ED+5342+Week+2+Assignment

Part 1- A goal driven budget is one that is based on goals outlined by the needs of the school district. The budget is based on the number of students, the type of students(ie: at-risk, special ed, ESL), the goals of the organization are considered as well. All of this is taken into consideration and from that a budget is derived. According to Dr. Jenkin’s explanation in the interview this week, he states it is imperative that the campus cip be a “version of the vision” of the board goals to ensure there is no disconnect between the goals of each (EDLD 5342, Week 2 Lecture Notes, page 2). It seems very logical to expect a list of goals to be accompanied by a budget, outlining how it will be funded, with rationale explaining the need for the goal (ie: use of data). Our district improvement plan in GPISD is a list stating the goals of both the superintendent and the board. There is nothing attached to identify funding sources or how much is estimated to be spent. An example of a goal listed in our DIP is: GPISD will expand the implementation of the Safe and Civil Foundations behavior management program for the prevention of student bullying, sexual, and verbal harassment to all schools. To complete this goal the district has a contract with Randy Sprick and a consultant comes out numerous times throughout the year. I am confident we use a variety of funding sources to pay for this goal, including but not limited to: stimulus funds, title 1, comp ed, and local funds. Upon looking through our DIP, I was surprised to see that we do not outline funding sources, as it is discussed often at principal’s meetings. I am not sure how our district comes to the consensus when selecting programs, what money from which source will be spent on each program, etc, but I am certain that it is a decision made at the director and executive director level. A superintendent is charged with leading a district in all faucets, especially regarding finance, and a goal driven budget can be the tool used to explain the reasoning for changes, help stakeholders understand how revenue is spent and why money is allocated to particular projects. The budget should be driven by data and student needs. When people outside the district look at our goals, it should be transparent and they should be able to see how we are meeting these needs. Part 2- Reflection to our wiki: In writing our “top five” events and dates to create a budget, we had made our lists apart and when we came together realized we picked the same events. We all agreed on the need to plan, prepare and evaluate throughout the process. We felt that these were important because we must pay attention to the dates outlined by TEA to be in compliance, we also were in agreement. We referred to the TASBO presentation, the budget calendar, as well as the budget page on TEA’s website. Rationale for each item selected: 4 and 5. Collaborating and working closely with the CFO and directors is imperative to ensure the budget is comprehensive, while keeping the district in the black. I would also include the need to include the board throughout the building of this budget to get their feedback and input, that why when the vote for approval comes, they are all aware and in agreement of what is being proposed- no surprises. When looking over other wiki entries we found them to be similar in content to our top five. They also included similar rationale. Finance is very complicated and something that needs a lot of attention paid to detail to ensure nothing is missed.
 * 1) The calendar is imperative as it guides us on deadlines, specific dates for items to be included in our goals and prioritized when making a budget.
 * 2) Estimating revenue is imperative when creating a budget. We must know what is coming in before we can plan what will be spent. If expenditures outweigh revenue, we have a problem and must decide what is a need and what is a want.
 * 3) Expenses- if we want to purchase a new program, we must be able to express the reasoning, the expenses associated and the benefits to be derived from these desires. This should all be data driven- needs assessments, WADA, scores, etc.

