Managing the Message

Throughout our School Finance and Operations course, we have had the opportunity to work with the budgeting software used by administrators. It was eye-opening to see how many decisions are out of the administrator's control, and how varied are the voices asking for the money that remains.

In Abbotsford this year, many decisions regarding staffing were centralized as a result of last year's Supreme Court ruling regarding class size and composition. The number of education assistants, learning support teachers, English Language Learner teachers, and other non-enrolling positions were all decided at the district level. In some ways this centralization is limiting, as administrators who know their buildings well might feel they know best when it comes to meeting their students' needs. In other cases, administrators who feel conflicted about spending money on a new soccer field or putting that money toward a learning support teacher and education assistant can feel a measure of peace that that particular dilemma is out of their hands.

Ultimately, though, there are many decisions administrators must make, and stakeholders to whom they have to defend those decisions. What kind of buy-in they will get from those stakeholders - specifically the school staff, the school parents, and the district's budget office - depends entirely on how well the administrator is able to manage the message to each party.

Transparency is the key to managing the message, no matter the audience. The administrator has the power  - and the responsibility, I would argue - to create a culture of collegiality and support within the school. If all the staff and parents understand that every decision is made for the benefit of student success, then they can understand that while the science department is getting extra funds this year to outfit an improved lab, there is a big picture which encompasses the learning experience for all children. I feel it is the administrator's job to educate the staff and parents to realize that providing equal levels of funding for every department in the school - regardless of needs - is not an effective way to achieve Student Success through Optimized Resources (see my September 30th post on the Strategic Plan). This requires the administrator to intimately understand both the budget itself and the particular needs of the students in the school. Armed with this knowledge, the administrator can easily justify the spending to staff, by specifically explaining how students will be supported in the classroom through EA support; how programs will be enriched by increased tech support; and how hands-on learning and innovation will expand through teachers' professional development. Armed with this knowledge, the administrator can easily justify spending to the parents, by outlining how every child will benefit from the increased resources targeting vulnerable students; and how building a culture of acceptance and tolerance through increased training for staff will improve the mental health of everyone in the school. Finally, armed with this knowledge the administrator can easily justify spending to the district's budget office, by explaining in detail how decisions align with the district's Strategic Plan.

Budgeting, by its nature, is a guessing game. Administrators use the best information they have to make an educated guess as to how much resources will cost, which programs will be the most effective, and which initiatives will yield the best long term results. Careful research and an exploration of past decisions can alleviate some of the risk, but it happens that despite best intentions, the funds that are spent do not produce the wanted results. In that case, I feel that transparency is even more imperative! Admitting a mistake and working together to plan for the future is showing both humility and the desire for excellence. Administrators who are able to do this, to discuss budgeting needs openly with staff, parents, and the district office - showing flexible and creative thinking - are those who will have the support and trust of their school community.

The Strategic Plan is the Foundation

As we've been working our way through our School Finance and Operations course, we have realized just what a juggling act the school budget can be. So how does an administrator - or the superintendent of schools, for that matter - decide where the money goes? It all comes down to the Strategic Plan.

Every school district has a Strategic Plan. In Abbotsford, the Strategic Plan was recently updated and encompasses four main areas. Student Success - as it should be - is the first priority, and focuses on early learning, improved student achievement, and increased graduation rates. These are fairly specific goals, and it is easier to narrow down budget spending priorities when determining if the funds needed will address one of these areas. Fiscal responsibility is addressed in the second goal, which is Optimized Resources. This involves both spending money wisely, and providing excellent customer service to parents and the community working with the school district. Through a focus on Engaging Opportunities, the school district has shown a desire to work alongside parents in building a strong and healthy community in which children can thrive. I have done quite a lot of research into the benefits of creating this home-school-community connection, and it is clear that this is among the very best ways that a school district can empower its members. Allocating funds toward programs that allow for this community building is crucial for meeting the needs of the whole child - not just the academic ones. Finally, the Strategic Plan addresses how imperative it is that all members of the Progressive Workforce strive for excellence. Education is rapidly changing, and many of the strategies and methods teachers learned when they were starting out are no longer the most effective ways to teach kids. Inquiry based learning, hands-on encounters with the real world, critical thinking opportunities and a technology based platform are but some of the major changes to which educators have to adapt. Enabling teachers to build capacity in these areas requires an investment in professional development, and by doing so the district is bringing the focus back to Student Success. Only by remaining lifelong learners dedicated to seeking the best ways to support kids will educators be able to achieve that which matters most: successful learning for all students.

Who Controls the Money?

Managing a school's vast budget is one of the jobs administrators often find most difficult. Despite this, I've come to realize that few Master's in Leadership programs offer training in budget background, how to juggle conflicting priorities among staff and parents, and which decisions are out of an administrator's control. Fortunately for us, these are just the issues we've been tackling in our School Finance and Operations class this term.

For most teachers, the school district's budget is a mystery. We recognize that there are many things we wish we could have in our classrooms or programs; but generally we expect the pained look on our admin's face when we ask for funds - and are not surprised when none are forthcoming. But is the withholding of funds a random decision by an administrator with thousands (or millions?!) of dollars at their disposal? It certainly feels that way, when you're asking for money for textbooks or new iPads. If that administrator really wanted the best for kids, they would find the money, wouldn't they? Well, as we've been exploring (and which any of us who have to juggle our own personal finances must have suspected), it is never that simple.

Schools receive money based on the number of students who are actually attending the school. This is one of the many things that is calculated in September and has to be submitted to the government by September 30 - a time during which you may notice that every administrator and all clerical staff are frantically muttering about "1701s" - the form on which the information is entered. Along with the general per-student allotment that schools receive, there is additional funding provided for English Language Learners (ELL), Aboriginal students, and some of the Special Education categories (generally health-related designations receive funding; learning-related designations do not). This means that learning support teachers (and all related staff) and ELL teachers are also muttering frantically about 1701s. Everyone needs to ensure that every possible student is accounted for, since those dollars are precious and need to cover so many necessary and valuable programs.

So, how does the Ministry of Education know how much money to budget for passing out to districts in September? Projections are actually calculated in March for the following year, and staffing and per-student funding amounts are decided then. Anyone who has been in a school in September knows that there are almost always huge changes in enrollment from June to September, so these projections are really just best guesses. But that's why so much effort goes into ensuring that every student is accounted for by the end of September!

Something that caught me off guard when examining a budget in detail was the fact that the vast majority of a school's funds goes toward staffing. It makes sense, of course, but somehow I had always thought of the budget simply addressing the things that are needed in the school, not the people. Education is all about people, after all, and without those teachers, education assistants, custodians, secretaries, and administrators, none of the rest of the system would be possible. There's never enough money in the budget, but as long as we are able to fill our schools with the people whose life work it is to help kids succeed, then we're spending our money well.