5342 Week 5 Part 2/3

Part 3

I did not realize how much more comfortable I feel about school finance until completing the self-assessment in part two.  Entering this course I felt finance to be a weakness but now feel much more confident with the required tasks of the superintendent position.  None-the-less, I do not claim to be an expert in any area and feel that this course long with my current position will enable me to shorten and better manage the learning curve during my first superintendent position.  I realize the need to involve and learn from the many resources in the budget process.

The self-assessments provide insight into areas of growth and needed growth.  These provide guidance for reflection as discussed in the week five interview.  This is a skill where I also need to improve to maximize my opportunities for professional growth.  Reflection, as I understand it, consciously serves to reinforce learning and opens opportunities for future growth much like the subconscious growth from transfer learning.

The opportunity to work with the outstanding professional resources in group one has also been amazing.  The thoughtful insights of my group partners extended my learning and challenged me to analyze our activities at a much deeper level.  Insights from district interviews and  course interviews/lectures strengthen learning with invaluable experiences from those who have “been there & done that”!

5342 Week 5 Part 1

Part 1

There are many ways a superintendent may violate ethical standards but, as stated in this week’s video, the simple philosophy of “taking the high road” and “doing the right thing” is the one way to avoid making such errors in judgment.  Some examples of violations to the TAC follow.  A superintendent using maintenance personnel and/or supplies to paint his/her home during school hours violates standard 1.2.  Directing a counselor or principal to enhance the grade of the school board member’s child violates standard 1.6.  Failure to hold the required open meeting prior to the board’s approval of the budget would be a violation of standard 1.7.  A superintendent encouraging employees not to vote in the board elections violates standard 2.4.  The hiring of a friend for the HS principal position from outside the district without advertising and accepting applications violates standard 2.3. 

In each scenario there are serious ethics violations that could result in written action against and/or the termination of the superintendent.  The district will also face rebuilding lost trust between leadership and the community.   The lack of trust will likely interfere with community/board support in other immediate and future areas as well.  Of course the career of the superintendent may also be in jeopardy as he/she attempts to move on.

Every educator must hold themselves accountable and, as previously mentioned, do the right thing.  When entering unknown areas we must seek the advice and wisdom of those on our team, school lawyers, and those who have served as our mentors.  We must use all resources for informed decision making.

5342 Week 4 Part 5

Part 5

CISD follows the TASBO model for external auditing.  The district accepts proposals from interested firms and then reviews each proposal and checks references to refine the selection process to three firms.  Interviews of each of the three firms are then conducted to select which firm will conduct the audit.

The selected firm will then work with the district throughout the year conducting scheduled visits to review requested documents and interviews.  A final report is prepared and presented to the Board of Trustees.

CISD has employed the same CFO for 40+ years and during our current superintendent’s tenure has never encountered a major problem or concern.  The board and superintendent have great faith in our CFO and are troubled by her recent retirement and the thought of replacing her. 

5342 Week 4 Part 4

Part 4

CISD currently spends 82% of our budget on salaries.  This approximate 80-20 ratio of personnel to other operating expenses is interesting when considering some of our surrounding industry.  In discussing this with a friend of mine who is in management in a local refinery, he stated that their ratio was the mirror opposite (20-80).  Their product does not require the supervision, instruction, etc that our product requires and thus we must have a greater number of employees per volume of product.  As stated in Part three we are funded at cost rather than receiving retail for our product and thus making it even more challenging to adequately compensate teachers.

In today’s financial climate there is little room for a salary increase.  At CISD, a district of about 3700 students, we lost approximately $4.6 million in funding this year.  As a result we have 117 fewer employees in 2011-2012 than 2010-2011.  In addition, all stipends tied to content area incentives have been eliminated.  With the projected funding in the next biennium we expect little or no salary increases.  Although not impacting us at this time, due to the increase in teacher availability, we expect that this will make competing for quality teachers more difficult as more teachers retire and fewer enter the profession.

5342 Part 4

CISD receives revenue from three sources: local and intermediate, state program, and federal program.  Each source of revenue contributes monies to one of three fund types: general, special services, and debt services (from which federal program sources are excluded).

Local sources account for 28.21% of the total revenue for CISD at $9,489,265.  Of that amount $7,446,747 is allotted to the general fund, $413,410 to special services, and $1,629,108 for debt services. 

State sources account for 59.06% of the total revenue for CISD at $19,865,660.  Of that amount $18,184,470 is allotted to the general fund, $386,068 to special services, and $1,295,122 for debt services.

Federal sources account for 12.73% of the total revenue for CISD at $4,283,581.  Of that amount $286,240 is allotted to the general fund, $3,997,341 to special services, and $0.0 for debt services. 

