Throughout the month of April many people are thinking about warm weather and making summer plans, but it is also the time for board members to begin evaluating and building the district's annual budget. I often tell school board members through the strategic planning process, "You can do anything you want as a school district, just not everything."
The priorities identified in the district's strategic plan should guide the resource allocation and annual budget. Analyzing district data and past performance can aid in building a comprehensive and deliberate budget geared toward student success. When discussing how resources have been allocated for the district, it is important to include your community stakeholders and remain transparent about the steps you are taking towards your district’s goals.
Let’s explore the basics of budgeting for your district focused on student success. KASB's experienced staff are always available to help your board leadership team through school finance, budgeting, and goal setting.
Reflecting on Resource Allocation
The first step in any budget process is to review how the performance compares to the allocation of resources in the past. Carrying out this analysis will give you better oversight of your new budget. The board must agree on and remain deliberate in pursuing the district's vision and continuously work towards understanding each success and each failure to identify the path forward. The annual budgeting process for a school board reflects the short-term priorities to accomplish long-term goals. Over a budget year, school boards should be taking stock of progress to improve the budget for the following year.
When school boards reflect on the system's priorities, they must also consider the implications when putting resources into different priorities. Pouring resources into a particular bucket requires taking those resources from another bucket. The board must be aware of the balancing act of allocating resources to each bucket, including staffing, transportation, facilities, food services, etc.
Utilizing District Demographics and Trends
What are the predictions for your student demographics? Are the numbers trending up or down? Will there be more students with specialized needs in the coming years? A School Board should consider these types of questions when creating an annual budget. The answers to these questions should influence the district's long-term goals. For example, if your district expects an influx of students with ELL needs in the coming years, it is important to factor in additional staffing to meet those students' needs. If your students have shown extra interest in welding, but the carpentry class only has a few students enrolled, consider moving resources to provide welding programs that will help your students gain skills that will translate into careers and set them up for success.
School districts are required to conduct a school-level needs assessment, which can be another vital component to understanding your student demographic. Conducting a needs assessment can help districts identify which student needs are not being met and place those needs in priority order. Once the needs are identified, districts can implement strategies and target resources to address those needs.
One of the most significant areas to invest money into is teacher retention and recruitment. Paying a competitive wage is essential but is not the only factor in boosting staff morale and happiness. There are many ways to provide non-monetary support to your staff so they can provide the best education for your students. Many teachers desire more collaborative time to discuss curriculum, students, and classroom dynamics. This time also helps them reflect and review the progress of all their students and then intervene if they need extra help or support. Another factor to invest in is additional professional learning opportunities for staff. Investing in your educators builds the foundation for your students to succeed.
Building Community Understanding and Support
Your stakeholders are uniquely invested in the success of your district. Families in your community trust you to guarantee their children receive a quality education. Other community members trust you to teach the upcoming generation the skills they need to become productive members of the workforce. Building that trust requires transparency from the district. You must take deliberate steps to build community understanding of the vision you are working towards. School boards might consider releasing an annual report on spending in the district that outlines the allocation of resources and how it aligns with the strategic plan.
The average patron will look at expenditures through the lens of their own budget. Being open about the entire budget and how each piece helps move the district towards its goals helps put expenditures into perspective for the community. If the community understands your vision, they are more likely to support it.
Your community elected you to set budget priorities based on your students' needs. Your district budget can thrive with careful and consistent planning focused on student success.
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