Professional Development Plan

Step 1 Identify Potential District Goals

I begin this professional development plan knowing that both campuses in our small, rural district with 550 students have been tagged with the Academically Unacceptable label for the school year 2011-2012.  Of course, since the state will not give new accountability ratings until 2013, we will remain unacceptable for two years, regardless of our progress.  The secondary campus (6-12) was declared unacceptable because of low scores for African American students on the math TAKS test.  The elementary received the rating due to low writing scores.  Oddly enough, the entire district was given an Academically Acceptable rating.  While our district has several goals in the campus and district improvement plans the areas that we need to focus on the most at this time are those that the state has identified as being below the acceptable level and that we can address through professional development.

Step 2 Prioritize and Select District Goals

While the two unacceptable ratings seem to be unconnected due to being in different subject areas, the overriding issue is that our district is predominately composed of economically disadvantaged students.  We have struggled for years with our math scores at the secondary level and with issues of students not being motivated to be academically successful in general.  Research has shown that students from economically challenged homes struggle more often with academic challenges than those who have more financial resources available.  The data is clear in our AEIS reports, PEIMS data and TAKS results:  Our economically disadvantaged students are not performing well academically.

As superintendent, armed with the supportive data, I would meet with the campus leaders (principals, counselors, special education teachers, lead teachers and members of the site based teams) to ask their assistance in identifying the major concerns in the district.  I’ve discovered that the most effective meetings are small and informal so each person is more free to speak their mind and feel that their opinion will be heard.  I would set the meetings so that individuals would be with others with whom they are comfortable and therefore more likely to state their true opinion.  I’m going to assume for this assignment that one of the goals of the district will continue to be improving the academic success of economically disadvantaged students.

In our meetings we would brainstorm for ideas to fund the professional development needed through budget, grants, and other resources uniquely found in our community.  Since the meetings will include members of the site based teams, community members and business owners would be in attendance and their perspectives would be valuable in finding creative ways to fund a high quality professional development program to meet the needs of our teachers and ultimately those of our students. The district’s business manager would need to be involved in these preliminary meetings to provide accurate information on the amount of school funds available for professional development.

Step 3 Vertically Align District Goals to the Classroom

In setting the vertical alignment of district goals so that they will be universally addressed on each campus, at each grade level, and in each classroom, I would enlist the assistance of lead teachers and department heads to write the goals in a manner that would lead to buy in from the teachers in their groups. While this step should not take an extreme amount of time, it is important to write the goals so that they are clear to all and not open to interpretation. Therefore, I am assuming our goals would be similar to those listed below:

District Goal: Overton ISD will increase the number of economically disadvantaged students who pass the STAAR, End of Course, and TAKS tests at all grade levels.

Campus Goal: Overton Secondary School will increase the number of economically disadvantaged students who pass the STAAR, End of Course, and TAKS tests in grades 6 through 12.

Overton Elementary School will increase the number of economically disadvantaged students who pass the STAAR tests in grades 3 through 5.

Grade Level Goal: (Insert appropriate grade level) will increase the number of economically disadvantaged students who pass the STAAR tests.

Subject Area Goal: (Insert appropriate subject area) will increase the number of economically disadvantaged students who pass the STAAR/EOC/TAKS tests.

Individual Teacher Goal: Each teacher in Overton ISD will increase the number of economically disadvantaged students that pass the state mandated tests and teachers in non-tested subjects or grades will incorporate techniques and concepts approved by the district to aide economically disadvantaged youth to gain academic success.

Step 4 Seeking Input and Support from District and Campus Committees

In meeting with the District and Campus Improvement Committees, I will seek input on not only what professional development is needed, but also discuss how the information will be delivered.  The committees will also have input on when the professional development will take place.  Options for the professional development sessions include days set aside specifically for in-service on the calendar, workshops at the ESC, early release days, or after school meetings.  I would also hope to include some meetings at times that would be available to our parents and other stakeholders.

 The committees will also need to have input on the budget allocated for the professional development.  Each campus principal will present a suggested campus budget and as superintendent I would have the business manager discuss the district wide budget for meetings, printing costs, substitute teachers, and presenters.  The committee members would be able to ask questions and seek information concerning the budgets presented.

I would work to achieve ownership of the proposed professional development from each member of the committees in order to better present the plan to our employees and community members in a positive light. In a small community such as Overton, the public relations aspect of any proposal is significant.

Step 5 Securing Money and Scheduling Time

In setting the budget for the proposed professional development I would first determine if those involved in the planning want to bring in outside presenters or attempt to do the entire process with local resources.  I would encourage them to have one major event to begin the year long process.  I will proceed with the premise that a major keynote speaker and follow up meetings have been approved by the committees.  I am also going to include other local small school districts in the keynote meeting, charging a fee that would help offset our district’s costs. 