The amount of revenue from local sources is reflective of CISD being a poorer property wealth district and thus not generating enough local tax revenue to adequately fund the educational needs of CISD’s students.  As with state program sources, the majority of money from the local sources are allotted to the general fund and a much smaller amount to special services.  Each contributes to the debt service for facilities.  Much of the facility improvement in CISD comes from the fund balance as passing bonds is very difficult in our community.

Federal sources require almost all monies be allotted to special services and, although only 12% of our revenue sources, are very important in these tough economic times.  CISD lost $3.5 million in state funding and $0.5 million in federal funding from 2010 to 2011.  In addition, due to an unexpected decrease in enrollment as of snapshot, we stand to lose an additional $680,000.  To further complicate financial matters, the state informed us that they made a $400,000 mistake in 2009 and will be holding that from CISD in 2011.

Nearly 80% of our student population is economically disadvantaged and thus the funding formula appears to work in our favor by sending more money from the state to compensate for our lack of local sources.  Where I feel that there is a lack of equity is how some districts, through CEI and other components of the funding formula, are assigned substantially larger WADA/student amounts.

5342 Week 3 Part 2

                                                     District 1                                 District 2

Rev./WADA Compressed Rate    $5044                                     $7206

Total Target Rev. for M&O           $28,023,530.86                      $34,546,111.66

Teachers                                       265                                         265

Other Prof. Staff                            49.44                                      33.6

This is a great example of how complicated public school funding can be.  I work at a property poor district that is 80% Eco. Dis. and is joining the funding lawsuit against the state.  The districts above have the same tax rate, and approximately the same number of students but differ greatly in property values and funding.  It is easy to argue that district 1 should receive more money but one could also argue that when considering the total M&O collections (1:$1,369,340 and 2:$35,879,109) that district 2 is being penalized by the state for its wealth.  But that is an argument of fairness and not of equity.  If we truly value education and wish to reduce poverty then we must equally put our money where our mouths are, to include those which hunger most!  

5342 Week 3 Part 1

                                                          District 1                              District 2

% Eco. Dis.                                        93.3                                     20.7

Tot. Refined ADA                               3893.754                            4032.937

WADA                                                5555.815                            4794.076

The district with the smaller ADA has the larger WADA resulting from formula considerations such as the percentage of students represented in the areas of economically disadvantaged, LEP, special education, career/technology, and gifted and talented.  This district has a larger percentage of students represented in each of these areas.

Additional Stakeholders in Budget Process

The process of developing a budget should involve a diversity of stakeholders.  Superintendents my gain information from these stakeholders in the following ways:

Central Office:  Persons here can offer a large amount of financial information to include previous and projected costs of salaries, insurance benefits, technology, professional development, etc...

Principals:  Staffing needs/wants and facility needs/wants, technology, programs, supplies, etc..

Site-based:  Programs needed and desired and the support needed

District Improvement Team:  Should be able to give a reflection of community goals and programs needed to support those goals

Teacher Organizations:  Teacher perceptions and desires for slaries, benefits, programs, etc...

Key Stakeholders:  Needs/Costs for supporting daily operations

Board of Trustees:  Direction of district and areas for funding to be allocated

Superintendent's Role in Budgeting

In discussing the role of the superintendent with CISD’s superintendent it was stated that the main role is to maintain financial integrity of the district.  The conversation centered on the activities of this past year and the difficult decisions needed to be made when facing such a large reduction in funding.  With so much money required for personnel and very little wiggle room elsewhere we were faced with the elimination of many positions.  When making such decisions he noted the importance of communication with the board to “involve and inform” in/for the decision-making process.  The role of the superintendent is viewed as a manager of a process involving many stakeholders to consider the needs to accomplish the district’s goals.  Many are involved in the preparing and he “manages” through the monitoring of the calendar by which budgeting activities and those responsible are held accountable.  It is also important to stay current on the financial trends and how they are projected to affect public school funding.

TEA Budget Guidelines

In reviewing the TEA Budgeting guidelines I have learned that the budget process is very involved and a time-consuming process.  As a result of the time needed it is important to follow a calendar to identify the activities required as to meet state standards and to properly prepare for the districts needs.  This calendar must also identify the person(s) responsible for the completion of those activities and the date by which said activities are to be completed.  The establishment of dates creates accountability and is necessary for effective planning. Of course any budget must have an accurate estimation of revenue.  This is very difficult our current system so a heavy reliance on those experienced and accurate accounting for ADA and WADA is important.  This is an area where I need a large amount of professional growth and understanding. It is interesting to consider the application of budget types.  Line-item budgets are useful for fiscal accountability.  The district has a certain amount of money budgeted and must stay within the confines of that budget.  Within the overall budget may lie program budgeting which should reflect the goals and objectives of the improvement plan as created by a diverse group of stakeholders.  It would seem that zero-based budgets would serve to create accountability within the overall and program budgets.

