Required Submissions

All required portfolio submissions have been posted to my wiki at http://kbrown-education.wikispaces.com/Professional+Portfolio.

SISE Conference

My conference with my superintendent was a very rewarding and helpful experience. We discussed my internship experiences and what I had learned in each competency. My superintendent, Dr. Hargrove, shared experiences she had and lessons she learned in her early years in the superintendency. She gave me tips and ideas for ways to supervise teachers and give honest feedback, and we talked about the importance of using feedback for professional growth. We also talked about dealing with conflict and consensus building, and she helped give me direction on my three-year professional development plan. Dr. Hargrove has been a wonderful mentor, and I have learned a great deal just by observing the way she interacts with students, staff, board members, and the community. I look forward to continuing to learn leadership skills from her.

Three-Year Plan

Completing a three-year professional development plan was at first a daunting task. My biggest concern was feeling like I wanted to do everything and do it now. Throughout this program, I have learned much, and I have also learned how much I do not know. It was difficult not only to narrow down what I wanted to do, but also to spread it out over three years instead of trying to accomplish everything this year. My superintendent was very helpful in giving me ideas for my plan, and I incorporated these ideas with other areas that would not only help me grow in superintendent competencies, but would also help me with my current job.

Reflection

Reflection is a valuable leadership skill that took me some time to learn. I tend to work very hard at one task and then quickly move on to the next pressing task. Reflection takes time. It requires stopping, and I feel the pull of the next activity weighing on me and distracting me. The time and thought necessary for true reflection requires a commitment to improvement. I have come to realize that this commitment is worth the time it takes. Slowing down and reflecting on the task I have just completed helps me to improve as a leader. Through reflection, I learn what works well and what needs to be changed. I see mistakes that I have made and learn ways to avoid making those same mistakes again. Often, taking the time to reflect before rushing to the next task helps me to avoid potential pitfalls in the next task.

Throughout the course, I often felt rushed to complete assignments, and taking time for reflection often seemed frustrating. It was through these reflections, however, that I learned how much I did not know. I often went back and adjusted my assignments after my reflections because I realized that I had left out an important element or that I needed to go back and revisit a concept that I did not fully understand. 

   

Posting my reflections to the blog made for more honest reflections. Knowing that others in my cohort would see my reflection made me work harder at making sure I really slowed down and took the time necessary to truly reflect and not just recap what I had done. Reflecting in public includes an element of accountability that is not present in a private reflection. I also learned a great deal from reading the reflections of others. Often, I would learn something through a cohort member's reflection that I did not see in a reading or activity when I completed it on my own. This community aspect of blogging is an added benefit that a regular journal would not provide.

Reflecting on campus-supervised activities through logs helped me to really learn from the activities rather than simply completing them. Especially in activities in which I reviewed policy, reflecting on what the policy would look like when implemented gave me a much greater insight than simply reading the policy. For example, when I reviewed policy on transportation, I learned that the district is only required to provide transportation to students who live further than two miles from the school. At first glance, this did not seem unreasonable, but as I really thought about it, I began to think of what my son looks like as I drop him off at middle school every morning. Carrying a backpack full of books, his athletic bag, and his trombone, he barely makes it from the parking lot to the building. Imagining him carrying all of this and walking two miles in the heat of August or in the rain put a new perspective on that policy, and I understood how a superintendent must look at how implementation of the policy would affect the district's students.  

The ability to reflect and learn from reflection is a valuable skill I will take from this superintendent preparation program. I understand the value of reflection and how it can be used to guide future decisions and professional growth. I will make reflection a regular part of my work in the future through continuing to blog. I know that in order to maintain this commitment, I will have to schedule time for reflection, or I will push it aside as the school year gets busy. I will also work to help the teachers on my campus to practice reflection through regular meetings in which I ask them to reflect on what we are doing that is working, what is not working, and what needs to be changed as we implement PLCs in the coming year.

Week 3 Reflection

I was involved in an initiative to look at ways to include new learning communities and leadership teams on my campus.

My campus is fortunate to have many forward thinking, innovative teachers. These teachers are natural leaders, even though they have not been given a specific position of leadership. As I talked with my principal and other administrators, we decided to look at ways to arrange our teachers into learning communities to give them an opportunity to work with people outside of their departments. I have wanted to create cross-curricular leadership teams for some time, so this year, we will arrange our teachers into grade level teams. Teachers who teach multiple grade levels will be spread evenly across teams, with representatives from each subject area. The teachers on these teams will nominate leaders who will represent them on a campus curriculum leadership team. We will build into the team a system of rotating leaders on a two-year cycle so that all of those with a talent for leadership have a chance to lead. The campus leadership team will be made up of two teachers from each grade level team, the principal, the librarian, a paraprofessional representative, and the assistant principal for curriculum. We will dedicate Tuesday mornings each week for either a campus leadership team meeting or grade level team meetings.

The purpose of this reorganization is to give teachers an opportunity to hear ideas from their colleagues who teach in other disciplines, and to give multiple teachers an opportunity to lead. The goal of the new learning communities is to bring unity to the campus and develop a culture of professional growth that will lead to new and innovative instructional techniques. As we move into a new testing system with STAAR and try to do more with less in the current budget climate, it is our desire to bring in new ways of thinking about education.

Each month, as we meet with the leadership team, we will evaluate its effectiveness. Administrators will continue to meet with subject area teams, but we will also meet with the grade level teams to make sure that they are being effective and accomplishing the tasks that we desire, and we will allow for teacher evaluation of the system at semester and year end.

Making changes such as this is not always an easy task, and there is always a small part of me that wonders if it will really work. On the other hand, I find myself becoming really excited about the prospect of generating new visions for teaching and learning on my campus. I enjoyed being a part of this campus improvement initiative, and I look forward to being a part of these new learning communities and the improvements they will bring to our campus.

