Part 1: Goal Driven BudgetWhen thinking about the budget for the whole school district it is important to keep in mind the school's mission and vision. This is a key element in a purpose or goal driven budget. A goal driven budget has in mind the total planning process of the district. As noted in the lecture this week, the campus plans and goals should be a "version of the vision." Campus Improvement Plans should be included in District Improvement Plans and planning and the budget should take both into consideration. I have assisted in writing both the Campus and District plans over a number of years in my district. These plans, usually written by the teachers and administrators are data driven, based upon the current needs of the total student population and are written with our school vision in mind. Of course, the funding is always in the back of the writers' minds, but generally the needs are addressed first and foremost. A Goal driven budget takes into account these stated needs, and allocates funds where necessary to attain the program, additional staffing, facility, etc. described in the DIP. Hopefully the board of trustees have also played a part in creating the District plans and goals or at least have approved the plans written by the teachers in order to make sure that the budget that they will also approve is aligned. Again, I refer to the lecture for this week when I add what was stated, " the budgeting process should not ignore the Board of Trustees goals. the district and campus goals should reflect a commitment to expending funds to achieve those goals." An example of a goal driven budget at my district was displayed in the past few weeks as we began a new school year and our Board of Trustees approved a new budget. The process began as our staff reviewed our recent AEIS report and analyzed the latest TAKS results. We found that our students would benefit from a more aligned and rigorous curriculum as well as software that will enable the administrators and staff to keep abreast of the student progress through benchmarking and closer observation. Student success on standardized testing is a part of our vision as it surely is in every school in the state! In our district plans, this need was addressed with the intent to fully incorporate CSCOPE in all four subject areas and to purchase Eduphria, a software product that will enable us to closely monitor student progress among other things. The budget was drafted to include these expenditures and the Board of Trustees approved them. The remainder of the items in the campus improvement plans were also provided for in the allocations of the budget.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
District Improvement Plan Comparison
DISTRICT IMPROVEMENT PLAN COMPARISON
I reviewed the District Improvement Plans for Austin Independent Schooll District and for my district, Frost Independent School District. At first, I thought this would be a bit challenging and finding similarities would be difficult. I am from a small 1A district and comparing Frost to Austin seemed almost unrealistic. However as I began to break down the information I saw more similarities than I thought I would.FISD and AISD are both focused on the betterment of children.
Success of students at the high school grade level was more of a focus from AISD, but student achievement was the goal for both schools. FISD's DIP does not specifically include funding sources. We have estimated costs, where the AISD goals were specific as to where the funds would come. AISD provided detailed accounts of programs and policies in this report as well as budgetary updates, a comprehensive plan of improvement, a flow chart that was specific from Long term goals all the way down to Employee Performance plans.
FISD's DIP does state the person(s) responsible for implementation and there is room for an evaluation at the end of the year. Some of the goals are very similar. Fisd and AISD are making plans to improve graduation rates, attendance and participation. I suppose those are universal problems whether from small or large districts.
I reviewed the District Improvement Plans for Austin Independent Schooll District and for my district, Frost Independent School District. At first, I thought this would be a bit challenging and finding similarities would be difficult. I am from a small 1A district and comparing Frost to Austin seemed almost unrealistic. However as I began to break down the information I saw more similarities than I thought I would.FISD and AISD are both focused on the betterment of children.
Success of students at the high school grade level was more of a focus from AISD, but student achievement was the goal for both schools. FISD's DIP does not specifically include funding sources. We have estimated costs, where the AISD goals were specific as to where the funds would come. AISD provided detailed accounts of programs and policies in this report as well as budgetary updates, a comprehensive plan of improvement, a flow chart that was specific from Long term goals all the way down to Employee Performance plans.
FISD's DIP does state the person(s) responsible for implementation and there is room for an evaluation at the end of the year. Some of the goals are very similar. Fisd and AISD are making plans to improve graduation rates, attendance and participation. I suppose those are universal problems whether from small or large districts.
Equality - Equity - Adequacy
EQUALITY - EQUITY - ADEQUACY
Equality means every student has the same access to the same type of educational program. These funds are used for educational programs that benefit all students. Examples would be funds used for basic instruction and an equal distribution of funds for teachers to use on consumable supplies.
