Having a plan to tackle your school district’s critical problems doesn’t mean you have the money to pay for it, and many districts find their best-laid improvement plans can fall apart with just one state budget cut or failed local bond issue.
That’s why a growing number of districts nationwide are working to bring together educators and budget officers early and often, to make sure budgets support the most critical priorities.
“One of the hardest things is when you talk about academic [return on investment], educators are not used to putting a dollar sign on students; they look at quality education and what’s best for the kids,” said Claire Hertz the Beaverton, Ore., district’s chief financial officer. “And I look at dollar signs, but I don’t necessarily know what’s most important instructionally,” she said. “We each bring a strength and a source of data to each other.”
Education Week
By Sarah D. Sparks
March 20, 2018