Job Entry Plan

If I were to begin a new job as a superintendent, I would spend my first day setting up my office and getting to know other central office staff. The goal of this time would be to be prepared to better serve my district. The objectives would be to be ready to go to work and to understand district strengths and weaknesses. I would organize and set up my office so that I could begin working quickly and efficiently. I would spend time getting to know my secretary and find out what the previous superintendent’s usual schedule and routine had been. This would give me insight into practices that I might want to continue to ensure a smooth transition. For example, if the previous superintendent always attended the Kiwanis lunch, I would want to continue that same practice to show that I am interested in my community. I would spend the rest of the day getting to know central office administrators and staff, getting a glimpse of district strengths, weaknesses, struggles, and celebrations so that I will better be able to plan to serve the district. Resources would include basic office supplies, personal office décor, and human resources.

The first week, my goals would include meeting the board and district staff. The objectives for these meetings would be building relationships, opening lines of communication, and continuing to understand district strengths and weaknesses in order to better understand how I can best serve the district. I would arrange times to meet with each board member, finding out about them, their families, and their history with the district. I would meet with each campus staff as a group in order to let them find out more about me and allow me to get a feel for how they interact as a group. I would want them to know that I am available and willing to help them in whatever way I can. I would also share with them my desire to accomplish the district’s vision. Resources for this week include contact information for each board member and campus principal, copies of campus meeting schedules, and human resources.

The first month, I would continue building relationships with board members and campus staff as I had during the first week. I would also spend time meeting with other district departments, such as food service, maintenance, technology, and transportation with the same goals and objectives I had for the first week. My goal for the first month will be to gain additional knowledge about my district’s strengths and weaknesses and get to know my community. I will spend time driving around my district, learning its boundaries and seeing where students live, what their bus routes are like, and what businesses and resources exist for students. I will attend community service organization meetings, such as Kiwanis and Lions Club, and express my desire to work with these groups for the good of our school and community. I will meet with parents at campus PTO meetings, and I will introduce myself to community business leaders. My objective for these activities will be two-fold. I will learn more about the community and students served by my school so that I can better lead it, and I will have made connections with community stakeholders whose support I will need to maintain a successful district. Resources for this month include names and contact information for staff members, parent organization leaders, and community leaders.

Throughout my first year, I will continue the activities of the first month, with my goal being to be visible in the community and on campuses and building important relationships. My objective will be both to learn all I can about my community and district and to build the trust I will need to lead effectively and make any changes that may be necessary. Building relationships with students, staff, community, and business leaders will be a vital part of my leadership. I believe that effective school leadership should be a partnership with all stakeholders, and these relationships will be vital to developing these partnerships. In addition to building these relationships and, of course, the daily duties associated with being a superintendent, I will continue to avail myself of professional development and readings related to new legislation and trends affecting schools. I want to be informed and connected to the greater learning community. Resources for this year will include names and contact information for community stakeholders, professional affiliations and newsletters, and legislative updates.

Internship B, Week 2 Reflection

I have  learned a great deal throughout my internship. I have had a vast array of experiences, and sometimes, I have had difficulty determining exactly where they fit with the competencies. This, to me, was proof that the competencies overlap, and many parts of a superintendent's (or any administrator's) job are intertwined. In Domain I, I spent time observing my superintendent at school board meetings, attending workshops on facilitating meetings, and planning and hosting parent nights. I observed parents working on the site based council, and worked on my own skills at facilitating meetings. I also interviewed our community relations coordinator, and her advise became invaluable as I had my first media interview on camera. My activities in this domain led me to have a greater understanding and feel more comfortable with school/community relations.

 Domain II deals with instructional leadership, and as a campus curriculum director, this is where I feel most comfortable. I enjoyed my activities in this domain, and I had some great experiences. I spent quite a bit of time this year with our district secondary curriculum director as we attended the Texas Assessment Conference and made plans for the development and implementation of new scope and sequence documents for the district's secondary schools. Together, we conducted planning meetings for each core team of secondary teachers as they examined their standards and made plans for instruction. In this domain, I had the opportunity to work with a great group of students as I supervised their co-curricular activity, and I developed a TAKS focus that helped us find innovative ways to prepare students for testing. The most exciting part of this domain was the opportunity I had to present at the TASA Mid-Winter Conference. I was able to be a part of several sessions in which I worked with representatives from TASA and three other administrators to present our Field Guide for Implementation of the New Vision for Public Education in Texas. I included my work on this field guide in another domain, but presenting at this major conference taught me much about professional development. I followed the lead of the TASA representatives and the more experienced administrators on my team, and I was grateful for the opportunity to learn from them.

 Domain III, Administrative Leadership, held a wide variety of opportunities. I learned about student accounting and how it affects finance through participating in a district PEIMS audit, and I spent a great deal of time reviewing policies and procedures. In Competency 9, I found areas where I have very little knowledge. I plan to spend more time learning about maintenance, food service, and transportation. These are major areas of responsibility for a superintendent, but they are areas in which I have very little experience. Although I spent time interviewing and observing people in these departments and reviewing policy, I still have more to learn. For Competency 10, I included my work on TASA's New Vision Field Guide. Since the guide deals with organizational changes, I felt that this would be a good area to include it, although it covers many areas. I worked with school administrators from across the state over several months to develop this electronic field guide that would help schools evaluate their current level of implementation and learn how they can further implement the New Vision in their schools. Spending time with these administrators, many of whom were superintendents or assistant superintendents, gave me valuable insight into school districts across Texas and many different leadership styles. This opportunity was one of the most beneficial activities of my internship. I feel that I have grown a great deal personally and professionally throughout this internship. Although I still have a great deal to learn, I now have a better focus for my learning and resources for obtaining the knowledge I need.