Equity means that the system is fair and responds to the needs of individuals. Equity in school finance refers to fair and equal distribution of resources. Compensatory funds to assist students who are economically disadvantaged are an example of equity funds. Another example might be use of funds for a remedial reading program for struggling students.
Adequacy means that the school district receives financial support sufficient to provide educational programs to meet state accreditation standards. Examples are funding for math, reading and other basic courses. Another example is the use of funds for mandated interventions for students that do not meet state testing standards.
Formula Funding - School Finance
Darla, I agree with your explanation of formula funding. Local property taxes formulated with state general funding, federal funding and adjustments for special instructional programs all have a starring role in the way state funds are allocated. Simply stated, the state attempts to equalize funding through revenue recapture and formula funding. A school district depends on it's local property taxes for funding. the size of the district, the amount of property owners and the value of property owned play a huge part in the amount of revenue a school district collect from ad valorem taxes. And of course , the results are as diverse as the staate of Texas itself. So a formula is used to adjust the amount of money received by the district which distributes more money to lower property tax schools and less money to schools that collect more property taxes. This idea of revenue recapture is commonly known as "Robin Hood" and by its very nature has been criticized and the state has seen much litigation due to this policy. The State of Texas presently has its own financial woes, and in order to repeal the recapture laws, the state would have to supplement the revenue lost by the districts on the receiving end of this program, making a repeal unlikely. The state also considers federal funding that schools receive for the formula fund expenditures. Again, federal funds are limited and it is unlikely that a bail out by the federal government will suddenly be granted. The state is realistically responsible for fomula funding.Funding for special instructional programs impacts formula funding as well. Special Education, Compensatory Education and a few other programs that deal with special populatons are taken into consideration when the formula funds are allocated. Funding for education in the state of Texas is in turmoil right now. The results of the latest legislative session are yet to be seen, but it is highly likely that we as educators will be forced to remain abreast of the changes, use our creativity and act conservatively with the funds we do have.
Important Historical Events of School Finance
In my opinion, one of the most important events that impacted the funding of public education occurred during the tenure of Mirabeau B. Lamar. Lamar persuaded the legislature to establish land grants that provided for the initial funding for two major Universities and county school districts in the Republic of Texas during the years of his presidency, 1839-1849. Although it was eventually found that these land grants were insufficient to fund public schools adequately, this was the first attempt to fund public education. I feel that this act was important because until this time, there had been no organized funding for a free public education.The next event that I consider very important occurred in 1876 when the new Texas Constitution was adopted. It contained important language that basically says that because education is important, it will be the responsibility of the state to establish and fund free public schools. This language provides the foundation by which the state government uses to assure that adequacy, equity and efficiency are met in providing our school funding. There have been changes to the constitution that were necessary. However this first attempt at adequacy, equity and efficiency provided the lawmakers with the basic principles that are still being used today to ensure a free quality education for all students. Thirdly, I find that the Gilmer- Aikin laws had a significant impact on the history of educational finance due to the number of relevant changes that came from these laws. In an effort to make public schools more efficient and better funded, the committee members that created these laws lowered the number of school districts, provided for teacher salary increases, formalized the school year, created the State Board of Education, organized how the state would supplement local taxes to fund the schools and made many other significant changes. These laws made many needed changes and clarified many details of public education funding and organization.
Monday, June 27, 2011
Final Reflections of EDLD 5396
Course 5396 Final Reflection
Rebecca Melton
As I reflect upon this course, I realize that I have gained a wealth of information in a relatively short amount of time. It has been a rigorous five weeks. And although I was overwhelmed, frustrated and tired at times, I am grateful for all the lessons and skills I have learned. We addressed self-assessment, insight from our site supervisor, skills associated with writing a professional intern plan and a vita, and networking using technology. The lessons learned did not always come from just one activity. Lessons flowed through fluid lines creating a transfer of knowledge to help commit those lessons to memory.