After looking at several options, the preliminary budget for this area of the district’s professional development plan would include the following:

1.)    $10,000 for speaker (Dr. Ruby Payne) at keynote meeting and the next day’s follow-up meeting

2.)    $750 for Dr. Payne’s book A Framework for Understanding Poverty, to be distributed to faculty, substitute teachers, school board members and staff at the end of the school year, prior to the keynote meeting

3.)    $400 for rental of Kilgore College’s auditorium for keynote meeting

4.)    $500 for printing costs

5.)    $500 for publicity (ads with local media aimed at informing the public of the program)

6.)    $1000 for food at community/school meetings

7.)    $2000 for substitute teachers (used when teachers attend trainings during the school day)

Total budget: $15,150

In order to pay for the above without taking away from the regular school budget, I propose the following to help offset the cost to the district:

1)  Invite local small districts to attend the keynote meeting for a cost of $500 per district (estimate 10 of the 15 districts would attend)= $5,000

2)  Seek financial support for the McMillan Foundation, an Overton based group who have always stepped up to help the district for such causes=$5000

3)  Sell tickets to keynote meeting for anyone interested in attending who is not an employee of the local districts supporting the event (estimate 50 people at $10 per ticket)= $500

4)  Seek support from local civic organizations such as the Overton/New London Chamber of Commerce and the Overton Rotary Club (a $500 contribution from each would be sought)= $1000

5)  Seek support from corporations and businesses doing business with OISD and a history of supporting the district such as Dr. Pepper, Waggoner Heating and Air Conditioning, Kingham Construction, Cook Oil Field Supply, Pope and Turner Furniture, etc. (goal of $200 each)=$2,000

6)   Sell Dr. Payne’s book at keynote meeting and parent meeting for a $5 profit (estimate 200 x $5)=$1000

7)  Enlist local restaurants to give 10% of lunch receipts to district from keynote meeting attendees who show appropriate card ($1 x 200)=$200

8)  Seek support from other corporations and organizations associated with education such as Horace Mann Insurance, Kilgore College, retired teachers’ organizations, PTO’s at attending schools, etc. (suggested $100 each)=+/-$1000

9)  Enlist local churches to provide meals for conference attendees on day two, the local follow up meeting

10)  Budget  from local funds for additional costs of program/shortfalls in above estimates=$5000

Total financial support: $20,700 (extra to be used for additional materials as needed)

Step 5/6 Scheduling time an Designing Professional Development Activities

The calendar for the professional development program would reflect the following:

1) Issue Dr. Payne’s book to all employees and school board members in May of 2012 with directive to read the book and to fill out a brief questionnaire that would show successful completion of task

2) Hold keynote meeting with Dr. Payne at Kilgore College on the first day of in-service at the beginning of 2012-2011 school year.  This meeting would include attendees from other local districts as outlined in the budget

3) Hold a follow up meeting (day two of her program: Research-Based Strategies) with Dr. Payne in our local school auditorium for OISD employees and stakeholders on the day following the keynote meeting.

4) Day three of the in-service would deal with small groups in which grade level/subject area meetings would occur.  Moderators would be used to make sure that the groups stayed on task.  Use of appropriate videos would be used.  These are obtained for no cost through the ESC, Stephen F. Austin State University, and from free internet resources.

5) The next meeting would occur during the first two weeks of school and would include community members, parents, and employees.  This would be the opportunity to present the program and plans to everyone involved.  The meeting would be in conjunction with “Meet the Teacher Night/Open House”.

6) Follow up for individual employees would occur through workshops at ESC 7, webinars, and further research based activities.

7) Faculty meetings would routinely involve follow up on strategies and discussions of effectiveness of the program

8) The early release date on the last day before Christmas break would be devoted to a district wide meeting in which selected teachers and stakeholders would give testimonials to the effectiveness of the program.  Students would be enlisted to give their perspectives on the district’s efforts to assist economically disadvantaged students.

9) Final meeting would be the last day of school when available test scores, grades, attendance records, and discipline records would be evaluated to see if there were significant improvements made

10)  Planning for the next year’s professional development would be presented during this time as well

Step 7 Delegate Responsibilities to Appropriate Staff

Because we are such a small district, more duties will be assigned to staff members than would be expected in a larger district.

 I would begin with the keynote meeting.  The central office personnel (superintendent’s secretary, receptionist, payroll officer, and business manager) would be in charge of maintaining contact with Dr. Payne’s office to insure all financial obligations are met and to confirm with Kilgore College that all is done efficiently and appropriately for the keynote meeting.  This would include contacting restaurants for the possible rebates to the program, mailing information to attendees, and being present at the meeting to facilitate as attendees arrive.  The superintendent’s secretary would have the further duty of taking care of Dr. Payne’s needs when she arrives.

The high school principal would, along with the superintendent, be assigned the duty of enlisting corporate sponsorship, contacting other districts for information on numbers expected to attend, and any publications or print material needed.  He would further delegate these jobs to his secretary, technology teacher, librarian, and the employee responsible for making copies and laminating.  The principal would follow up with thank you cards or even plaques to each sponsor.

