My Reflection about
School Finance
As I contemplate what I will focus on
in this paper, there is so much I could say about school finance. I entered
this course unaware of the magnitude and the scope of what all is involved in
school finance. It has been overwhelming, but there were several things that I
have learned.
Actually looking at the school budget,
especially the M & O budget was especially interesting. I was able to learn
what programs were funded under this budget. Budgets are goal driven. The
school board develops the goals and then district and campus plans are
developed around those goals. Once those goals are defined, the school budget
is developed from those goals. Everything must have the students in mind in the
end. This year, in my district, the focus is to prepare seniors for that next
level, whether it is college, career, or the military. They must stay in school
in order to prepare them for that long range goal so additional counselors have
been hired at the high schools in order to focus on getting students to remain
in school and preparing them for what life has to offer in the future. In order
to hire additional personnel, first the goal had to be established by the
school board regarding the dropout rate for secondary students. Then the
Superintendent must look at the budget in order to make sure there is enough
funding to support hiring additional positions in the district. I think that
learning about developing the goals and then the budget around your goals was
the main idea that I know as a superintendent I will want to do first and
foremost. The weekly lectures, readings, and resources were very informative.
There are so many resources out there to assist any Superintendent needing
assistance with the district budget that I was not aware of. As a
Superintendent, I will need to have a well skilled numbers person employed as
CFO of the district. Our CFO resigned his position in August and one has not
been named as of yet but, interviewing the Superintendent and the Business
Manager of the district helped me to understand school finance was interesting.
They helped me to learn as much as I can in a short period of time on school
finance. This topic is one that I know I will need to continue to study and
have hands on experience in because it is so detailed oriented and so involved,
one can’t possibly learn all there is to learn within 5 weeks.
Communicating with
fellow colleagues and professors through Blogs and WIKI’s has been interesting
to say the least. I know that we are in a technology age and as time
progresses, so will the technology. There was overwhelming opportunity to
practice this skill so I believe I have the hang of it. I think finding the
time to reflect on lessons learned through Blogs should be an important part of
the Superintendency. Most times we go about our daily lives working in our
respective positions and rarely hear from our top leader. By creating and
communicating through a blog helps the Superintendent promote the following
Superintendency Competency: interact with district staff, students, school
board, and community, in a professional and ethical manner. As far as the
Superintendency Competency, I don’t know everything and have grown in some
areas through this course. I have more to learn and many areas to grow in.
Continuing to grow and learn is what makes us great leaders.
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