Recommendations 1. Aligned with the strengthened strategic planning process recommended under Leadership and Governance above, budget development should take a hard look at whether current resource allocation directly supports strategic improvement, and what reallocations may be needed to fully implement the strategic plan. A. Key aspects of the strategic plan should be included in the budget narrative, and specific statements about resources provided in the plan document for initiatives that have financial implications, for example, staffing changes, changes in class size, or new professional development. Benefits: Implementing this recommendation will likely mean a greater shared understanding of the strategic plan and the budget, and more support for implementing the plan. Recommended resources: Transforming School Funding: A Guide to Implementing Student-Based Budgeting (), from Education Resource Strategies, describes a process to help districts tie funding to specific student needs. In Spending Money Wisely: Getting the Most from School District Budgets (), authors Nathan Levenson, Karla Baehr, James C. Smith, and Claire Sullivan of The District Management Council identify and discuss the top ten opportunities for districts to realign resources and free up funds to support strategic priorities. Drawing on the wisdom of leading thinkers, district leaders, and education researchers from across the country, the authors gathered a long list of opportunities for resource reallocation. To distill these down to the ten most high-impact opportunities, each opportunity was assessed based on its financial benefit, its impact on student achievement, its political feasibility, and its likelihood of success relative to the complexity of implementation. Best Practices in School District Budgeting () outlines steps to developing a budget that best aligns resources with student achievement goals. Each step includes a link to a specific resource document with relevant principles. 2. The district should include in its formal budget document all revenue sources and should make the budget as well as other district financial information more accessible to the public. Revolving fund revenues and expenses should be included in the budget document. Opening balances, estimated revenues, and expected expenditures should be included in the budget document. The district should include estimated revenue and expense information for all grants in the budget document.
Recommendations 1. Aligned with the strengthened strategic planning process recommended under Leadership and Governance above, budget development should take a hard look at whether current resource allocation directly supports strategic improvement, and what reallocations may be needed to fully implement the strategic plan. A. Key aspects of the strategic plan should be included in the budget narrative, and specific statements about resources provided in the plan document for initiatives that have financial implications, for example, staffing changes, changes in class size, or new professional development. Benefits: Implementing this recommendation will likely mean a greater shared understanding of the strategic plan and the budget, and more support for implementing the plan. Recommended resources: Transforming School Funding: A Guide to Implementing Student-Based Budgeting (), from Education Resource Strategies, describes a process to help districts tie funding to specific student needs. In Spending Money Wisely: Getting the Most from School District Budgets (), authors Nathan Levenson, Karla Baehr, James C. Smith, and Claire Sullivan of The District Management Council identify and discuss the top ten opportunities for districts to realign resources and free up funds to support strategic priorities. Drawing on the wisdom of leading thinkers, district leaders, and education researchers from across the country, the authors gathered a long list of opportunities for resource reallocation. To distill these down to the ten most high-impact opportunities, each opportunity was assessed based on its financial benefit, its impact on student achievement, its political feasibility, and its likelihood of success relative to the complexity of implementation. Best Practices in School District Budgeting () outlines steps to developing a budget that best aligns resources with student achievement goals. Each step includes a link to a specific resource document with relevant principles. 2. The district should include in its formal budget document all revenue sources and should make the budget as well as other district financial information more accessible to the public. Revolving fund revenues and expenses should be included in the budget document. Opening balances, estimated revenues, and expected expenditures should be included in the budget document. The district should include estimated revenue and expense information for all grants in the budget document.