Part 3- Understanding TEA budgeting guidelines

In conclusion, when I become a superintendent I am going to be sure I have a great CFO, because the budget could make or break you. With so many mandates by TEA, whoever is in the CFO role needs to be an expert not only in finance, but in school finance. After interviewing our CFO, I realized he is my superintendent’s right hand. They work closely together and are on the same page in all that is going on in our district. He is working hard to get more involved with curriculum to be able to better understand our student needs and the need for specific spending. I applaud him for this. || Part 4- Interview of CFO I interviewed our district CFO, Mike Ball, who is the primarily responsible for the district budget. He works closely with the superintendent to create a budget and keep our financial status in Galena Park always in the positive. I asked him what his top five things are, what he considers when working on our budget: 1. How much revenue is projected to be available? 2. Staffing levels as they compromise 85% of personnel 3. Compensation package- again because 85% goes to personnel 4. Maximize use of federal grants, funds for personnel 5. District/Campus Improvement plan priorities. His priorities are aligned with the budgeting guidelines outlined by TEA. He is very down to earth and really works to make us understand budget as campus principals. This is his first year at GP and with all of the budget woes that are arising from our state leaders; he is committed to keeping GP financially sound. Throughout the school year he has worked with the campus principals to come up with a sensible approach to the new budgeting dilemmas, he has had us visit and revisit: programs, people and positions. He has had us discuss what is going well for GP, narrow our focus and finally works closely with us month after month identifying positions we would have to lose, to avoid going into financial hardship. As a principal, I will be honest, I had a hard time looking at all of this information, as I was connected to people and the idea of losing the key people I had elevated to be specialists on the campus and district level was really upsetting. The more we met, the more frustrated we became and ultimately wanted to be told “you need to lose this is number of positions, just do it” and Mr. Ball wanted us to decide as a group what was a priority and decide as a group. They gave us numerous presentations and the phrase “Us vs. Them” came up over and again, which was not what wanted as a result of these meetings. He never wanted us to feel as if we had no input and that it was a top down decision, because we would all have to live with this and that approach would not help us. I can see his reasoning and appreciate how he wanted us to see the big picture, but as we went through it, principals rarely appreciated this. We concluded the interview by asking: What is your biggest budgeting concern? He stated that the legislature really does not want to fund public education. He feels there is some type of thinking “It’s every family for themselves” and this is not positive. In light of our current financial issues, what would be the best outcome of this legislative session? They could provide adequate funding and also provide mandate relief. Worst? Significant funding reduction and the seizing of GPISD’s fund balance. I asked if one thing could not be touched- what would it be? The fund balance, no question. In closing I asked him if there was one thing he could get principal’s to understand what would it be? “This is the most serious issue facing public education in Texas since 1949. Education may never be the same again if the legislature slashes funding at this point.” This is so true and it is scary that so many educators are not aware of how serious this is and how it will potentially affect not only children today, but also generations to come.
 * The TEA guidelines for writing a budget for a school district are very extensive and precise. So many times, administrators do not understand the reasoning for writing a campus improvement plan, budget is truly not learned until you have reached the level of principal or director, and as the superintendent there is so much to take into consideration when preparing a budget. Key points I have learned from TEA budgeting guidelines:
 * 1) The budget is a product of planning, which include three major phases: planning, prep, and evaluating
 * 2) The superintendent is the budget officer and he must follow the six requirements outlined by TEA and it must be prepared and presented by August 20 the each year and adopted no later than Aug 31 of each year. These dates as critical to the planning process and must be adhered to.
 * 3) Revenue the district will bring in each year is very important to consider in the planning process as this will limit the budget if there is not enough money to fund projects being considered
 * 4) Through each phase of compiling the budget the superintendent may consult with the CFO as well as other directors involved in the budget, review it throughout the year and determine if we are meeting the needs of the district or if changes will need to be considered.

Part 5- Reflections:

Interviewing my superintendent and the CFO they both agreed that meeting with his cabinet and the curriculum directors are the most important contributors to what money is needed to accomplish which goals. They both receive information regarding what programs we are using, the results they are providing and how these programs impact students. These are determining factors regarding whether or not to continue with these projects, whether or not to include them in the goals and what we need to focus on more for the upcoming year. My superintendent does make every attempt to work with the teacher organizations, hear them out and appear at events where they request his presence. Dr. Henry has always said and repeats that he always tells the board- “When we no longer get along, all you need to do is let me know and I will leave” this goes for every aspect of his job. He states that the board is concerned at the present with the funding of a police force. During spring break, Constable Freeman said he will no longer continue a contract with schools in GP and Pasadena effective 30 days from now. Therefore they have been looking at other districts, how they deal with security and finally they came to the consensus to create our own police force. Just two weeks ago the Constable came to announce that they would continue to work with us under certain circumstances. The board and the superintendent are weighing out their options and moving forward. Lastly, he works closely with the DPAC and has faith in his directors to make sound choices, to report to him areas of concerns and everyone knows he does not like surprises. He is open with us and always works to keep us informed when it comes to major decisions that will impact us. Right now, again in the face of budget cuts, there is a lot of talk about the need for specialists and special programs, like the dual language program. I presented to the CFO the reason to keep this program and how it is beneficial to our students and does not incur a cost at the present. I presented TAKS data, commended data and explained how this program is beneficial to our district. He asked so many questions and worked hard to understand the curriculum point of view and how it impacts our bottom line. Communication is the key to making gains and being successful in school, and this is in every area: finance, curriculum, transportation, etc. What I learned is that transparency, honesty and communication is essential to success and when it comes to money- these are paramount!