School Finance/Business ManagementEDU 6315SYLLABUSSPRING 2014HYBRID

Amber KellerFebruary 8, 2014

Many members of the general public and the policy community believe that school districts are going bankrupt, teachers are underpaid, and educator layoffs are rampant (see “The Compensation Question,” forum, Fall 2012, forthcoming). Inaccurate media reporting, naive celebrity comments, education-advocate laments, social-media babble, and talk-show dialogue reinforce this view.What are the facts? Total K–12 public-school spending approaches $700 billion annually. Inflation-adjusted per-pupil school spending has increased over the last century by, on average, 2.3 percent per year. There have been a few plateau years during recessions, but never a significant decline (see Figure 1).As a consequence, the United States now spends more money on K–12 schooling than any other nation in the world. More is spent by the United States, in the aggregate, than by hugely populous nations such as China and India. Spending per pupil is higher in the U.S. than in every country except Switzerland.Achievement levels in the U.S. are not commensurate with spending, however. Many nations exceed the United States in science and math test scores, for example.http://educationnext.org/public-schools-and-money/

Spending increases have been directed overwhelmingly toward adding school employees. Professional-to-pupil ratios have become ever more favorable. Whereas 30 years ago there was one professional educator employed for every 18.6 public school students, the equivalent figure today is one for every 15.4 students. When other personnel are added to the mix—cafeteria workers, custodians, clerks, and so forth—the ratio falls to one employee for every 7 students.School productivity, measured as educational outcomes divided by labor or financial inputs, has declined dramatically. Indeed, relative to sectors such as communication, finance, manufacturing, and agriculture, the public schools are highly labor-intensive. The productivity picture is made worse by the resistance of schools to augment teachers’ efforts with new instructional technologies.http://educationnext.org/public-schools-and-money/

District Goals

• Ensure the budget adequately supports the district’s mission, vision and goals.• Review monthly budget reports and take appropriate actions.• Continue to meet and collaborate with municipal and legislative leaders on

fiscal matters.• Continue to work with municipal officials in support of town financial plans.• Continue to work with Grand Prairie Commerce and the community to

articulate the needs for the renovation of all schools in the district.• Appoint a budget subcommittee to monitor budget development

Campus Goals

• Goal 1: Develop and implement a system of academic interventions.

• Goal 2: Reduce course/subject failure rates.• Goal 3: Develop subject area vertical alignment.• Goal 4: Engage parents and the community in the

education process.• Goal 5: Prevent campus violence and ensure appropriate

methods of intervention

Development of SGPHS Budget

• Contact with Julie Spears, head of finance for GPISD• Contact with Ms. Kracmer, head of finance for SGPHS• Discussion of needs for SGPHS• Discussions of available funding for both the district and

SGPHS individually• Excel information entered• Discussion of the difference variant

Function 11 Instructional

• Allotted salaries $148,070• 75.79% of overall budget• Differentiated instruction is a way to reach students

with different learning styles, different abilities to absorb information and different ways of expressing what they have learned. Laura Robb is an expert in the field of differentiated instruction, and, as such, she has command of the theory and research as well as hands-on experience in the classroom.

Function 12 Media Services

• $12,275• 6.28 % of overall budget• Elmos• Ethernet cables• Projectors• Licenses for programs added to the campus

Function 13 Staff Development

• $13,800• 7.06% of the overall budget• Guest speakers• Technology needed to push out • Paper allotment

Function 23 School Leadership

• $13,000• 6.65% of overall budget• AVID training• Capturing kids hearts training• SYOP training

Function 31 Counseling

• $1,500• 0.77% of the overall budget• Off campus training

Function 33 Health Services

• 1,000• 0.51% of the overall budget• Nurse supplies • Pregnancy Pacts• Toiletres for C.A.R.E.S unit

Function 36 Extracurricular

• $16,777• 8.59% of overall budget • UIL• SPORTS• ARTS