Financial Final Reflections

In looking at the coursework I think back to a statement made in the first course of the superintendents program and in one of my meetings with Dr. Creel – the school finance class will be the hardest class you will take in the program.  I whole heartedly agree!  The assignments were challenging but also very informative and I truly feel like I have some knowledge in the world of school finance.  I can carry on a conversation about school funding and how it has changed due to the first week’s assignments that covered the history of school finance in Texas.  I stand by my response in the first assignment – I still believe that we are living in an era of education that will be studied in the near future by a new crop of Lamar students seeking certification.  I can have a conversation about how the funding formula has not kept up with the times and the districts across the state are finding themselves struggling to find ways to make ends meet.  In our district I was able to actually start a conversation with our superintendent about the fact that almost ten years ago before the lowering of the tax rates, the PISD board did not think long term and we are now missing out on funding due to the fact that they did not raise the tax rate to the maximum $1.50 allowed.  In week 2 it was eye opening to learn about a goal driven budget and to know that I was not 100% certain what the goals of the board were – making it next to impossible to have a goal driven budget.  Also the time line that is followed in the budget process helped make me aware of the time lines and the needs of the budget officer employed by our district.  My favorite assignments included the comparison of the two districts.  Being able to look at the same set of standards and seeing the differences that helped make one district financially more stable helped me to realize that as I begin the process of applying for superintendent’s jobs, I need to pay careful attention to the information provided on the TEA website – both academically and financially.  I finally understand the acronyms of ADA and WADA!  Now when I took money with the budget officer and she continues to harp on our student attendance, I understand the difference it can make in the financial health of the district.  Finally, the discussion of the differentiated staffing forced me to think outside the box and ways that we might be able to benefit from the “new” old idea.  I think we are definitely working on an example of differentiated staffing with the use of our secondary teachers as part of our elementary RTI process.  Overall, while this may have been the most difficult class, I think it is also one of my favorites and one that I feel like I really learned something that I did not feel like I had a clue about.  The journey to get more information concerning school finance will continue – but at least it has started!