Goal Driven Budget

A goal driven budget is a reflection of a district's careful examination of that district's goals and its resources available for the attainment of those goals.  Such a careful examination requires the involvement of all stakeholders through representation on committees charged with the decision making for goals and goal attainment. 
At CISD the district's goals are reflected in the CISD Improvement plan.  There are four goals with each expanded by several objectives to which needed resources are identified.  The fund to be used is identified but a numerical figure is not given except when federal funds are to be used. 
Though not specific, I do believe that a goal driven budget is achieved.  In the environment of fiscal uncertainty created by the current funding system and the date of funding allotment notification it is difficult to identify specific amounts to any program.  The improvement plan may instead direct the funding of target areas as identified by the goals and objectives of the plan.

Intern Plan Site Supervisor Reflection

The majority of the conference involved discussion of time management and the need to stay on top or even ahead of the projected deadlines.  The plan was well received and no revisions for activities were proposed.  From our discussion of time management, I decided to create an additional copy of plan with activities chronologically ordered.  I have an electronic copy saved and also a hard copy in a notebook.  The benefit to my campus as a result of my activities is a positive.  While not in my plan, the influence of technology used/learned thus far has inspired me to have our campus host a parent night to introduce, demonstrate, and explain available technologies for greater parental participation.  We will host this event on Oct. 4.  This was also well received.

