Budget Development Stakeholders

Stakeholder Input in Budgeting Process

In reviewing the budgeting process for my district it was emphasized through my interview that all stake holders are needed to make the goal driven budgetary process successful.  There are many that are involved in this process and all have an important part in the planning, preparation and implementing of the budget. 

Central Office Administrators and Staff as stakeholders have numerous roles and responsibilities in the budget process.  The superintendent develops and communicates the budget process and guideline. He also provides the calendar to the district.  He conducts the final review of the proposed district budget and submits the proposed budget to the school board workshops and working sessions.  (Our Board has met many times during these summer months as plans of action were presented last spring and moneys were reallocated.) Our financial officer helps develop the district revenue estimates and serves as a district budget officer to compile all school budgets into the proposed district budget. He also communicates any revisions to the appropriate persons.  He reviews and provides requested forecasts as needed.  (Our Financial Officer has been very busy this summer. Our district has been analyzing the moneys and positions throughout the summer. Our district had to declare a program RIF in the spring, but has been adding people and programs back as their budgetary projection plan projected.)  Our Director of Personnel compiles and reviews personnel staffing needs submitted by the budget managers. (Our Personnel Director has kept us up to date throughout each week of the summer. Many of our positions and programs have been reimplemented as finances were analyzed. Our Personnel Director and our Financial Officer kept spreadsheets with positions posted as finances and programs were revisited.

Principals act as budget managers for their campuses. They submit preliminary budget and non-allocated requests to be reviewed.  Principals also evaluate staffing needs based upon enrollment projections and student course selections and submit recommended staffing plans to the personnel director.  (This spring we lost many positions on our campuses.  It was very difficult not only with scheduling, but also emotionally as personnel knew they were not coming back.  This has been a very difficult time as far as budget.  Many people are being able to return, but we still have to be very frugal.)

Site Based Decision Making Committees help provide advisory review of preliminary budget and non-allocated funding requests.  Campus site based committees review campus assessments needs.

 The District Improvement Committee reviews the assessment needs as a district.  We are in the process of realigning our District Improvement Committee for 11-12 school year. These members are valuable stakeholders in the budgetary process.

Teacher Organizations in our district are very well represented and have been very supportive in many district decisions.  This year our teacher organizations were proactive in helping spread the word to personnel to contact their legislators, senators, and representatives alike, to make them aware of the educational involvement and support of public education and the moneys necessary for public schools to be successful.

Community members are also valued stakeholders in the budgetary process because they represent the community and the students of the community.  There are many voices in the community and when working together with the school district allows many opportunities to occur.  We have a very involved community who support our district in numerous ways.

Board of Trustees are the stakeholders who review, prioritize and revise the proposed budget that is submitted by the superintendent ad staff.  They work together in the budget workshops to analyze the needs of the district and help implement the goals of the district that are important.  They also conduct public hearing for budget consideration and adopt the official budget and tax rate. (This spring and summer our board members have truly been actively and efficiently involved in how, who, what, where, when and why of the budgetary effects for this school year.)

In reviewing all of the stakeholders and their responsibilities I believe the Financial Officer and the Superintendent are two critical members of the team.  The Superintendent knows the needs from the educational point of view.  He has the knowledge of the whole picture of his district and knows the needs.  The Financial Officer looks at the process from the monetary side.  He puts the formulas in place to be able to get the most money for each need of the district.  Together these two, present the overall needs and financial possibilities to the Board. The Board is the representation of school and community.  They are important to the overall budgetary process and have a major responsibility to all involved.  I also believe that the Campus Site Based Committee members are vital stakeholders.  Each campus knows the needs of their students and together can help to set goals that will benefit their needs.  Through the campus process of planning, preparing and implementing the financial needs and budgetary process can target the goals for a successful year.