The elementary principal would be in charge of the follow up meeting on the second day.  Her job would be to publicize the meeting through local media (5 newspapers, 6 radio stations, 2 television stations, the district’s phone system on which mass calls can be made, the school website) and to make sure that the facility is prepared for the meeting.  She could enlist her secretary and aides for assistance.

Both principals would keep the superintendent informed of faculty meeting agendas in which the program was discussed as well as set times and dates for meetings.

The technology director would have the responsibility of setting up all internet access, microphones, etc. for all meetings.  The director would need to contact Dr. Payne to make sure everything she needs is available.  She would make sure the meetings were publicized on the schools’ marquees.

The maintenance director would be in charge of clean up, moving needed tables and chairs, as well as directing parking on both days.  He would of course utilize the custodians and maintenance crew in this endeavor.

The student council sponsor would be in charge of information and welcoming guests on both of the first two days.  Student council members would be used to answer questions about the facilities, restaurants, etc. as well as hand out any paperwork that is part of the meetings.

To the band director would be given the responsibility of providing an opening ceremony for the keynote meeting.  The national anthem pledges, and appropriate preconference music would be part of his job.

The counselors would be responsible for contacting the local churches to supply food for the second day.  They would further be directed to contact local agencies who would provide additional support for the program throughout the year.  The counselors, along with the principals, would be tasked with providing data by which to measure the effectiveness of the program.

Step 8 Schedule Personnel to Appropriate Professional Development Activities

As discussed in Step 6, the only two district wide meetings would occur in the first two days with Dr. Payne presiding.  After this, the faculty and stakeholders would be meeting in groups of similar characteristics (grade level/subject matter).  The principals would be charged with setting up the groups based on their knowledge of their faculty and the schedules.  I would ask that they do not meet in the same groups all year, but perhaps combine different groups occasionally so that fresh ideas can be presented.  I would encourage the principals to send faculty members to districts who have been successful in creating a culture of achievement with similar students as OISD in order to report back to the campus any ideas or methods that would benefit their students.

Step 9 Communicate the Importance of Planned Activities to All Shareholders

This program will begin well before the keynote meeting.  Beginning at the end of the 2011-2012 school year, the district’s webpage will begin previewing the program and the reasons for it and expectations of anticipated success.  The cooperation among many stakeholders will be emphasized and parents, students, community members and faculty will all be implored to get on board with this massive effort to help change the culture at OISD.  We will start months before the first meetings with regular articles in local papers, presentations to civic organizations, and announcements at all school events aimed at getting community buy-in to the planned professional development.  I will enlist local pastors, businessmen, and community leaders to join the school in promoting the benefits of this effort.  ESC 7 has always been helpful in providing information about such efforts to their members.  The beginning of the year newsletters will be mailed a bit earlier to allow time for all stakeholders to make plans to attend either the keynote meeting, follow up meeting, or evening meeting connected with the annual open house/meet the teacher night.

The teachers will be encouraged to get involved in all activities and to use their summer workshops as preparation for the fall meetings.

The dismal test results for economically disadvantaged students and the increased failure rate for this population will provide the driving force for all concerned stakeholders.

Step 10 Evaluate and Follow –Up Professional Development Activities

We will begin getting feedback on the efforts before the first meetings as teachers will turn in an evaluation of Dr. Payne’s book that was given to them at the end of the previous year.  From that point the attendees at each meeting will receive an evaluation form that will not only have a set of evaluations that can be answered just by circling numbers (1-5), but will provide space for narrative responses as to what went well, what was not as good, and what other information the person would like to have on the subject.

Periodically, the district will post an online survey using Survey Monkey so community members can evaluate the district’s efforts.

Each faculty meeting will provide opportunity for feedback as will department meetings. 

The principal’s will add appropriate measures to the walk through documents that will allow them to measure the implementation of Dr. Payne’s recommendations.

On the final meeting date of the year, a comprehensive evaluation will be given to all employees and stakeholders in attendance in order to measure perception with the actual gains documented by the principals’ and counselors’ collected data.  Both the data and the evaluations will help drive the planning for the next year’s professional development.