Internship B, Week 1 Reflection

My strongest competencies are Competency 1, acting with integrity, fairness, and ethics, and Competency 5, enhancing teaching and learning and working with curriculum and accountability systems. These were my greatest strengths at the beginning of the program, mostly because they are a daily part of my current job. Since I practice these competencies on a regular basis, it makes sense that these would be my strengths.

The areas where I achieved the most growth were those that dealt with staff development and finance. Activities that were a part of this program and my internship plan led me to be more confident and competent in these areas. I have really become much more involved in staff development plans and activities, and I am enjoying this new challenge. I also really appreciated the opportunities I had to visit with our Assistant Superintendent/ Business Manager during the course of this program. He spent a great deal of time explaining financial forecasting and planning, as well as purchasing and audit procedures and tax rates. My knowledge of district finances has grown throughout the program.

The competencies in which I still have the greatest need for growth are those dealing with political influences and district facilities. Although I feel that I achieved a significant amount of growth in these areas and learned a great deal, I still need to learn more and practice applying this knowledge for my confidence to grow.

Overall, I was quite surprised to see the amount of growth I experienced through this program. It was a great exercise to go back and see where I was only eight months ago and to realize how much I have learned in that time.

Week 5, Part 3

This course has broadened my understanding of school finance, but it has also shown me how much I do not know. School finance encompasses such a wide arena of knowledge that it will take continued practice for me to truly feel like I understand.

Reflecting on the eight superintendent competencies was a valuable exercise that forced me to evaluate my learning and abilities throughout the course. I gained insight into my own knowledge, and I really had to reflect on my learning. There are still concepts for which I will need further study, but overall, I have grown in my understanding of and confidence with school finance. I will continue to study these concepts and work with my campus and district leadership to expand my learning.

The lecture, interviews and readings were extremely helpful for me. In this course, I read many documents and samples of district documents that I never knew existed. This prompted me to search out the documents for my own district. These are very informative snapshots of information that give a great picture of district demographics, budgets and spending. I also had never spent a great deal of time examining my district budget, rather, I had only focused on the budget pertinent to my department. Reading the district budget was very informative, and it showed me how frugal our district has been, and this has been an asset to us in the current financial crisis. The lectures were also great sources of information, especially as they related to explaining economies of scale and differentiated staffing. I will use these concepts, especially that of differentiated staffing as we begin to look at our campus staffing for next year. I will work with other campus administrators to determine if we can more effectively utilize our personnel.

I also learned a great deal from my interview with our Assistant Superintendent/ Business Manager. He very patiently spent over two hours with me, going over revenue forecasting and the steps to developing, approving, and implementing the district budget. Being required to carefully examine documents and apply what I learned also helped to cement my understanding of the concepts. I will continue to examine these documents to learn and understand more about budgeting.

I enjoyed working on the lessons with other colleagues. Although I was confused at first about how we were supposed to collaborate on the lessons, I began to enjoy getting to work with other colleagues and gain insights into what was happening in other districts besides my own. For this reason, I also enjoyed the discussion boards. I am always interested to read the insights of other students, and to learn the ways other districts develop and implement budgets and manage staffing. I can also use the concepts of virtual learning communities on wikispaces to have dialogues and collaborate with other administrators.

Overall, I learned a great deal in this course. In light of the current state budget crisis, the lessons and readings were appropriate and timely. Much of what I learned in this course will help me understand current legislative proceedings and their impact on local districts.

Week 5, Part 2

This course has broadened my understanding of school finance, but it has also shown me how much I do not know. School finance encompasses such a wide arena of knowledge, that it will take continued practice for me to truly feel like I understand all of it.

The competencies that I feel are strengths for me are the competencies with which I already have some experience. These include effective budget management, ethical accounting principles, and use of technology to enhance operations. I currently manage a sizable budget as part of my responsibility includes serving as the Director of Career and Technical Education. I am comfortable with managing this budget and applying ethical procedures for accounting and purchasing equipment with federal and state funds. This level of comfort took some time, however, as I asked lots of questions, attended professional development activities, and learned by continually working to become more familiar with these items.

I do feel that I have gained some competencies through this course. I understand much more about lining up the budget with district visions and applying legal policies. After looking at district improvement plans and budgets, I began to see how the two line up. I am much more aware of how my district budget lines up with board goals. I have also learned a great deal about legal policies and feel much more comfortable applying these. I also know how to find these policies if I ever have a question. I have also gained more knowledge and confidence in the area of personnel management through this course, readings, and experiences.

While I feel that I have gained understanding in many areas, I still need to work on developing a district budget, account auditing procedures, and revenue forecasting. I spent a great deal of time talking with our Assistant Superintendent/ Business Manager about these areas. Although I understand a great deal more about these topics, I will need to read, ask questions, and practice a great deal more before I am completely comfortable working on my own.

Week 5, Part 1

Standard 1.2: A superintendent had maintenance employees working at his house on school time. The employees used school equipment and school funds to pay for the work being done on the superintendent’s house.

Short-range consequences include loss of time that maintenance employees should have been working at school and loss of funds that should have been spent on the school. Long-range consequences include issues with the district audit and a general distrust of the superintendent.

Preventative measures include requiring accurate records for time spent on the clock. Also, accounting procedures for use of district equipment and funds should be in place with checks and balances to ensure that no one person is able to make the decision to use these resources for personal use. In compliance with SBEC competency 1, the superintendent “model and promote the highest standard of conduct, ethical principles, and integrity in decision making, actions, and behaviors.”

Standard 1.6: A principal falsified attendance records and tried to coerce the attendance clerk to falsify records also. When the clerk brought the principal’s actions to the superintendent, the principal was fired.

Short-range consequences include the attendance clerk losing trust in the principal, and the principal losing his job. Long-range consequences include the school possibly having to pay back funds if too much ADA revenue was paid to the district as a result of the principal’s deception.