In the beginning of the course, we were asked to critique our skills using a couple of different assessments. It has been a long time since I have implemented such a specific self-assessment. When I examined the SBEC Superintendent competencies and their quality indicators and studied the results of my Superintendent TExES pre-test, I learned that there are considerable aspects to being a good, well-equipped superintendent. There were several areas in which I found that I needed improvement. I especially wanted to make sure that I had correctly identified those weak areas but also wanted to determine my areas of strength. I was pleasantly surprised at the outcome of my TExES pre-test. I did well which gives me confidence in my leadership and decision making skills. There were also many areas in which I felt competent, but have ample room for improvement. I learned that being a good leader is a process in which one takes the strengths of his or her skills/character/personality and expands upon them. The process also includes identification of competencies and skills (as well as interpersonal skills) that are in a refinement stage and continues to cultivate those during the course of a lifetime. Self-assessment is a valuable tool that must be visited and revisited, especially in our professional lives in order to provide clarity and direction.
My site supervisor also provided me with new knowledge and understanding of the Superintendency. We met formally on two occasions, the initial interview and then again when we discussed my internship plan. From these meetings, I learned that a Superintendent has to be able to communicate well, is knowledgeable about current educational trends and has to have a vision for the future of the school under his charge. Vision is something we discussed during both meetings. He taught me that in order to get somewhere, you must know where you are going. Although this is almost a cliché in our society, I really understood its importance as we discussed shared vision in the school climate. I learned that getting all stakeholders on board with a common vision is unlikely. The important thing is that the vision is a vision of excellence and that it is flexible enough to stand up to changing times. When that is the case, the majority of interested parties will share the vision.
I think the greatest lesson I learned from these meetings and from having the privilege to observe many of the day to day activities of my superintendent is that a leader must maintain his or her ethics at all times. Knowing what you believe in is important. Keeping true to those beliefs, no matter what situation arises, is imperative. He shared that on occasion, a school leader will make news headlines for poor judgment or for an indiscrepency. He added that while everyone is going to make mistakes and even at times make poor judgment calls, it is not ok for a school leader to make the 5 o’clock news because he or she has poor ethics or morals.
My site supervisor also taught me that the Superintendency is also a service oriented position. The leader of the school must be willing to serve all students fairly and must be an advocate for them, which may mean championing their cause. Parents and families are another critical portion of the equation. The communities’ core value system is of essential consideration as well as families’ needs. Serving the community, which includes families, is not always glamorous. My supervisor related several incidents that required his service that while rewarding, were not always pleasant.
Two of the major assignments for this course included writing an internship plan and writing a professional vita. Through the writing of the internship plan, I used areas of weakness that I identified in the self-assessments to begin my plan. Choosing the activities from thirty-eight leadership areas taught me that there is an overabundance of undertakings by which I could learn. I was inclined to choose areas that I had adequate prior experience to accomplish, but was aware that it is necessary for my professional growth to choose some activities that will require me to step out of my comfort zone to achieve. Writing the intern plan also caused me to reflect upon the needs of my school and my students. I not only referred to my self-assessments, but to other documents including my District AEIS document and district and campus improvement plans. As the principal, I take pride in achievements and positive changes our school has enjoyed in the past and look forward to leading new activities that will lead to further accomplishments. It is my desire to see increased learning, overall school improvement and development of stronger leadership skills by me. The act of writing the internship plan helps me organize my thoughts and taught me the importance of recording my goals and examining resources that I will access to achieve them.
Writing a professional vita was a new experience for me. I have written resumes; however I soon realized a vita was a different document. Not only did I learn what a vita is and how to compose a vita, I learned that they are used much like a portfolio to highlight education, experiences and accomplishments. Both the internship plan and the vita are living documents that will be changed and/or added to as I progress through my certification program. I will continue adding to my vita even though the certification program and internship plan will come to an end.
I also learned a lot about technology while completing this course. While this was challenging, it was also gratifying to accomplish the task of building a blog and a wiki, learning to maneuver through Epic and TK20 and even to navigate through five weeks of web conferences. As I reflect upon this part of the course, I am excited about the opportunities that these new skills open up. The possibilities of using blogs and wikis are literally endless for educational purposes! I am already planning to host a blog for my faculty and staff. I want to initiate better communication of school happenings, but more importantly, to teach my staff to reflect upon their learning and teaching in a community of educators. I will also have a wiki that they can join that we will use to plan events, share information and maintain resources that may be accessed.