EDLD 5342, Week 5, Part 1

Week 5, Part 1 I unfortunately have seen some good people (and good administrators) make some really poor choices that have caused themselves and their districts serious problems. One of the worst examples was when a superintendent for a district in which I was employed misappropriated school funds and when caught was fired, convicted of theft by a public servant, and had his teaching certificate revoked. Seldom will a case go to the full extent of the law as this one did, but there was already bad blood and the superintendent played into the hands of his detractors by committing a serious error in judgement. Standard 1.2 clearly states that misappropriating school funds is not tolerated. I have also seen a situation in which a superintendent used school personnel on school time to work on his property. Once again, Standard 1.2 specifically names the use of personnel for personal gain. This superintendent was reprimanded, but evidently didn't get the message as he later was caught committing an even more serious crime. The use of school vehicles for personal travel has been done at several districts where I worked. One was even so blatant as to allow his wife to drive the school's suburban (with the school's name on the side) to a non-school event. This resulted in the superintendent losing the use of the school vehicles except for very specific events. The use of the vehicle was bad enough, but the superintendent filled out the fuel request stating school business for the reason. Standard 1.3 covers fraudulent requests for reimbursements. Standard 2 covers ethical conduct towards professional colleagues and is sometimes more difficult to prove than financial improprieties because their is usually not a paper trail to follow. I've seen supervisors speak to coaches about playing their children or on one occassion pressuring the One Act Play director to cast their child in the lead and when it didn't happen speaking ill of the director.This violated Standard 2.2 by making false statements about a colleague. The case mentioned above concerning the superintendent's misappropriation of funds also led to a violation of Standard 2.7 when he retaliated against the person who discovered his misconduct. As I mentioned in the first case, serious issues with money can and should lead to the loss of a job, criminal charges being filed, or even the loss of the teacher certification. Less serious issues will mean at least the loss of credibility, difficulty in finding other employment and damage to the reputation of the district. I think all of the violations above could have been avoided. Each of the superintendents or supervisors mentioned above created a isolated environment for themselves that lead them to believe that they were not doing anything wrong or that they were owed something. The best way to avoid such a situation would be to surround yourself with people to whom you are accountable. Also, set up a system of checks and balances that will make it more difficult to make wrong decisions in secret. Always be transparent in everything, especially when dealing with money. Never be in a situation in which you are the sole person in charge of counting or accounting for money such as gate receipts, fund raisers, etc.

EDLD 5342, Week 5, Part 3

EDLD 5342, School Finance, was a difficult course for me because it addressed the area of educational leadership in which I have the least experience.  It proved to be a challenge well worth the effort as I learned multiple concepts that will benefit my future career as a superintendent. As I completed the Competency 8 self-assessment, I was aware that I had grown in several areas.  One of the greatest areas of growth was in the ability to establish district procedures for accurate, effective, ethical purchasing and financial record keeping and reporting.  Prior to the assignment covering FIRST and the readings about school financial audits, I really had no idea that there was a standardized procedure for helping schools keep their finances in line.  I had obviously seen budgets and been involved in budget meetings, but to actually see the standards and requirements was an eye-opener.  I also learned a great deal about revenue forecasting and the importance of WADA as it applies to funding.  The crucial coding for PEIMS and its impact on WADA and funding was an important lesson to learn. I always enjoy the lectures because the topics that are most important are discussed so I can zero in on the most relevant areas of the week’s lesson.  Week five was interesting to me because of the assertion that it is almost impossible to embezzle funds from a school district.  I’ve personally seen several instances in which employees attempted to take school funds illegally and they’ve been caught at a great cost to not only themselves, but the trust that a community puts in its school’s leaders.  Week four’s lecture brought the concept of “economy of scale” to my attention.  I knew that there were advantages and disadvantages to schools depending on the student population, but I did not realize that it could be quantified.  This finding helps me understand the push for consolidation that comes from Austin from time to time.  Other lectures also proved beneficial, from Week one’s history of school finance to the more “nuts and bolts” topics of budgets and the TEA Summary of Finance discussions in Week 2.  Week 3’s lecture was the heart and soul of the course, in my opinion.  Understanding the sources of funding and actually seeing and comparing two districts was a great learning experience. My interviews with my superintendent during this course basically confirmed my belief that funding for education in Texas needs a complete overhaul.  As a property poor district, we are not able to provide the same level of education as a rich district which can pay their teachers more, provide better training to teachers and aides, and be on the forefront of technology and best practices.  I came to admire administrators and school boards who must make tough decisions concerning school finances in these difficult times. Weeks 3 and 4’s assignments were real back breakers.  I learned more about the workings of school finance by looking at FIRST and the comparisons of the districts than in any other part of this superintendent’s certification program.  By having to look at real situations faced by administrators, discussing these problems with my Wiki group, and reading other Wiki groups reasoning I came away with a powerful sense of how difficult school finance really is.  In talking with Dr. Creel in my  conference I believe he was right in saying that only a few people really understand the system for educational funding in Texas….it is just that complicated. My Wiki group turned out to be a real learning experience.  Each of these educators was outstanding in their work ethic and dedication as well as their insightful comments concerning each week’s lesson.  Because we were a mixture of large and small schools, wealthy and poor districts, I was able to get a perspective I could not have seen without their contributions.  I appreciated their generosity in explaining issues that I didn’t understand and learned that networking will be a great tool that I must have if I hope to be an effective superintendent. This course, EDLD 5342, was difficult for me, but I know that I will draw from what I learned in these 5 weeks throughout the rest of my career in administration.

