Real-Life Math
When government relations officers tug on politicians' coats,
it's often to ask for money. In order to be in a position to ask for
money, they have to be able to explain and prove how much they need. Understanding
how budgets work is an important math skill all government relations officers
need to be effective, even if they lobby only part of the time.
"If
you're in the business of trying to get money, you need to know how the
state budget is put together, how the revenues are coming in, how much is
available and whether or not you're on target for your revenue," says
government relations officer John Tomlinson. "So math skills are important,
and I really like that part of the job."
An ability to track funding
-- how much goes where -- is crucial to an awareness of what areas of your
organization are still in need.
"We look at budget to make a decision
about additional resources that may be necessary," says government relations
officer Cynthia Wilbanks. "We look at what types of percentage increases or
percentage decreases may be recommended by various entities. You have to be
able to understand budget charts."
You're a government relations
officer grappling with a university's budget. You're tracking funding
patterns over the past decade in order to estimate how much can be expected
in the future.
Analyze the following figures of how much government
funding to the university has grown. Use your answer to decide whether or
not the university will have to lobby for more funds to afford to pay for
a planned expansion in the future. If the average growth rate is at least
2.5 percent, you can afford the expansion without lobbying.
| Year | Amount |
| 2014-2015 | $265,870,921 |
| 2015-2016 | $273,763,091 |
| 2016-2017 | $274,034,091 |
| 2017-2018 | $274,034,091 |
| 2018-2019 | $280,336,875 |
| 2019-2020 | $288,746,982 |
| 2020-2021 | $301,907,252 |
| 2021-2022 | $314,539,283 |
| 2022-2023 | $323,484,780 |
| 2023-2024 | $338,861,239 |