I enjoyed the interaction among the members of cohort 3 throughout these past weeks. Message boards were very helpful as we shared insight, information, frustrations, and critiqued each other’s’ work. Personalities have begun to emerge and we are beginning to feel comfortable asking for advice and assistance from the cohort. Meeting weekly on the web-conferences taught me not only the technical skills I used to access the meeting, but the importance of learning about and from my peers. Our combined experiences are a strength of our cohort. I learned that patience and perseverance were also lessons revisited in order for us to muddle through the use of some of our new technology skills. It is my belief and desire that all the lessons learned throughout this first course will be building blocks for those learned in the courses that remain in my certification program. I look forward to new experiences, new ideas and new challenges!
Rebecca Melton
As I reflect upon this course, I realize that I have gained a wealth of information in a relatively short amount of time. It has been a rigorous five weeks. And although I was overwhelmed, frustrated and tired at times, I am grateful for all the lessons and skills I have learned. We addressed self-assessment, insight from our site supervisor, skills associated with writing a professional intern plan and a vita, and networking using technology. The lessons learned did not always come from just one activity. Lessons flowed through fluid lines creating a transfer of knowledge to help commit those lessons to memory.
In the beginning of the course, we were asked to critique our skills using a couple of different assessments. It has been a long time since I have implemented such a specific self-assessment. When I examined the SBEC Superintendent competencies and their quality indicators and studied the results of my Superintendent TExES pre-test, I learned that there are considerable aspects to being a good, well-equipped superintendent. There were several areas in which I found that I needed improvement. I especially wanted to make sure that I had correctly identified those weak areas but also wanted to determine my areas of strength. I was pleasantly surprised at the outcome of my TExES pre-test. I did well which gives me confidence in my leadership and decision making skills. There were also many areas in which I felt competent, but have ample room for improvement. I learned that being a good leader is a process in which one takes the strengths of his or her skills/character/personality and expands upon them. The process also includes identification of competencies and skills (as well as interpersonal skills) that are in a refinement stage and continues to cultivate those during the course of a lifetime. Self-assessment is a valuable tool that must be visited and revisited, especially in our professional lives in order to provide clarity and direction.
My site supervisor also provided me with new knowledge and understanding of the Superintendency. We met formally on two occasions, the initial interview and then again when we discussed my internship plan. From these meetings, I learned that a Superintendent has to be able to communicate well, is knowledgeable about current educational trends and has to have a vision for the future of the school under his charge. Vision is something we discussed during both meetings. He taught me that in order to get somewhere, you must know where you are going. Although this is almost a cliché in our society, I really understood its importance as we discussed shared vision in the school climate. I learned that getting all stakeholders on board with a common vision is unlikely. The important thing is that the vision is a vision of excellence and that it is flexible enough to stand up to changing times. When that is the case, the majority of interested parties will share the vision.
I think the greatest lesson I learned from these meetings and from having the privilege to observe many of the day to day activities of my superintendent is that a leader must maintain his or her ethics at all times. Knowing what you believe in is important. Keeping true to those beliefs, no matter what situation arises, is imperative. He shared that on occasion, a school leader will make news headlines for poor judgment or for an indiscrepency. He added that while everyone is going to make mistakes and even at times make poor judgment calls, it is not ok for a school leader to make the 5 o’clock news because he or she has poor ethics or morals.
My site supervisor also taught me that the Superintendency is also a service oriented position. The leader of the school must be willing to serve all students fairly and must be an advocate for them, which may mean championing their cause. Parents and families are another critical portion of the equation. The communities’ core value system is of essential consideration as well as families’ needs. Serving the community, which includes families, is not always glamorous. My supervisor related several incidents that required his service that while rewarding, were not always pleasant.
Two of the major assignments for this course included writing an internship plan and writing a professional vita. Through the writing of the internship plan, I used areas of weakness that I identified in the self-assessments to begin my plan. Choosing the activities from thirty-eight leadership areas taught me that there is an overabundance of undertakings by which I could learn. I was inclined to choose areas that I had adequate prior experience to accomplish, but was aware that it is necessary for my professional growth to choose some activities that will require me to step out of my comfort zone to achieve. Writing the intern plan also caused me to reflect upon the needs of my school and my students. I not only referred to my self-assessments, but to other documents including my District AEIS document and district and campus improvement plans. As the principal, I take pride in achievements and positive changes our school has enjoyed in the past and look forward to leading new activities that will lead to further accomplishments. It is my desire to see increased learning, overall school improvement and development of stronger leadership skills by me. The act of writing the internship plan helps me organize my thoughts and taught me the importance of recording my goals and examining resources that I will access to achieve them.