Preventative measures include internal auditing of attendance recording and a superintendent that will “apply laws, policies, and procedures in a fair and reasonable manner” in compliance with SBEC competency 1.

Standard 1:9: An administrator threatened violence on an employee who stated his plans to take his request to the administrator’s supervisor after the administrator originally refused. The threat resulted in an argument that turned into a physical fight. Several teachers witnessed the fight.

Short-range consequences include a distrust of the administrator and loss of professional respect. The long-range consequences include the loss of the principal’s job.

Standard 2.2: An administrator who does not like the decisions of the district regarding his campus begins to spread rumors in the community about why those decisions were made.

Short-term consequences include the administrator losing credibility, stakeholders losing confidence in district administrators, and a general feeling of distrust among campus personnel. Long-range consequences could include the administrator losing his job and the community questioning future decisions.

Standard 2.3: A principal fired an employee who made allegations against the principal. The employee was not given proper documentation to warrant dismissal, and prior performance appraisals were satisfactory.

Short-range consequences include the employee’s job loss. Long-term consequences include a lawsuit filed against the district for unlawful termination.

Preventative measures include requiring proper documentation before allowing a principal to move to non-renew or terminate an employee. The superintendent should make sure all administrators are aware and understand the The Code of Ethics and Standard Practices for Texas Educators. Policies and procedures should be in place to ensure compliance with these practices.

Reflection: Reading or hearing about unethical practices of administrators can be disheartening. I want to believe that everyone involved in education truly wants to uphold high moral and ethical standards in order to best educate children and serve our stakeholders. Sadly, this is not always the case. These examples demonstrate the importance of superintendents and other administrator adhering to the code of ethics and keeping others accountable to do the same.

Week 4 Part 5

I interviewed our Assistant Superintendent/ Business Manager, Greg Perry, and asked him about the audit process. Mr. Perry told me that auditors are selected by a process of securing bids. First, the district asks for RFQs (Requests for Qualifications). Once the search is completed for qualified auditors, the district then seeks RFPs (Requests for Proposals). After all of the proposals are considered, a recommendation is made to the board to hire a particular firm for a period of three years. Usually, the lowest bid is accepted. To conduct the audit, a team of auditors selects a pre-determined random sample of district accounts to evaluate. The auditors look at every part of the financial record they are auditing. For example, if the auditor were evaluating a payroll record, he would look at certifications, time sheets, etc. For a transaction, he would look at invoices, payments, etc. The auditors also evaluate activity and federal funds. The auditors come to the business office twice a year, usually during the summer and in September and stay for about a week each time. The audit team then prepares a report addressing every part of the district’s audit. The hard copy of the report is prepared with three or four letters dealing with different aspects of the audit. A good report is referred to as “unqualified”. Our district’s audits have traditionally been unqualified and the findings stated that the district complied with all requirements. The auditors present the results contained in the report to the Board and send both a hard copy and electronic copy to TEA and various other agencies. Also, a portion of the report must be posted in the newspaper for reporting to the public. Reflection: I enjoyed talking with Mr. Perry about the audit process. Our financial team is committed to following procedures, and practices internal audits throughout the year, so it is expected that all of the findings will be good. Mr. Perry emphasized the importance of finding a good auditing firm that you can work with since they are essentially “moving in” twice a year, sharing office space and going through paperwork. Knowing what to expect in an audit and how to select a qualified auditor is a valuable skill for any aspiring superintendent.

Week 4 Part 4

Personnel costs make up the majority of budgets in Texas public schools. Since districts employ so many people, it is logical that payroll would account for most of the budget. In the Little Cypress-Mauriceville CISD, payroll amounts to $24,798, 569 and accounts for 77% of the total budget. Although this is not quite as high as it is in many districts, it is still a significant portion of the budget. For this reason, when a district that has already cut expenses in every area looks to further reduce the budget in these tough economic times, personnel is the place that is cut. As with many districts, our district is not currently laying off employees, but staff has been reduced by attrition, and every open spot is scrutinized before it is filled. A five percent salary increase would have both positive and negative effects. The positive effects would be higher morale, retention of highly qualified staff, and competitive salaries to attract more highly qualified staff. The negative impact would be that the budget would be adversely affected in already tough economic times. Raising salaries 5% would increase the budget in that area by $1,239, 928. Because of the current budget deficit, that would mean that other areas would have to be cut. Since cuts have already been made in every area, it would be difficult to squeeze another $1.2 million out of them. Although a salary increase would be popular with staff, it is not in the best interest of the district.

