Setup Steps

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Step 1 – Review and Set the default Budget Build settings

• Go to the Budget >>> Budget Build >>> Setup Tab 
  • Set the Budget Build School Year (red arrow below)  
  • If you will be utilizing the system to project your contractual salaries, check the “Round to nearest whole dollar when projecting salaries” box.
  • Select the years that you want historical data to appear in the Budget Build tab for your budget managers. 
    • If you need to import this data, please complete the expense import template & sub it via a Knowledgebase Ticket and the help desk will import the date for you.
    • Template can be found on the Financial >>> Setup >>> Budget Accounts >>> Import >>> Expense tab
  • Ensure you Configure Available School Years by clicking on the link (purple arrow above) 

Step 2 – Identify Budget Managers and Subordinates (current year)

• Your Account Groups must be created before performing this setup step.
• Go to the Financial >>> Setup >>> Budget Accounts >>> Account Groups tab
  • Individuals must be listed in the “Used by Staff” column for the respective account group.  
  • Each account group should have at least one “Budget Manager.”  Account groups can have multiple subordinates, or none.  
  • For each person in the ‘Used by Staff” column, on their respective Demographics screen in Budget Options section, you MUST check whether they are a Budget Manager or Subordinate.  
• Budget Managers and Subordinates will work on Budget Build in the Employee Portal

Step 3 – Set up portal access for Budget Managers and Subordinates (current year)

• Your SysAdmin or the individual responsible for security and/or access to SchoolFi has access to modify these settings
  • Access is set in the Setup >>> Employee Portal >>> Roles tab
  • Import the 2 Employee Portal Roles from the Library:  
  • Ensure that the Budget Managers and Subordinates have the “Budget Build” role checked off and activated.  This can se set by utilizing the Staff List "Budget Managers and Sub Budget Managers" on the Portal users tab.  
  • Any other users that you want to grant access to view the budget build can be assigned the "Budget Build READ ONLY" employee Portal Role.  Be sure to include the staff view-only staff members in the account group that they have access to view (they do not need to be designated as a Budget Manager or Subordinate").

Step 4 – Posting the Budget Manual in the Employee Portal for Budget Managers and Subordinate Budget Managers

Step 5 – Copy Expense, Revenue & Balance Sheet Accounts from current year to next year.  THIS MUST BE DONE BEFORE YOU COPY YOUR ACCOUNT GROUPS TO NEXT YEAR

• Go to the Financial >>> Setup >>> Budget Accounts >>> List tab
  • Expense Accounts:  On the Financial tab, select the Expense Account type and click on the Search button.  
  • Check all accounts to be copied to next year (and included in the Budget Build module) and click Copy Checked Button. Then select 2025-26 and click on the Copy button.
  • After you copy your accounts, you MUST copy the BSR Line numbers from the previous year to the accounts that you just copied into the budget build year.  Do do this, check koff all of the accounts and then click on the Copy BSR Line Numbers from..  button, select the prior year and hit the Copy button.   
  • The District has the option to manually add, modify or delete the accounts in the 2025-26 year.  To perform this task, click on the 2025-26 year in the yellow bar and then any modifications can be made.  If you are adding or modifying an account you MUST ENSURE the BSR Line 2 number is correct and the expense account is included in the proper account group.  
  • You should perform the same procedures for your Revenue Accounts and Balance Sheet Accounts.  Remember, Revenue accounts and Balance Sheet accounts are not included in Account Groups.  

Step 6 – Copy Account Groups from current year to next year (you MUST complete Step 5 before Step 6)

• Go to the Financial >>> Setup >>> Budget Accounts >>> Account Groups tab
  • Check all account groups to be copied to next year and click the Copy to School Year Button.  Ensure that 2025-26 is the selected school year and click on the Copy button.

Step 7 – Create your initial Budget Build Scenario

• Go to the Budget >>> Budget Build >>> Scenario Tab
  • Click the add/copy scenario button 
  • Create initial “Proposed Budget” scenario by Naming the Scenario and including a description.  Also, you must select a type.  Most Districts utilize the Free Form type.  Optionally, you can use the Percentage Limited, but, when using this type, all budget projections MUST be based on a percentage increase/decrease.  
    
  • Another option is to copy all of the details and/or detail documents from another scenario.
  • TIP:  You can create multiple scenarios at any time

Step 8 – Activate the initial Budget Build Scenario

• Go to the Budget >>> Budget Build >>> Scenario Tab and click on the Edit button for the scenario that you want to activate (you can only have a single scenario active at any given time).  
• Click on the enabled button to set the active scenario 
• You can set the color and the text color of the scenario by clicking on the color: 
• You can set the Employee Portal visibility options 
  • Visible date range - Budget Build tab is visible in the employee portal.  The "up to and including" date can be in a future school year if you want to permit staff members to VIEW the budget build details in their portal. 
  • Edits date range - Dates that staff members with the permission to edit the Budget Build tab can process modifications to the Budget Build tab.  

Step 9 – Create your Budget Worksheets

• Go to the Budget >>> Budget Build >>> Worksheets Tab
  • Create a worksheet with all accounts that will be included in the NJDOE budget software for the Business Administrator (use button)  
  • Create worksheets for all of your Account Groups by clicking the Create button and following the instructions.  
  • Create other custom worksheets that you may need.  
    Worksheets are “overlays” to the underlying date.  You have the ability to add or delete accounts at any time.  You can also delete an entire worksheet that was created from an account group or manually created WITHOUT effecting the underlying budget build data.  You can add or delete an expense account to/from an Account Group and it will be added/deleted to/from the respective Account Group's Budget Build Worksheet. 

Step 10 – ALREDY COMPLETED FOR ALL NEW IMPLEMENTATIONS.  Utilize the URL (Web Page) in the Document Upload

• Go to the Setup >>> Doc Mgt >>> Document Types Tab, search for Budget Build and click on the Properties button.   
• Activate the feature 
• When you on on the Budget Build tab, when you hit the upload button, you can enter the URL here: 
• And then to access the URL, click on the noted icon  

How to Utilize the Budget Build Module:   Click HERE to review the recording of the training session