Week 2 Assignment, Part 5

Reflection: After taking all I can from the weekly lecture, recommended readings and interview with the Deputy Superintendent it is perfectly clear that the budget is the bloodline for all operations in the district. This is a perfect time, in my opinion, to be in this school finance course. I am witnessing our process and recognizing the good, the bad, and the ugly. I have been in administration at the district office for three budgetary years and only now am I beginning to see beyond my little piece of the large puzzle. I am amazed at how much of an impact the needs assessment and District Improvement Plans can have on the organization. The budget lays out the educational plan for a district/school (Harris, 2009). It cannot, however, be a quality plan unless time was taken to thoroughly collect and assemble a needs assessment which in turn leads to a District Improvement Plan. The budget is itself is easy, the devil is in the process and details (needs assessment and DIP).

________________________________________________________

Input is critical in the development of the budget process. My Deputy Superintendent and I discussed how input from various stakeholders should be solicited and used in the creation of the budget. He echoed the same concerns that Dr. Arterbury did in this week’s video lecture. Communication in and out of the Superintendent’s office concerning the development of the budget is essential. The planned process is important but not to be overlooked are the individual components, those smaller details, such as the district needs assessment and the District Improvement Plan. Ronald D. Valenti, an experienced Superintendent, said that one thing remains constant regardless of size of the budget, “God is in the details” (Harris, 2009, p. 140). Knowing the details of the process as well as knowing the detailed revenue and expenditure reports is equally important. Once a plan is determined it must be communicated with all stakeholders during the entire process. The Deputy Superintendent emphasized the importance of communicating, clearly, and being transparent during the entire process. Mr. Valenti, my Deputy Superintendent and Dr. Arterbury all mentioned involving community in the budgetary building process. The Deputy Superintendent referenced our recent and ongoing progress in our budget building process. In large part due to the budget reductions that most districts will be facing our district dedicated a page on the district website to the budget and looming decisions that had to be made. Minutes of each budget meeting, “Budget Brief”, were posted on the website. There was also a forum on the page for community members and staff to make recommendations or comments in reference to the budget. As a matter of fact the early retirement incentive that the district actually implemented was an idea taken from the community forum. According to my Deputy Superintendent, having an outlet that taken seriously goes a longs ways toward building community support and soliciting their buy-in. He did mention that the input did need to be collated. He explained that someone in the community is going to want to cut pay and or administrative positions, someone is going to want to cut athletics, not everyone is going to look beyond their own personal bias and make a recommendation that is in the best interest of all students. Nonetheless, communication with any and all stakeholders for the duration of the process is paramount in the budget process. He also said to invite the media to these meetings. He said they are going to report school district budget issues without fail so it is in the best interest of the district to make sure that they are invited to every meeting. It is better to lead the direction of the media than to let them find their own and then publish a misconception or half-truth.