Week 2 Part 1: Defining a Goal Driven Budget

A goal driven budget is a financial plan that supports the overall objective of the school district. In this week’s lecture I learned that a goal driven budget is more than allocating fiscal resources for a desired goal (an example being spending funds on teachers and materials to teach a certain subject), but should be an all-encompassing process that is developed in conjunction during district strategic planning through the district improvement plan. Based on my interview with my Superintendent and district Chief Financial Officer, I learned that a goal driven budget is one that is focused on a shared vision of key stakeholders in the district, from the campus level to the district and community level.

In my district, at the campus and district level, a Comprehensive Needs Assessment is completed utilizing an exhaustive list of data (including state assessment results, AYP, PBMAS), meetings, and feedback to verify the needs of each campus and district. Goals are then developed based on the Comprehensive Needs Assessment. These goals are SMART, in that they are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Research Driven, and Time bound. These goals are as follows:

• Goal 1: Every student in LISD will pass all state assessments and the district and all campuses will achieve Exemplary status on all state assessments.
• Goal 2: LISD will identify, monitor, and serve all at-risk students.
• Goal 3: LISD will work to maintain a safe and disciplined environment conducive to learning.
• Goal 4: LISD will ensure that all students are taught by highly qualified teachers.
• Goal 5: LISD will strive to ensure that parents and community members are active partners in the education and activities of all students.

The financial resources for reaching these goals are not included in our 2010-2011 DIP, but consist of federal, state, and local funding. During the current school year a concerted effort on the part of district leadership has each campus aligning our goals and referencing how we support those goals with the campus budget. According to my district leadership interview, though specifically aligning the budget to particular goals on the district improvement plan did not occur in the previous school year, a definitive goal driven budget will be a priority during the campus and district improvement process and plans this year. On the district improvement plan this will by shown aligning account codes, account titles, and budget with particular district and campus goals. For example, Goal 5 on my DIP reads: LISD will strive to ensure that parents and community members are active partners in the education and activities of all students. This goal could be shown that it is supported with Title I funds on the DIP.

 Though my district had a disconnect on the implementation of aligning budget to goals on last year’s DIP, this will not be the case in the 2011-2012 school year. The district leadership team understands effective planning practices and has placed an emphasis on developing a goal driven budget while keeping the shared vision in mind.