Week 4 Part 3

Group 5 Paper The term differentiated staffing refers to the specialized use of campus personnel. This type of approach to staffing may produce greater efficiency on a campus by assigning different instructional and campus responsibilities to teachers and staff. The educational responsibilities would change for teachers and staff by having each group take over specific responsibilities. Many of the procedural tasks teachers do such as checking roll, issuing books, developing seating charts, making copies, and duty stations could be removed from the teachers and assigned to aides. This, in theory, should provide increased instructional time for teachers and students over the entire school year, and teachers would have more time to prepare lessons, participate in professional development activities, and study to improve their knowledge of their subject and best practices. This would result in a more qualified instructional staff, and, in turn, should result in more quality instruction. More specifically, differentiated staffing could reduce operational costs by hiring aides on a part time basis to reduce the number of full-time teachers, thus saving on salary and health care costs and increase in the flexibility of the times the aides would be on campus. For campus principals, the loss of personnel on the campus always creates additional stresses on the operation of the school. Increased staff flexibility would help to ease some of the constraints placed on the overall operation of the campus. With the imposing budget crisis the state and all school districts are facing and having salaries making the majority of a school district's budget, the loss of staff is becoming inevitable. With differentiated staffing, shifting procedural tasks to aides would help alleviate some of the stress felt by teachers who are having to teach additional preps and more students to make up for the reduced teaching staff.  Port Neches-Groves ISD is trying to be proactive in dealing with the potential financial problems they may be facing in the future. They are examining the district's overall personnel and will utilize the people they have currently to fill voids as people retire, move, and leave the school district. The need to have and use differentiated staffing is something they are examining to help streamline operational costs. The downside of differentiated staffing is that it could be met with opposition by teaching staff. Many teachers are against organizational changes that they fear might further reduce the number of teaching positions. Also, many teachers are very particular about the way procedural tasks are done in their classrooms and may hesitate to turn those tasks over to someone else. In these tough economic times, teacher morale is often waning in the face of increased workloads, lower salaries, and fear of layoffs. Supporting teachers and increasing morale is an integral part in providing a quality educational program. Differentiated staffing, if approached wisely, could benefit districts by improving efficiency and reducing operating costs. An effective superintendent would work with hesitant staff to produce a solution that would benefit students, teachers, staff and the district. When handled appropriately, differentiated staffing could lead to a higher morale as workloads are decreased and teacher quality increases. Reflection: Differentiated staffing is a term I had not heard before, although I have seen examples of this. I think differentiated staffing could be an asset to districts as long as leaders are aware of potential barriers and plan for them accordingly.

Week 4 Part 2

Group 5 Paper:

The concept that indicates that increasing size of an organization can result in a lower per unit production cost is known as economy of scale. Smaller districts have a disadvantage of economy of scale compared to a larger district. The overall infrastructure cost per student in a larger district is less than that of a smaller district. The average cost per expenditure per student is less in the larger district because it is spread over larger number of students per campus. The result of economy of scale is that the larger district has more instructional revenue per student. This allows a district to provide more funds for teacher salaries and to use more funds to enrich existing instructional programs. From the analysis of the data from a small and a large district we found the following:

District 1
Number of Schools = 3
Number of Students = 830
Total Revenue per Pupil = $10,529
Total Operating Expenditure per Pupil = $8,611
Average Teacher Salary = $39,771


District 2
Number of Schools = 45
Number of Students = 32,326
Total Revenue per Pupil = $10,316
Total Operating Expenditure per Pupil = $8,908
Average Teacher Salary = $50,307


From the initial examination of the data it looks like the two districts are comparable with total revenue and expenditure per pupil. For District 2 they generate over $329 million in revenue versus only $8.8 million in revenue for District 1. The extra revenue in District 2 allows for greater teacher salaries and a more enriched instructional program as evident by a higher percentage of teachers with advanced degrees and higher average SAT and ACT scores. The larger district has a larger fund balance which may also impact the overall instructional program of their district.

District 1 will have the same basic cost and personnel as District 2. For instance, District 1 may have a curriculum director for the three schools. A curriculum director may be able to handle more than three schools in a larger district, thus saving money per pupil to be put somewhere else. The same thing can be said for maintenance and other areas. One superintendent for the District 2 handling 45 schools with his cost split among the 45 campuses versus 3 campuses handling the cost of one superintendent. The principle also encompasses other areas, such as heating or cooling gyms, cafeterias, and office spaces. Regardless of how many students a campus educates, these areas are common to schools of both sizes. District 1 also had a higher teacher turnover rate at 16.4% compared to 15.7% in District 2. This could be indicative of teachers staying longer in the school with the higher salary. Again, this is an indicator that larger schools, which are able to provide higher salaries, retain higher quality teachers for a greater length of time, thus providing a better instructional program for students. These embedded costs are the same regardless of the school size and economy of scale can help the larger district to allow more and better programs because many costs are spread among more campuses.

Reflection: Economies of scale were something that I studied years ago in preparing for the economics portion of my social studies certification test. I had never thought of this concept in relation to a school district, but it makes sense. This was a very interesting topic for me.

Week 4 Part 1

Group 5 Paper:

According to this weeks lecture from Dr. Jenkins and Dr. Stephens, FIRST is for the accountability of a school district's business and financial operations. It is to encourage school districts to manage their financial resources better in order to provide the maximum money possible for instructional purposes. FIRST stands for the Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas. There is an extensive amount of information about the financial accountability rating system on the TEA website and we encourage you to review the website (www.tea.state.tx.us/index4.aspx?id=3864).
The purpose of the financial accountability rating system is to ensure that school districts will be held accountable for the quality of their financial management practices and achieve improved performance in the management of their financial resources. The system is designed to encourage Texas public schools to manage their financial resources better in order to provide the maximum allocation possible for direct instructional purposes. The system will also disclose the quality of local management and decision-making processes that impact the allocation of financial resources in Texas public schools. An evaluation of the long-term effectiveness of the system should disclose a measurable improvement in the quality of Texas public schools' financial decision-making processes. In accordance with Texas Education Code (TEC), Chapter 39, Subchapter D, each school district must be assigned a financial accountability rating by the Texas Education Agency. Beginning with fiscal year 2010-2011, the financial accountability rating of a school district is based on its overall performance on certain financial measurements, ratios, and other indicators established by the commissioner of education. There are five types of ratings school districts may receive. They are Superior Achievement, Above Standard Achievement, Standard Achievement, Substandard Achievement, and Suspended-Data Quality. The commissioner of education may apply sanctions to a district that is assigned a Substandard Achievement rating and may require other corrective actions. If serious data quality issues are disclosed by the commissioner of education, a Suspended-Data Quality rating shall be assigned to the school district. The Suspended--Data Quality rating will be assigned until the school district successfully resolves the data quality issues. The commissioner of education may apply sanctions to a school district that is assigned a Suspended--Data Quality rating and may require other corrective actions. After receiving their rating the district must
report the information and financial accountability ratings to parents and taxpayers by preparing and distributing an annual financial management report and providing stakeholders an opportunity to comment on the report at a public hearing or board meeting.
Each group member interviewed their business managers of their own district and came up with a list of their three most important components of FIRST. After reviewing each of our groups individual three components we collaboratively decided on three overall most important components of FIRST. Our first component was Sound Financial Management. FIRST encourages schools to practice integrity in their finances and manage their finances effectively. The second component was Public Accountability. Stakeholders are made aware of the district's financial rating just as they are the AEIS rating. Stakeholders can hold schools accountable to manage finances effectively just as they hold schools accountable for educating students effectively. A public meeting is held to discuss the district's rating. The third component was the Analysis of the District's Audit Report. The district's finances are carefully audited, and a report must be submitted as part of the rating system. The review of all the information acquired through our interviews, listening to the lecture and reading over the information on the TEA website about FIRST helped us reach our decision on what we collectively thought are the three most important components of the Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas. We now have a greater understanding of our states rating system for school finance.