EDLD 5342 Week 4, Part 5

The district posts a job description and bid request for the external auditor job.  The interested auditors will present their bids and a resume to the central office.  The superintendent and business manager will present their choice to the school board for their approval. The auditor is given complete freedom and cooperation to look through all aspects of the district’s finances and expenditures.  Often, they will have questions that require school personnel to supply documentation of spending or receipt of funds.  Because we are a small district, most years the audit takes only about 5-8 days.  However, when there are concerns or a need for additional documentation the process can take longer. The audit will generally come up with a general overall rating of the district and then break it down to more specific areas of concerns or positive comments.  One major focus has been how purchase requisitions are processed and the checks and balances used to make sure all money is expended according to state law and local policy.  One example came about recently when the auditor suggested that the district change its policy on credit card use.  No longer will employees be able to use the credit card to pay for hotel rooms and travel, but must send through a check request and supply receipts.  The audit is discussed in an open board meeting and reported to local media as well as posted on the school website.  The public is invited to discuss the audit in the open session of the appropriate board meeting.

EDLD 5342 Week 4, Part 4

My district is a small district (550 students in grades K=12) and is also a property poor district.  Our total personnel salaries make up 70.63% of our budget or $3,600,000. Obviously, salaries are a huge part of the total budget.  When looking at the actual positions funded, I found that every teacher is utilized fully in each period of the day, minus their conference period.  This streamlining was even further accentuated by not replacing a fine arts teacher who retired and combining some administrative duties when one administrator left the district.  The district also got a waiver for elementary class size so we could further reduce the number of teachers on that campus.  One teacher was cut from the middle school campus and his duties covered by reducing the number of sections per grade level.  Several stipends were taken away, such as those given in the past to lead teachers, academic contests sponsors, and some small ones given to math and science teachers.  All aides, maintenance, transportation, janitorial, and other non-teachers were limited to no overtime pay in order to keep a handle on salaries even better. If our teachers were given a 5% raise it would mean that the district would be required to come up with an additional $180,000 in a very tight budget year.  The only way the district could honor such an increase would be to cut the budgets of extracurricular budgets, which have already been slashed by as much as 30%. I don’t see any possible way that the teachers can be given a raise, even if it is smaller than 5%.

Week 3, Part 4

Our district is quite small with a refined ADA of 501.284.  We are also a property poor district with a local property value of $65,851,537 (down almost $7 million from 2010).  The vast majority of our funding comes from the Foundation School Fund. Our M&O tax rate is $1.04.

 Our current funding with all adjustments from the FSP is $3,266,611. We receive funding for special education ($406,685), career and technology ($345,000), gifted and talented ($18,961), compensatory education ($414,942), and bilingual education ($663).  We do get $22,398 for our transportation allotment and another $45,379 for the high school allotment.  Our local fund assignment is $725,571.

With a yield per penny of $5,987, our district cannot generate a substantial amount of money and must rely on state funding to drive the M&O budget.  Since the M&O funds are designated for specific items which do not include buildings and facility improvement, we have passed two bonds in the last 7 years in order to replace buildings that were built in the 1930’s.  Even though the new buildings have changed the outside of our district, the lack of funding has limited our ability to meet our students’ educational needs as we have fewer aides for special education, have had to cut our fine arts programs, and now have larger class sizes in most grade levels due to teacher cuts. 

With the state wide budget crisis we are currently experiencing, small ,property poor districts will continue to struggle to provide all of the “bells and whistles” that more wealthy districts have until the state finds a way to have a truly equitable system of school finance.

EDLD 5342, Week 2, Part 1

A goal driven budget will align the budget with the overall goals of the district set forth by the Board of Trustees with other goal setting groups' plans.  This sort of budgeting will ensure that those items that are a priority will receive appropriate funding so that they will become reality. 

This week's lecture made clear that the District Improvement Committee and the Site Based Committee/Campus Improvement Committe should formulate their plans to reflect the goals of the Board of Trustees.  These individual plans will provide more detail to the broad goals formulated by the board.

My local district set forth six goals that are posted on our website.  Each of these goals are reflected in our campus improvement plans.

 First, the district wants to provide a safe, positive learning environment for students and staff.  Towards this end, the district has allocated funds for fencing, built new educational facilities, and improved the safety on and about campus through the use of money from bonds and the general budget.

The second goal is to gain a higher accountability rating.  The district solicited a grant from a local charitable foundation in order to purchase CSCOPE for the 2011-2012 academic year and beyond.

The district set a goal to support lifelong learning for students, staff and community members and set aside funds to provide GED classes and improve career and technology resources and opportunities.  The CATE funds were primarily provided through the Perkins Grant and the GED classes were funded partially by those using the class and by local donations.

We have set goals for high attendance and promoting a zero percent drop out rate.  We've budgetted for motivational speakers and have hired a full time attendance clerk who calls students who are absent and follows up on students who are at risk due to attendance issues.  We recently hired a counselor who will not be hindered by testing, scheduling and other distractions in order to focus on students in need of counseling.  These programs will be paid for through our local budget.

The board set the goal of better communication with parents.  To achieve this they used some technology money to provide a calling system so that parents can receive messages about school events and closures.

Finally, the district set the goal to institute a building maintenance program in order to meet the needs of the students.  A local charitable foundation provided the money to build an Ag Science building, bond money provided a new gym and renovation of the football stadium and local budgetary funds have been set aside for landscaping.