Writing a professional vita was a new experience for me. I have written resumes; however I soon realized a vita was a different document. Not only did I learn what a vita is and how to compose a vita, I learned that they are used much like a portfolio to highlight education, experiences and accomplishments. Both the internship plan and the vita are living documents that will be changed and/or added to as I progress through my certification program. I will continue adding to my vita even though the certification program and internship plan will come to an end.
I also learned a lot about technology while completing this course. While this was challenging, it was also gratifying to accomplish the task of building a blog and a wiki, learning to maneuver through Epic and TK20 and even to navigate through five weeks of web conferences. As I reflect upon this part of the course, I am excited about the opportunities that these new skills open up. The possibilities of using blogs and wikis are literally endless for educational purposes! I am already planning to host a blog for my faculty and staff. I want to initiate better communication of school happenings, but more importantly, to teach my staff to reflect upon their learning and teaching in a community of educators. I will also have a wiki that they can join that we will use to plan events, share information and maintain resources that may be accessed.
I enjoyed the interaction among the members of cohort 3 throughout these past weeks. Message boards were very helpful as we shared insight, information, frustrations, and critiqued each other’s’ work. Personalities have begun to emerge and we are beginning to feel comfortable asking for advice and assistance from the cohort. Meeting weekly on the web-conferences taught me not only the technical skills I used to access the meeting, but the importance of learning about and from my peers. Our combined experiences are a strength of our cohort. I learned that patience and perseverance were also lessons revisited in order for us to muddle through the use of some of our new technology skills. It is my belief and desire that all the lessons learned throughout this first course will be building blocks for those learned in the courses that remain in my certification program. I look forward to new experiences, new ideas and new challenges!
Benefits of a professional Development Plan
I have reviewed the Professional Development Plan template and posted it to my wiki. The 6 elements of a Professional Development Plan are: (1.)TExES Domain and Competency addressed,(2) Objective, (3)Coursework/workbook/workshops utilized, (4.)Mentor/Professional support, (5) Expected date of completion and (6) Evaluation. Each of these elements are important for satisfactory completion of the plan.
I think it is highly important to develop a professional development plan for both personal and professional growth. It is obvious to me that without planning, the accomplishment of long term goals will be minimal if at all. The plan will benefit me by helping me to focus on my priorities, follow a timeline and guide me to evaluate the progress toward my goal. By identifying a specific goal, or a few goals, and developing a plan, I know what I need to be working on and I am able to gather the materials in an organized fashion, and contact and access any mentor or other key people that will be able to help. In addition, a timeline will keep me on task and an evaluation tool will help me to understand in which areas most emphasis must be placed.
In my career, I have utilized the process of setting both short and long term goals. The aspect of writing the goal down or verbalizing it to someone builds in accountability. It has helped me to clarify my expectations and to commit to the work that needs to be done in order to attain the goal. This Professional Development Plan that will carry on long after my certification courses are done will be a valuable tool for me as a leader.
I think it is highly important to develop a professional development plan for both personal and professional growth. It is obvious to me that without planning, the accomplishment of long term goals will be minimal if at all. The plan will benefit me by helping me to focus on my priorities, follow a timeline and guide me to evaluate the progress toward my goal. By identifying a specific goal, or a few goals, and developing a plan, I know what I need to be working on and I am able to gather the materials in an organized fashion, and contact and access any mentor or other key people that will be able to help. In addition, a timeline will keep me on task and an evaluation tool will help me to understand in which areas most emphasis must be placed.
In my career, I have utilized the process of setting both short and long term goals. The aspect of writing the goal down or verbalizing it to someone builds in accountability. It has helped me to clarify my expectations and to commit to the work that needs to be done in order to attain the goal. This Professional Development Plan that will carry on long after my certification courses are done will be a valuable tool for me as a leader.
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