Reflection: A system of financial accountability is important in any institution. Since public schools are supported by taxpayer funds, those taxpayers should have a report of the efficiency and integrity with which those funds are handled. Just as districts are held accountable for their AEIS rating, FIRST ratings should be an accountability measure as well.

Week 3 Part 3

The Affect of WADA on School Funding for Texas Schools

In the Coalition to Invest in Texas Schools, according to the Texas Association of School Boards, the definition of Weighted Average Daily Attendance (WADA): "In Texas, students with additional education needs are weighted for funding purposes to help recognize the additional costs of educating those students. Weighted programs include special education, vocational, bilingual, gifted and talented, and compensatory education. A weighted student count is used to distribute guaranteed yield funding." After examining and analyzing the school finance data from District 1 and District 2 for two Texas school districts we found the following information:

The data indicates for District 1:
$5044.00 Revenue per WADA @ Compressed Rate
5555.815 X $5044.00 = $28,023,530.86 Total Target Revenue for M & O
281 Teachers, Librarians, Nurses, & Counselors
The data indicates for District 2:
$7206.00 Revenue per WADA @ Compressed Rate
4794.076 X $7206.00 = 34,546,111.66 Total Target Revenue for M & O
307 Teachers, Librarians, Nurses, & Counselors

In a comparison between District 1 and District 2, they are of comparable size. District 1 has a student population of 3903, primary staff of 281, WADA of 5555.815, revenue per WADA @ compressed rate of $5044, and M&O revenue of $28,023,530.86. District 2 has a student population of 3890, primary staff of 307, WADA of 4794.076, revenue per WADA @ compressed rate of $7206, and M&O revenue of $34,546,111.66. District 1 has 13 more students, 26 less staff, and about $6.5 million less in revenue for M&O than District 2. District 1 has a much higher percentage of students in special populations than District 2. For example, District 1 has 93.3% Economically Disadvantaged, 48% Limited English Proficient, 41% Bilingual/ESL, and 24% Career and Technical Education. In contrast, District 2 has only 20.7% Economically Disadvantaged, 2% LEP, 2% Bilingual/ESL, and 14% CTE. These figures account for the higher WADA of $5555.815 in District 1 compared to $4794.076 for District 2.

After comparing the data, our group's position is that WADA, although it intends to provide an equitable education for all students, falls short of that goal. This weighted funding is designed to allow District 1 to be more closely matched to District 2 in their funding and in the personnel and educational services they can provide. This is not the case, however, in these two districts. Because District 2 has such higher property values and total target revenue for maintenance and operations, District 2 is able to provide more staff and has more money to spend per student than District 1. Though WADA is supposed to take care of the inequities, it can never balance out the difference between very poor districts and rich districts. District 2 gets only 30% of their funds from the state, which indicates a very healthy tax base. District 1 must rely on the state and federal government for 94% of their funds. The higher WADA value for district 1 indicates they have more students in special populations yet still receive less funding for their district. Having greater special populations should result in more funding and be a more positive impact for funding equity, but that does not seem to be the case.


REFERENCES
Coalition to Invest in Texas Schools (2010). School funding 101 - glossary. Retrieved January 30, 2011, from http://www.investintexasschools.org/schoolfunding/glossary.php.

Week 3 Part 6

District 1:
$3,835,006 Compensatory Education Allotment

District 2:
$633,369 Compensatory Education Allotment

District 1 receives a larger Compensatory Education Allotment due to their larger number of economically disadvantaged and at-risk students. Although these funds are meant to assist districts with a means to provide the necessary educational services to compensate for any educational deficiencies these students have, the allotment is not enough to compensate for all of the $6.5 million more in revenue District 2 receives. District 1 has more at-risk students, but the inequity still exists. Totaling the numbers, District 1 is still receiving $3.3 million less in revenue than District 2.

Week 3 Part 5

District 1

$145,968,635 Local District Property Value (DPV)

$94,871 Interest & Sinking Fund Tax Collection (I & S)

$572,716 Chapter 46 Existing Debt Allocation (EDA)

District 2:

$2,916,187,709 Local District Property Value (DPV)

$8,836,256 Interest & Sinking Fund Tax Collection (I & S)

$0 Chapter 46 Existing Debt Allocation (EDA)

In examining the differences between the two districts, it is evident that District 2 is a wealthier district than District 1. District 2 has a much higher Local District Property Value and Interest and Sinking Fund Tax Collection and receives no Chapter 46 Existing Debt Allocation. Conversely, District 1 does not bring in nearly as much local revenue, and being a less wealthy district, does qualify for EDA. Based on these observations, we believe District 2 has newer, modern facilities and is better able to provide for the learning needs of its students

Week 3 Part 4

Little Cypress-Mauriceville CISD receives funding from federal, state, and local revenues. Proposed budget revenues for 2010-2011 are thirty-nine percent local ($1,668,988), fifty percent state funds ($14, 857, 511), and eleven percent federal funds ($3,424,558). Exactly half of our revenue comes from state funding, and lower district property values account for less local revenue. The 2010 Maintenance and Operations Tax Rate is 1.04 and total M & O collections are $8,514,220. The total revenue for Little Cypress-Mauriceville CISD was $29,951,057.