Each of these goals would likely have been left undone or greatly cut back if not for a goal driven budget.  We have accomplished a lot with a small tax base, due in a large degree to the committment of the community to having a quality school district.

EDLD 5342 Part 5

My superintendent believes each of the groups listed brings a unique perspective to the budgeting process.  The entities listed will represent the community in which the school is located, the professional staff, as well as the administrators of the district.

Central office administrators and staff will have a perspective that reflects the overall district's needs and concerns.  Since I am in a very small district this is somewhat limited, but larger districts will have assistant superintendents for different areas of administration and each will be able to represent his area of expertise in the budgeting process. He also thinks central office personnel will have more knowledge of revenue and student population projections as well as a better working knowledge of how the state funds education.

Principals of the individual campuses will bring insight to the development of campus culture and goals for their schools.  Principals will also bring a bigger view of their school's needs than classroom teachers because they have access to the special needs of each teacher and group on campus.

Site Based Decision Making Committees will bring in ideas from a perspective different than professional educators.  He indicated that this new insight often allows schools and districts to think outside of the box.  Often the businessmen on the committee will reflect a need for better trained employees and the district can respond with programs that will meet that need.

District improvement committees are useful in his view because they are usually goal oriented people and will be able to focus on what needs to be done to fix a problem and then also be creative enough to work on ways to fund the goals.  We are in a unique position this year as we are being mandated to work closely with the District Improvement Committee because of bad TAKS scores from one subpopulation and their input will shape the budget more than ever.

Teacher organizations can be strong advocates for not only pay and benefits, but also working conditions, each of which will effect a budget.  He believes that our local teacher organization has been very easy to work with and in fact, deals more with improving the quality of education that any with which he has worked.  He believes the small town atmosphere keeps the relationship form becoming adversarial.

Our small town takes great pride in their schools.  The superintendent mentioned several groups who have a large stake in our school system.  One local foundation has donated money in the past to build an Ag Science building, renovate our auditorium, provide technology for our high school and just this year paid $20,000 so we could implement CSCOPE in the district.  He reflected that not all "outsider" input changes the budget in a negative way.

Finally, the board of trustees can be a big help or a big hindrance, according to this third year superintendent.  He expressed that his first two budgets went through with no issues, but this year's budget process became contentious as the board and administration dealt with the funding cuts from the state.  Some individuals disagreed with budget cuts in extracurricular activities and even with some of the personnel moves that were made in order to keep a workable budget.  The superintendent did say that the board represents the community and that their input should be valued because they are the districts eyes and ears in the community.

Reaction

Each group mentioned is an important part of the budget process, even if it is in an advisory role.  The central office people should be the experts on school finance.  They know the special programs, funding for those programs as well as rules and regulations that drive them.  Principals are generally more focused on their own campus and tend to be somewhat territorial.  Too often they do not see the overall district's best interests as clearly as they see the campus for which they advocate.  Site based committee's can be beneficial, but only if they represent a broad range of the school's demographics.  Too often they are the power players who are also involved in other groups such as PTO and booster clubs.  The district improvement committee wields great power as the budget must respond to the goals they set.  Teacher organizations in Texas aren't as powerful as other states, but it would be wise for any budget process to get as much input from those who are closest to the students.  Community stakeholders can make or break a superintendent and need to be included in the budget process.  They will often find a way to fund their favorite program, whether it is an extracurricular team or an educational program that they hold dear.  Finally, the school board will have the final say in approving the budget, so obviously they need to be involved in the process, even if informally, from the beginning.  Letting them know of projected issues with funding or student population growth or even potential major expenditures looming in the future will allow them to prepare for them and help inform the community of the issues.

EDLD 5342, Part 4

My superintendent was very open about the budgeting process at our small district.  He was also cognizant of the fact that each district views the role of the superintendent in the budgeting process differently.
At our district, with a student population of around 550 in grades K-12 and a very low tax base, budgets can get very personal.  The superintendent indicated that because we have so few employees, the decisions made concerning budgets are often viewed as more than just monetary decisions, but reflective of the worth of each program or employee affected by the decision.
He tries to get started as early as possible with the process by including the campus principals and department heads in meetings immediately after the Christmas break.  He leads these administrators through last year's budget and looks at the current year budget to see if the previous plans were working.  He then gives budget planning documents to each principal and department head so that they can take them back to their campuses for input from teachers, coaches, and other employees.
When he gets these proposals back, usually before spring break, he gets with the business manager and begins working on revenue projections and student populations anticipated for the upcoming year.  At this time he will usually begin formulating a tentative budget based on the requests from the campuses and other entities.  He will then meet again with the principals and department heads to see where cuts can be made from their proposals.  Because we are a poor district, he stresses to each administrator that we must prioritize spending so that it has the most impact on student learning.  This sometimes means that extracurricular activities have to go an extra year or two without new uniforms or non-safety equipment so that the educational programs can be fully funded.
He then takes the agreed upon budget to the board for their input.  This is usually done during May.  He reminds them that the budget was agreed upon by those who will actually be using it and that any changes would have to take that into consideration. 
This year was unique in that the state cut our allocation significantly and the board had to make some difficult decisions in the summer because of the late notification of the cuts.  The superintendent said that keeping the board informed was key this year more than most.
Once the board approves the budget, it is submitted to TEA via PEIMS and the process starts over again immediately.

