes back if you overestimated. You need more money next year, you are not penalized and can receive it. It never made sense to me that the government couldn’t understand or deal with that yearly expenses on research will never be the same.
I remember MANY years ago that is you did not spend your allocated budget that the next fiscal year you would be given less... this was from our very own government!
Not just special education. All of education "had" to spend out the money before the next allocation. Otherwise, the next allocation would be for less money than the current one.
I have always found that if you give any group, club, church, government especially, extra or surplus cash, they will find a way to spend it.
It's that 'use it or lose it' stress. I worked at a zoo in research, we had a zero based budget each year, and each year in Nov our lab manager was shopping for anything we could possibly spend it all on so the next year we wouldnt have a budget reduction. He said it reaked havoc on his personal finances since hed look for the more expensive options at work but then go home and be willy-nilly about grocery costs and stuff. Sometimes there was up to $70k he'd try to spend down. Never occured to him maybe we shouldnt get it...
It's the same in hospital budgeting!
Yes , that’s the inefficiency of the government. I am probably a drop in the bucket but I reported it to DOGE as one of the systems of waste. Yearly grants should be needs based and not fixed amounts. You spend what you need and the rest goes back if you overestimated. You need more money next year, you are not penalized and can receive it. It never made sense to me that the government couldn’t understand or deal with that yearly expenses on research will never be the same.
I remember MANY years ago that is you did not spend your allocated budget that the next fiscal year you would be given less... this was from our very own government!
Exactly… Giving it back?! Unheard of!
Frantic meetings near the end of the fiscal-- "Come on, guys, we need to spend this fast!"
I lived that every October for all the time I was with the federal courts .
Scientific grants as well.
In special education, there would be a rush to spend out the money before the next allocation.
Not just special education. All of education "had" to spend out the money before the next allocation. Otherwise, the next allocation would be for less money than the current one.
I think our Military budgets the same, the month of September(before fiscal Oct 1st) is Buy whether or not needed.