The greatest expenditure in our district budget is payroll. Seventy-seven percent of district expenditures are allocated to payroll expenses. The remaining expenditures are seven percent for supplies/materials, two percent for operating expenses, one percent for contracted services, eight percent for capital outlay, and five percent for debt services. The total expenditures for Little Cypress-Mauriceville CISD are $32,190,666.

With total revenue of $29,951,057 and total expenditures of $32,190,666, Little Cypress-Mauriceville CISD is left with a budget shortfall of $2,239,609. A district fund balance of will help offset this deficit, but administrators are carefully examining the budget and ways to best conserve our funds so as not to deplete our fund balance in the coming years.

Reflection: In these tough financial times, I am even more aware of the necessity of a knowledgeable business manager. Our Assistant Superintendent has led our district to be very efficient with our funds for many years, resulting in a fund balance that can help us through this season of economic downturn. This assignment has led me to look deeper into our district’s budget than I ever have. I have had knowledge of expenditures, but this is the first time I have really looked at revenue.

Week 3 Part 2

District 1: $5044.00 Revenue per WADA at Compressed Rate 5555.815 X $5044.00 = $28,023,530.86 Total Target Revenue for M & O 281 Teachers, Librarians, Nurses, & Counselors District 2: $7206.00 Revenue per WADA at Compressed Rate 4794.076 X $7206.00 = 34,546,111.66 Total Target Revenue for M & O 307 Teachers, Librarians, Nurses, & Counselors District 2 has higher Total Target Revenue for M & O and a larger staff even though District 1 is a higher needs district. However, if District 1 did not have the adjustments allowed by WADA, the discrepancy would be much greater. This is an interesting look at they way WADA attempts to provide equity in funding to higher needs districts. Studying these calculations caused me to stop and think about how target revenue is actually calculated. It was interesting to see that although District 1 received a higher WADA, their funding was not at the same level as District 2. District 1 had much higher populations of students in special programs but was able to hire fewer teachers, librarians, and nurses to educate and care for their students. I believe the thought behind WADA was well intentioned, but it falls short of its intended goal.

Week 3 Part 1

District 1:
93.3% Economically Disadvantaged
$3893.754 Total Refined ADA Adjusted for Decline
$5555.815 Weighted Average Daily Attendance
District 2:
20.7% Economically Disadvantaged
$4032.937 Total Refined ADA Adjusted for Decline
$4794.076 Weighted Average Daily Attendance

District 1 receives a higher WADA due to a larger number of students in special populations. An economically disadvantaged percentage of 93.3% for District 1 compared to 20.7% for District 2 would account for a higher WADA. In addition, District 1's 48% LEP compared to District 2's 2% and District 1's 41% bilingual and 24% CTE compared to 2% and 14% in District 2 would certainly account for the differences in WADA.

This was an eye-opening assignment for me. I had heard about WADA, and I knew that it affected funding, but I had never had any real experience looking at it in a particular district. Even though the purpose of WADA is to account for the increased cost in educating student in special populations, it does not actually make the districts equal. While District 1 received a higher WADA, they had so many more disadvantages to overcome that their funding was not equitable when compared to District 2.

School Finance Week 2 Assignment Part 5

At the suggestion of my superintendent, Dr. Pauline Hargrove, I interviewed our Assistant Superintendent and Business Manager, Mr. Greg Perry, for this portion of the assignment. I gained a great deal of insight from Mr. Perry as he walked me through the budgeting process. Mr. Perry explained the Texas Education Agency’s Summary of Finance Template and the importance of also using the school finance templates from Region XIII. Mr. Perry uses the Region XIII templates to determine the amount of money the school is eligible to receive from the state. Since the TEA Summary of Finance template is comprised of figures set for two years in each legislative session, the school may receive more money from the state than it is entitled to receive. Knowing the amount the school should receive prevents problems, since the excess amount must be returned to the state.

Mr. Perry then explained the budget calendar and the roles of several groups in developing the budget.

First, the Central Office Administrators and Staff are responsible for conducting research into staffing and facility needs. These staff members also play a part in developing budgets for their individual departments. Four departments reside in the Central Office: Business, including the Superintendent; Curriculum, Food Service, and Community Relations. Each of these departments must submit a proposed budget to the Assistant Superintendent/ Business Manager.

The campus principals are each given an allocation based on a per student amount. Each campus gets the same per student amount, and if cuts are made, those cuts are applied to the per student allocation. Each campus principal must develop a budget with input from the campus site based decision-making committee. This budget must fall within the allocated amount, be approved by the site based committee, and be submitted to the Assistant Superintendent.

Site Based Decision Making Committees have the responsibility for approving campus budgets. The campus budgets should reflect the goals set by the committee.

The District Improvement Committee receives an overview and explanation of the district budget. This committee has the option of looking at specific items in the budget and submitting additional items for possible review and inclusion in the budget. An example of one of these additional items would be a teacher benefit the committee wanted to investigate.

Teacher Organizations always have the opportunity to bring forth ideas and requests, but their main involvement in the budget has been to request information regarding salary schedules and the date of their release.

Key Stakeholders have the right to examine the budget and attend public hearings on the adoption of the budget. Required notices for budget and tax rate hearings are placed in the paper so that stakeholders have the opportunity to attend.

The Board of Trustees is given a copy of the budget to examine so that they may ask questions and be informed. The Board ultimately hears the presentation/ explanation and officially approves and adopts the budget.