REACTION:
I do not envy the position in which the current funding crisis has placed superintendents.  I truly believe our superintendent does the best he can with the limited funds which he has available.  He includes everyone who will be involved in the process very early on and keeps us all informed throughout.  He has proven to be an advocate for academics and technology in his three years in our district and the budgets have reflected that drive. 

EDLD 5342 Week 2, Part 3

It is with increasing anxiety that I learn more about budgeting and school finance.  This is an entirely new world to me and one that I am finding daunting.  I have learned numerous concepts that will eventually allow me to develop and/or contribute to the development of a district budget.

 Everything that I’ve read and through conversations with central office personnel, the budgeting process requires comprehensive planning by a wide group of people.  One must not only look forward to the next year’s budget but must also look back to see if the previous year’s budget had been successful. 

I found the different types of budgets very interesting.  I have used the zero base budget in athletic budgets and now as a campus principal. It has proven to be more effective in getting the most “bang for the buck” as opposed to the line item budget in which money is generally allocated based on historical use, not necessarily what is actually needed.

The very exacting projections needed to complete a workable budget will encourage me to include as many people as possible in the process and will ensure that I have a very competent business manager on staff.

I feel that surrounding myself with talented people, collaborating with all appropriate people, and keeping some basic financial rules in mind will allow me to prepare a budget that will meet the needs of the students and community.

District Improvement Plans (Austin and Overton ISD)

Since there are very few similarities between the Austin ISD Improvement Plan and the Overton ISD Improvement Plan this review will be heavy on the differences and light on the areas of commonality. The first and most obvious difference between the two is the complexity of the documents.  AISD goes into great detail in their document.  Our document is very much generic in its approach.  I don’t know if this is due only to the size of the districts or if there has been an attitude of complacency in preparing the Overton plan.  One would have to conclude that making an improvement plan for a district with less than 600 students in Pre-K through 12th grade should require less effort, if only because there are only so many tax dollars available and only a few students and staff on which to spend the money.  I was also struck by the numbers of people involved in creating the improvement plan for Austin.  I counted over 130 positions on the committee.  Our entire high school only has 148 students in it.  Once again, this may not be pertinent, but I continue to marvel at the amount of money available in larger districts and the myriad of programs available to them. Austin’s plan is very specific about what it hopes to do, how it hopes to do it, and the funds to be used to accomplish the plan.  The $37.6 million dollars to be used for such programs as student discipline, truancy, tutorials, and specific programs dealing with at risk students was obviously reached after much study.  The salaries for the 566 staff members required to support the programs were included.  This takes great planning.  Overton’s plan is of course smaller, but ironically, not as well thought out as Austin’s even though we have fewer students than staff Austin is committing to this one area.  I’m sure the $107 million to be used from external grants and federal funds was derived from multiple employees dedicated to researching and writing grants. Austin also indicated that they knew of specific sources of funding (Title Programs, grant sources, etc). We have no one specifically designated to find grants.  It has been a haphazard proposition and left to individuals to attempt to find funds for programs. Appendix B and the PBMAS at both schools were at least similar.  The form, of course, is standard and Overton did do a better job of describing specific activities, resources, and timelines for the CIP.  This planning will be even better this year as we have a PSP assigned to the district due to two campuses receiving Academically Unacceptable tags do to the performance of a subpopulation.  We will be very aware of being specific and have already seen benefits of this planning.  Both schools have measurable goals, but in this area Overton does have more specific numbers.  For example, where Austin just states that they hope to improve student attendance and participation, we put our goal at a 95% attendance rate.  In conclusion, Austin’s plan is more detailed and seems to be a document that leaves little individual decision making once it was approved.  Overton’s does leave room to interpret the desires of the committee a little more freely.  Overall, the intention of both documents is to focus the school’s resources at areas that are in need of improvement.

Intern plan: Visit with the superintendent

I met with Overton ISD superintendent Alan Umholtz to go over my intern plan for the superintendency certification class from Lamar University.  He agreed with all of my activities but did suggest I spend some more time with elementary and curriculum issues.  I adjusted a few of the activities to include such things as sitting in on curriculum meetings and helping with open house at the elementary.  He also suggested that the suggested reading list for a superintendent should include curriculum theory and in my case, elementary educational theory such as trends in the teaching of reading at the primary level.
I agreed to the changes and posted the intern plan on the TK20 as directed.

Intern Plan

 District Leader INTERNSHIP PLAN – Remember this is a living plan and you may revise or add to your plan throughout the program as you and your site supervisors determine your professional development needs and the needs of your campuses and districts.

