Fayetteville Board Hears Report On New Budgeting Process
Saturday, April 12, 2014
FAYETTEVILLE -- The School Board wants a "road map" to follow as it moves toward a proposed change in the budget process tying expenditures to student achievement.
The process is called student-centered budgeting, in which money is allocated to schools based on priorities to improve student achievement. The process requires constant evaluation for effectiveness, said Lisa Morstad, chief financial officer, who met with the board on Friday.
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The School Board plans to interview two more applicants for the superintendent’s position. Board President Tim Hudson declined to identify them until appointments are made. The board interviewed state Education Commissioner Tom Kimbrell and Cabot Superintendent Tony Thurman. Both decided not to pursue the Fayetteville job. The district received 17 applicants to replace Vicki Thomas who is leaving June 30.
Source: Staff Report
The district has been looking at this type of budgeting for about a year, under the guidance of consultant Craig Schilling, an assistant professor of leadership at Concordia University in Chicago.
"I want to see what we're going to do to make this happen," said Susan Heil, board member, during Morstad's presentation.
Bryn Bagwell, board member, asked if the district can get a blueprint from other districts where student-centered budgeting has been implemented. Morstad said Wichita and Blue Valley school districts in Kansas are using this type of budgeting.
Schilling has visited Fayetteville several times to meet with administrators and school staff. He has a $76,000, three-year contract with the School District.
Traditional budgeting, as is used in most districts, including Fayetteville, uses a line item and function allocation approach that perpetuates the status quo and usually supports district expenditures, rather than school expenditures, Morstad said.
Student-centered budgeting addresses basic needs of each school, provides for innovation and initiative, and targets financial resources at the school level, Morstad said. If a strategy at one school isn't as successful in reaching higher student achievement, the money may be reallocated to implement a more successful program at that school.
One of the next steps for administrators and principals is developing a policy outlining the steps to implement the process. The policy would ensure continuity from one year to the next, Morstad said. Input from teachers, who are closest to students, is another major piece of the process, she added.
The board will have the final approval for a new budget policy.
"The point to get across is that the job of education is tied to the student," said Steve Percival, a board member.
NW News on 04/12/2014