The budget adoption process is a lengthy process that involves many people. It is important for people to have input and explanations throughout the process so that a fair and appropriate budget is adopted. I have learned so much more about the “big picture” of the budget process than what I previously knew from developing my department’s portion of the budget and from my service on district site based committees. I am grateful that I got the chance to interview Mr. Perry and learn so much.

School Finance Week 2 Assignment Part 4

The Superintendent is ultimately responsible for the district’s budget. My superintendent, Dr. Pauline Hargrove, takes a very “hands on” approach to budgeting. Although the district has very competent people working with the finances, Dr. Hargrove wants to know and be able to explain the budget to stakeholders.  Beginning in March, the Assistant Superintendent, who is the Business Manager, meets with the Dr. Hargrove to discuss the budgeting plan. Then, the Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent, and Curriculum Directors meet with the campus principals to discuss staffing needs, and the Superintendent participates in facility walkthroughs with the maintenance director to determine facility needs.

Once salary and pay rate options are developed, the Assistant Superintendent meets with the Superintendent to present and discuss these options. Before salary and pay rate schedules are adopted, the Superintendent and Assistant Superintendent meet with the Board to discuss the options and answer any questions. In May, the Superintendent reviews budget requests with the Assistant Superintendent.

Throughout the budget planning and adoption process, Dr. Hargrove is sure to remain informed about each step. I think it is important for the Superintendent to know her district’s budget. As the person who is chiefly responsible for the budget, she must make it her practice to ask questions, be informed, and be able to answer questions when asked by the public. I have learned many admirable qualities by observing Dr. Hargrove, and this one is no different. I understand and appreciate the importance of taking a “hands on” approach to budgeting.

School Finance Week 2 Assignment Part 3

The TEA Budgeting Guidelines document is a valuable tool that contains a wealth of information. This document outlines the different types of budgetary approaches: line item, performance, program and planning-programming, zero-base, and site-based. The document goes on to discuss the legal requirements for budgeting, annual responsibilities, revenue estimates, expenditure estimates, budget review, approval, and maintenance, and financial forecasting and planning. Budgeting for grant programs and multi-year construction projects are also included. Budgeting is such a complex endeavor, and I am glad that this type of document exists.

I learned through reading this document that there are several different approaches a school district can take for the budgeting process. A brief history and the pros and cons of each type of budget are detailed in the document. The portion on grant funds and indirect costs was helpful, as I deal with federal grant funds. Also, I learned a great deal from the sections on projecting enrollment and forecasting expenditures and revenue. The intricacies of calculating WADA and tax revenue projections can be daunting, and this document gives guidance and direction for those types of projections.

This is a document that I will keep for future reference. I know it is information that I will use not only if I become a superintendent, but also in my current position. Although I am not responsible for the district budget, I am responsible for the Career and Technical Education Budget, including federal Perkins funds. This valuable resource will be something I continue to use.

Week 2 Part 2

After reviewing the budget development calendar and the TASBO Power Point, here are my five most important dates with reasons:

1. September- Campus leveling analysis and review of staffing allocations. It is important to review the current needs before the budget development process begins.

2. November- Budget development planning takes place. The Executive Team identifies budget priorities and initiatives and collects and analyzes student projections. Setting priorities and planning gives direction to the process, and student projections help guide not only spending needs, but also predict expected revenue.

3. June 9- Proposed budget review, publish public notice in newspaper regarding adoption of budget, and post proposed budget summary on the district website. This is an important step in reviewing the budget and in providing for transparency in the financial matters of the district. The public is able to review the budget in light of the previous year's actual spending.

4. August 20- district budget must be prepared. This is a requirement set by the State Board of Education.

5. August 31-school board must adopt the budget by this date. This is a TEA legal requirement.

Reflection: It was difficult to pick only the top 5. Each item on the calendar seems vital to the budget development process. The two dates in August are obviously very important since they are legal requirements, but the others that involve preliminary planning, needs analysis, review, and public information are also necessary to successfully set a fiscally sound budget.

School Finance Week 2 Assignment Part 1

A goal driven budget is a financial plan that matches the expenditures of school district funds with the goals of the board of trustees. Funds should be utilized to achieve board goals. Dr. Elvis Arterbury stated that a goal driven budget should include district and campus goals, which should reflect board goals.

The Little Cypress-Mauriceville CISD district improvement plan reflects board goals and a goal driven budget. Five main goals are listed in the plan along with strategies for achieving these goals. The goals of the plan are: provide a quality instructional program that meets the needs of all students, provide students and staff with facilities that are conducive to an orderly, positive learning environment, provide a fiscally sound budget, and involve the community and enlist their support in the implementation of the board’s goals. As each of these goals and the strategies for implementing them are listed in the district improvement plan, the resources and budgeted funds needed are listed along with the sources of funding, persons responsible for implementation, timelines, activities, and evaluation. There are also detailed facilities and technology reports, including budget summaries for these programs. As campus and district budgets are developed, the site-based decision making teams are reminded to keep the improvement plan goals in mind so that the budget reflects these goals.

One goal in the district improvement plan is to provide a quality instructional program that meets the needs of all students. Strategy one for this goal is student accountability, and it addresses increase passing percentages on state tests to 90%, increasing commended performance percentages to 25%, improving scores of special populations, and a focus on improving the scores of economically disadvantaged, Hispanic, and African American students in math and science. In accordance with this strategy, the necessary resources are listed, such as specific instructional materials, staff requirements, professional development, co-enrolled courses, and other necessary staff or material expenses. With each of these needed resources, a source of funding and a budgeted amount is listed.

The district improvement plan for Little Cypress-Mauriceville CISD clearly supports Board goals, and the corresponding resources and budgeted funds are evidence of a goal driven budget.