Intern Plan

Activity # ____ You may  give the number corresponding to the 38 activities from the text to identify one of the activities.	TExES comp.#___ You must have activities that represent each of the 10 Superintendent competencies.	Summary of Activity - Describe the activity you plan on implementing or participating in during your internship – you may use any of the internship activities identified in the School Leader Internship, 2nd edition, pp. 19 – 68.	Resource Person	Projected Date to be Completed
1A	2	Analyze the school’s vision/mission statement as it relates to the school’s master schedule.  Is the school’s statement reflected in the master schedule? Summary and recommendations in notebook.	Self	12/20/2011
2B	2	Review the CISD strategic plan.  Note the personnel involved in the plan’s development, implementation, and evaluation.  Investigate the support and concerns of various parties involved. Findings and recommendations in notebook.	Self; K. Cowart, Supt.; A. Ford, G. Lee, Directors	12/20/2011
3C	2	Review the ways in which assessment data are used by the board, superintendent, faculty, staff, and PR department.  Write a reflective statement for improvement of data use. Reflective statements in notebook.	K. Cowart; K. Miller, Assist. Supt.	4/30/2012
4C	3	Conduct a faculty meeting/staff development session.  Survey participants for strengths and areas for improvements.  Results of survey in notebook.	Self; Faculty	11/15/2011
5C	2	Use steps for issue resolution for current issue at CMS.  Reach consensus for plan to resolve issue or critique failed attempt at plan. Plan/critique in notebook.	Self, Stakeholders	02/28/2012
6B	2	CMS consensus group (from 5C) evaluation of leadership in: Outlining goals/problem definition; seeking/providing information; clarifying/elaborating; challenging viewpoints; diagnosing progress; summarizing.  Summary in notebook.	Self, Stakeholders	2/28/2012
7D	5	Interview persons involved in implementation of CISD curriculum.  Describe and evaluate implementation process to include successes and concerns.  Summary and recommendations in notebook.	K. Cowart, Supt.; K. Miller, Assist. Supt.	10/30/2011
8C	5	Meet with CMS counselors to discuss number of changes, rationale for changes, ramifications of changes, and ways to reduce changes to better meet student needs.  Summary and recommendations in notebook.	D. Dean, J. Love, CMS Counselors	09/30/2011
9B	5	Conduct two classroom observations using the clinical supervision model.  Summary of process and recommendations for improvement in notebook.	CMS Teachers	12/08/2011
10D	6	Meet with CMS teachers to assess the amount of teaching at each student’s challenge level (Vygotsky’s model) and solicit methods for improvement.  Recommendations and methods in notebook.	CMS Teachers	11/11/2011
11C	8	Interview CISD tech. director.  Describe and evaluate process used for technology software assessment.  Discuss concerns and improvement recommendations.  Process, concerns, and recommendations in notebook.	J. Gonzales, CISD Tech. Director	11/30/2011
12C	6	Analyze CMS, state, and national normed test results from 2010-2011.  Assess strengths and weaknesses and make recommendations for improvement.  Assessment and recommendations in notebook.	Test data; D. Collins, CMS Testing Coord.	10/31/2011
13B	5	Assist in planning and supervising of CMS football practice.  Critique the learning experience for the students to include motivation, discipline, performance, and relation to students’ education.  Critique in notebook.	J. Rush, CMS Coach	11/03/2011
14A	7	Compile and analyze all current policies/practices for staff development.  Interview administrators and faculty to assess perceived effectiveness and improvement recommendations.  Summary and recommendations in notebook.	A. Painter, CHS Principal; K. Miller, Assist. Supt.; Faculty	02/10/2012
15B	10	Meet with CISD leader involved in implementing district change and discuss reasons for change and steps taken.  Survey stakeholders for support/nonsupport, stage reached, and recommendations for moving the person(s) to the next stage.  Summary and recommendations in notebook.	K. Miller, Assist. Supt.	04/13/2012
16A	6	Review board policy and school handbooks with respect to discipline and current CMS practice.  Meet with administrators, faculty, students, and parents and assess compliance with law, CISD policy and CMS handbook.  Reflective statement on student discipline in notebook.	G. Barnes, A. Tacket, Assist. Princ.; CMS faculty, students, and parents	11/04/2011
17B	10	Participate in a career/educational program session with a student and counselor.  Critique of session in notebook.	D. Dean, or J. Love, CMS counselor	05/11/2012
18B	8	Review the job descriptions for CISD office personnel.  Meet with each to discuss major duties, concerns, recommendations for actual work required and its relation to job description and evaluation.  Summary and recommendations in notebook.	S. Arnold, Supt. Secretary; J. Sweet, CISD payroll; K. Billingsley, CISD accounting	01/27/2012
19B	8	Meet with CISD attendance officer to discuss rules, procedures, and ramifications of attendance law, finance, and general ISD operations.    Summary in notebook.	K. Miller, Assist. Supt.	11/07/2011
20B	9	Meet with CMS Head Custodian to review job responsibilities and staff schedules.  Observe one custodian for minimum of one hour.    Summary and recommendations in notebook.	T. Wilkie, CMS Head Custodian	10/01/2011
21A	9	Interview CISD transportation director to discuss current needs and issues to include costs, maintenance, personnel issues, training and safety, and student problems.  Summary of needs and issues in notebook.	K. Mouton, Director of Trans.	01/20/2012
22A	9	Interview CISD food service director to discuss the current requirements, concerns, and issues of the program.  Summary in notebook.	D. Dickerson, Food Service Director	10/28/2011
23B	7	Participate in the interviewing process for a professional position.  Critique of the interviewing process in notebook.	Self	10/28/2011
24A	8	Examine CISD budget and extent to which funds are directly related to increasing learning.  Analysis of major functions, planning reporting, and major concerns in notebook.	K. Cowart, Supt.; K. Billingsley, CISD accounting	05/07/2012
25A	3	Interview CISD PR director for strategies for effective communication to and from the community and the issue of community politics.  Summary in notebook.	S. Gatlin, CISD PR Director	11/18/2011
26B	3	Examine the current policy and procedures for parental involvement in CISD.  Summary of initiatives in notebook.	S. Gatlin, CISD PR Director	11/18/2011
27B	3	Meet members of ELAR dept. and examine literature used with regard to stereotyping.  Analysis and recommendations in notebook.	CMS ELAR Dept.	02/29/2012
28A	3	Compile a list of social agencies that are available to help and support students, faculty, and administration.  List and major services in notebook.	D. Dean, J. Love, CMS Counselors; K. Miller, Assist. Supt.; Web	01/12/2012
29A	1, 4	Obtain a job description and evaluation for Superintendent of Schools.  Analyze the correlation between job description requirements and evaluation standards.  Job description, evaluation, and analysis in notebook.	K. Cowart, Supt.	03/23/2012
30C	1, 4	Review past board agendas for significant events, policy changes, and recurring themes or concerns that affect CISD today.  Summary in notebook.	Agendas	12/20/2011
31E	1, 4	Provide evidence that I do what I tell others to do.  Evidence in notebook.	Self	12/20/2011
32A	1, 4	Skills to develop 2011-2012: Share information with other stakeholders; In meetings: Encourage others to participate and Share responsibilities.  Reflections in notebook.	Self	5/11/2012
33B	1, 4	Attend as many CISD board meetings as possible.  Agendas and outcomes in notebook.	Self	5/16/2012
34B	5	Attend on special education ARD for initial placement.  Critique of meeting in notebook.	Self	10/06/2011
35A	10	Meet with two persons from different sides of issue.  Ensure that each side knows the goals of the other.  Develop a list of concerns for each side.  Devise a resolution plan and meet to reach a consensus on plan.  Goals, concerns, consensus plan in notebook.	TBA	04/04/2012
36A	6	Using research literature and all stakeholders’ perspectives, compile a list of current issues that affect teaching and learning.  Assess degree of importance and urgency for each issue.  List, assessment, and recommendations in notebook.	Self; Stakeholders	3/09/2012
37A	8	Compile a list of professional associations, service organizations, and local, state, and federal agencies that provide expertise and service to superintendents.  List and service in notebook.	Self; Superintendents	12/20/2011
38A	8	Compile a list of books, publications, training manuals, and district or state publications used/recommended for the position of superintendent.  List in notebook.	Self; Superintendents	12/20/2011