Activity # ____ You may give the number corresponding to the 38 activities from the text to identify one of the activities. Make as many cells as necessary to address all 38 leadership skill areas.	TExES comp.#___ You must have activities that represent each of the 10 Superintendent competencies.	Summary of Activity - Describe the activity you plan on implementing or participating in during your internship – you may use any of the internship activities identified in the School Leader Internship, 2nd edition, pp. 19 – 68.	Resource Person	Projected Date to be Completed
1D	4	Lead campus site based committee to find consensus for vision statement for Overton High School.	Site Based Committee/Barbieri	11/1/2011
2C	5	Serve on the strategic development team for OISD	Umholtz	2/1/2012
3C	5	Review the ways assessment data are used by OISD board, superintendent, faculty and staff	DuBose/Umholtz Barbieri/Rucker/ Fenter	10/1/2011
4F	3	Review and criticize the processes used by OISD to monitor the ongoing communications between the district and faculty and parents.	DuBose/Umholtz Barbieri/Rucker/ Fenter/Talkington	10/1/2011
5A	8	Assess the leadership culture at OISD	DuBose/Umholtz	1/1/2012
6B	8	Practice each of the group leadership tasks at a faculty meeting I lead	DuBose	9/1/2011
7E	5	Participate in textbook selection process	Russell/Curry	2/1/2012
8B	6	Schedule classes for grades 9-12	Barbieri	8/1/2011
9D	6	Observe instructional assistant	Brown/Arnold/Cary	12/1/2011
10A	6	Review methods used to motivate students in the classroom and discuss with faculty	DuBose/Barbieri	9/1/2011
11D	5	Observe the use of technology in the library computer lab and discuss its strengths and weaknesses with librarian and students	McDaniel/Gamble	10/1/2011
12E	2	Meet with a group of students and elicit their recommendation for how to improve preparations for tests	Barbieri/Jordan	12/1/2011
13D	5	Meet with students to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of co-curricular activities	Barbieri/Jordan Philley	12/1/2011
14D	6	Compile a list of all professional development activities completed by the faculty at OHS in the 2011-2012 school year	ESC 7/DuBose Faculty	11/15/2012
15B	6	Meet with middle school and elementary principals to discuss moving 6th grade back to elementary	Rucker/Fenter	9/1/2011
16E	3	Meet with students to discuss rules and discipline procedures on OHS campus	Students	2/1/2012
17B	2	Participate in career counseling session with counselor and student	Barbieri	2/1/2012
18D	5	Inventory the administrative technology used at OHS	Gamble/Thomas Smith/Barbieri	10/1/2012
19B	6	Meet with school attendance officer to discuss job description and laws and policies related to job	Thomas	12/1/2011
20B	9	Meet with maintenance director to review job responsibilities and shadow one OHS custodian for one hour	Daniels	11/1/2011
21B	9	Observe bus driver during route	Spencer	1/1/2012
22A	9	Interview OISD food manager to discuss current requirements, concerns and issues of the program	Gillispie	1/1/2012
23B	7	Participate in an interview of an applicant for a professional position	Umholtz/Rucker Fenter/Talkington	2/1/2012
24C	8	Participate in the budget planning process for the district	Umholtz/Wingo	2/1/2012
25B	3	Assist in the preparation of a written communication to be sent to the public	Umholtz/Casey	9/1/2011
26A	3	Generate a general questionnaire addressing school policy, instruction, homework, activities, discipline, and parental involvement	Barbieri/Umholtz	11/1/2011
27A	6	Examine and evaluate the school library with regard to resources that address the heritage and values of culturally diverse populations	McDaniel/Russell	2/1/2011
28C	3	Interview Todd Meadows and Don Wayte on their perception of the quality of education, concerns and recommend-dations for OHS	Meadows/Wayte	12/1/2011
29A	4	Obtain a copy and of the superintendent’s job description and evaluation instrument in order to analyze the correlation between the requirements and the performance standards	Umholtz	2/1/2012
30A	3	Interview CR Evans focusing on the oral history of Overton and Overton ISD	Evans	12/1/2011
31B	1	Meet with school staff to discuss their perspectives of ethical/unethical behavior employed by certified personnel in OISD	Thomas, Smith Brown, Arnold	2/1/2012
32A	10	I will seek to share responsibility and to know and understand others to a greater degree	DuBose	3/1/2012
33B	4	I will attend OISD board meetings and report actions taken	Umholtz/Wingo	3/1/2012
34B	2	I will attend ARD meetings at OHS and report on the procedural aspects of the meetings.	Barbieri/Thornton Richardson	3/1/2012
35A	3	I will discuss the faculty dress code with employees who like the dress code and those who dislike it and seek to find a consensus on changes	DuBose	3/1/2012
36A	4	I will compile a list of current issues that effect teaching and learning	DuBose/McDaniel	3/1/2012
37A	7	I will submit a professional development plan focusing on my weakness (curriculum and elementary grades)	Fenter/Barbieri	3/1/2012
38A	6	I will compile a list of books, publications, and training manuals that would be appropriate for a superintendent	McDaniel/Umholtz Rucker	3/1/2012