Budget & Resource Management
"It is not the strongest of species that survive, not the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change." - Charles Darwin
Budgeting and Resource Management is the area that I have influence over at the negotiations table, however, I spent the least amount of time during my internship interacting with. I did learn about how funding is allocated to each department and how to ensure I was frugal with the night school budget to ensure our at-risk budget could stretch to fund this program through the end of the year.
As a club sponsor, I also learned about the difference between our donation and fundraising budget lines and how to access those resources.
I was also a member of the ESSER III budget committee and paid particular attention to budget discussions at school board meetings. Without access to the actual budget it is difficult to see how it all comes together and why each decision is made.
Artifact 1
The largest part of the district's budget goes to personnel. In recent years, the cost of healthcare has had a profound impact on how far our budget stretches and where we allocate funding for salaries.
Each year, it seems, we must decide whether to stay with an insurance provider we trust by paying a bit more or switch to a new carrier and hope for the best.
Last year our insurance committee was able to negotiate with the insurance company to keep the rise in costs to a reasonable level after they attempted to raise premiums by 28%.
The artifact attached is our salary schedule from the 2021-2022 negotiated agreement. Negotiations for 2022-2023 are in progress, but we are waiting for a budget from the state and the premium costs from the insurance company.
Artifact 2
In 2021, I sat down with the district's business director as he explained and demonstrated the process of changing the hourly rate for teachers in the budgeting software.
It was a tedious process, but necessary to ensure the budget was balanced and we could afford the requested expenditures.
The link above is the district's 2021-2022 budget at a glance which includes the hourly rate change.
Artifact 3
As a member of the ESSER III Committee, it is my responsibility to provide input to the team who will decide how to allocate fiscal resources to alleviate difficulties experienced as a result of COVID-19.
Our team created materials to explain what ESSER III is to school and community stakeholders. We also created a survey to solicit input on where the stakeholders saw the need. Then, we delivered this information to building leaders and asked them to provide a list of options that will potentially improve student outcomes. The above link provides access to the flyer we put out to our stakeholders.
Artifact 4
ELPS 852's Module 5 paper required me to consider how I would make hard choices on budget cuts for my school to help the district balance the budget.
This was the single most important assignment as it caused me to consider everything I knew and had learned about making fiscally appropriate decisions in difficult times. the link above is my answer to that prompt.