GEN: Need budget advice

[Gayle Hodur <ghodur@REDSHIFT.COM>]

This is my second year at this school district. I came in mid-year last
year and had this phenomenal budget for books and supplies because they
were doing a big rejuvenation of the libraries, but the budget was all in
place before I arrived. This year, I thought they would ask me for a budget
estimate, but no one did and when I asked around I couldn't get any answers
about money. Then out of the blue, the superintendent asks me for my budget
recommendations, and of course they want it yesterday. This is my very
first library job, and I've never done a budget before. I have three
schools, a middle school with a library of less than 6,000 books, and two
small elementary libraries that MIGHT have about 2,000 books apiece. I
don't have a clue what to ask for, and I'm afraid I'll undercut myself by
asking for too little or look like an idiot for asking for too much.
HELP! What would be reasonable? How do I figure this out, since last year
was such a completely abnormal situation?

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Gayle Hodur
ghodur@redshift.com