Top 5 Events in Developing a School District Budget

1. Approximately March 1 - campuses and departments should begin to develop their budget proposals based on needs assessments.
2. Approximately April 1 - campuses and departments should forward their proposed budgets to central office for the PRC to review.
3. Approximately June 1 - superintendent completes the review process and prepares the 1st draft of the proposed budget.
4. August 20 (for traditional year schools) - this is the date by which the budget must be prepared. At that point, the district must call a public board meeting with a ten day notice of the meeting.
5. August 31 - this is the date by which the budget must be adopted.

I am pretty lucky that my campus is right across the street from the district administration office. Our Assistant Superintendent of Business and Finance is very accessible and helpful. I agree as well with the top 5 events in developing a school district budget. I feel that as a group we have selected these top 5 since it seems like there is consistency with the knowledge we have gained via the resources provided. August 20th - August 31st are very important days for the budget. In number 3, the Superintendent must ensure that the budget is aligned with the district mission and goals. One of the top five events also is the process of looking at the expected income from all funding sources (tax rolls, state, grant, and federal monies, etc) coming in and an evaluation of upcoming expenditures. This also is a part of our number 3.

Goal Driven Budget

A goal driven budget should be designed with input from various stakeholders and its goal is to address the needs of all campuses. By having a collaborative goal oriented and driven school budget, the various areas and elements of a school are accounted for. The superintendent, board of trustees, campus principals, and teachers all contribute to the plan. During site based team meetings at the various campus, department chairs share and express their departments suggestions for areas of need. This then goes to the principals meetings which then goes to cabinet meetings. By using a collaborative method of establishing the budget, the different areas of the school such as academics, extracurricular, facilities, etc are accounted for fairly.

By reviewing the lecture we see that the plans need to be a created from the vision that is set forth by the school board of trustees. As Dr. Arterbery mentioned, the plan needs to be a version of the mission. I have worked closely with site based teams when reviewing the budget. The process is thorough and the goals that the board sets are the guide when discussing. Reviewing other documents such as a campus improvement plan, AEIS reports, etc assist in determining the goals and what is best for students. The campus improvement plan would have the goals and the resources needed for that goal.

At the moment in our current district we are with a interim superintendent. The previous superintendent served for 11 years. A collaborative goal driven budget determined by a thorough and collaborative needs assessment has been in place throughout his tenure. A needs assessment must always have the students in mind and is open to areas of school improvement whether they be academic, curricular, personnel, technology, etc. Site based team meetings are held and by using federal requirements along with data and local needs, the goals are set. Once the goals are set, we must incorporate a timeline, evaluation, and resources which directly impacts the budget. Once this is set the Superintendent reviews, aligns it with boards vision, prioritizes it and allocates the funds. Presenting the budget to the board was one of the last things that he did before moving on.

By continuing to use this process my district will continue to have high spirits and morale regardless of the financial situation. Many decisions that have been made collaboratively, for example in the area of cuts, have had tremendous buy in. My district has not laid off one teacher since the school budget crisis hit. What the process is is that once a teacher moves or retires, they simply might not be replaced.

In conclusion a goal driven budget is one that through collaboration, data collection, needs assessments, and boards vision creates adequate funding for student success via the many school avenues.

Improvement Plan Comparison

This year I started in a new district which has given me a significantly higher number of resources for learning. My previous district was a small pk-8th grade one with only one campus. My new district is a 4A with two High schools, two middle schools, and 6 elementary schools. Comparing my new district’s DIP to Austin ISD’s we see many similarities as well as many differences. Goals, demographics, and vital items are seen, emphasis to specific goals are presented differently and the format is much clearer in my current district.

Initiatives are stated clearly, followed by time line, person monitoring, funding, and evaluation/accomplishment. For Austin ISD, initiatives are stated as desired result, funding is stated as resources, and evaluation is measurable evidence. Something Austin ISD has that our district doesn’t is follow up activities once the goal is met or if the benchmark of the goal is not met. Desired goals and results for both districts are very similar. Graduation rates, attendance, credit recovery and others are shared goals with funding coming from various sources. TITLE 1 AARA funds many goals in Austin ISD. Compensatory funds, local, and Title IV funds are seen in both districts.

Both improvement plans do a good job at explaining how goals will be addressed and budgeted. Even looking at Damon ISD’s plan, it seems like goal driven budgeting is standard practice amongst all schools. The three districts are very different in demographics and size, yet all have similar goals. The plans are presented a bit differently but all address method of funding in their goals.

Equality, Equity and Adequacy

Equality- Students all have the same access to the same type of basic educational program.
ex1- Equality amongst instruction for basic education which gives students equal access to core programs
ex2- Reading, Math and other basic courses


Equity - A fair system that responds to the needs of all individuals.
ex1- Special Education Funds
ex2- Compensatory funds for low SES


Adequacy - Financial support for the school district that is sufficient to meet state accreditation standards.
ex1- Instructional materials
ex2- Salaries

State Finance Formula

1. As schools are continuously changing I agree that schools should be funded differently because each is unique. Also, as enrollments increase, the growth will bring up new challenges to school leaders.

2. Many times the schools with less funding are the ones that need the most due to a higher amount of special populations. Cost of Education Index is also an issue impacting the state formula.

3. Property taxes sets many school's up for inequities. Robin Hood is an issue that affects the state formula since schools with a large tax base send district money back to the state

History of Texas School Finance - Top 3 Events

1.The establishment of a land system by Mirabeau Lamar as it was here that the foundation was set and provided the initial funding for education.

2. Edgewood v Kirby was indeed a big victory toward equality as many schools did not have equitable resources and facilities.

3.Gilmer-Aiken Laws impacted how the state funded school and how schools operated. Many education issues were impacted by these laws i.e State Board of Education, selection of the Commissioner, local taxes