Identifying the role of the school business administrator

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of the school business administrator and to determine the congruency or incongruency between role expectations of the business administrator and actual role performance. Individuals participating in this study were the school business administrator and seventeen of his role set partners. Role set partners included the superintendent of schools, four district level administrators, eight building level administrators, two board members, a teacher and a custodial supervisor. Participants were surveyed using a written questionnaire to determine their views of the business administrator\u27s role. The business administrator\u27s daily activities were documented through shadowing. Responses to the role expectation surveys were summarized and compared to results of the shadowing exercise. Results of the study showed that role ambiguity did exist between the role expectations held for the business administrator by himself and his principal role partners, and between his actual role performance. This ambiguity did not appear to adversely affect the organization. Responsibilities of the business administrator role identified most frequently were accounting, budgeting, and finance. Preferable personal characteristics identified included interpersonal and communication skills, leadership and organizational skills. The study concluded that the role of business administrator is multifaceted and dynamic, requiring many different skills and abilities