School Board of Managements Financial Resource Practices vis-a-vis Student Performance: A Case of Two Counties in Kenya

School Board of Management’s (BOM) practices have been found to have a tremendous effect on students’ academic performance. However, BOM’s quality of management has been questioned by many studies in Kenya and other countries. This paper is based on a research carried out to assess the extent to which BOM’s financial resource management practices influence students’ performance at Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) in Kitui and Makueni counties. The study dealt with the following 10 financial practices which have been found to influence performance in secondary schools: aligning the budgets to school vision, approval of the budget, approval of schools expenditure, supervision of books of accounts and trial balances, deliberation of audited reports, monitoring of school expenditure, fundraising activities, soliciting for grants donations and bursaries, accountability in school finances, and ensuring projects are in line with school’s strategic plans and how they related to student’s performance. The study used mixed method approach with both qualitative and quantitative data analysis. Correlational research design was used. The target population was 4, 270 BOM members from 305 public secondary schools in Kitui County and 4, 536 from 324 in Makueni County. Questionnaires were used to collect data from BOM members whereas an interview schedule got data from the school principals. Overall, and to a great extent, the findings show that BOM’s financial resource practices, in both counties, influenced students’ performance. Since majority of the BOM members indicated that they lacked adequate competencies, the study recommends continuous induction and training on the following areas: initiating and carrying out projects that are in line with the strategic plans of the schools; supervision of books of accounts; soliciting for grants, donations and bursaries; budgeting; organizing for fundraising; and monitoring of school expenditure.