Reflections on action initiatives

Prior to this school year I have not held  improvement plans in very high esteem because my experience had been that a committee met and made some decisions without the input of most of the faculty and then the document went on a shelf until the next year.  This year I found that an improvement plan that addresses specific issues in a specific manner can be a very useful tool in our goal of providing the best possible education for our students.

This year my campus was given an academically unacceptable rating by TEA because our African American students did not do well on the math TAKS tests.  We have long struggled with math scores and had not been able to make significant progress.  Because we were forced to take a careful look at our entire math program by TEA and with the assistance of a representative of TEA we were able to write an effective, useful, and practical plan to address our shortcomings.

One of the significant outcomes of these meetings and a recommendation of the committee was that the district purchase CSCOPE for our curriculum.  We discovered that our teachers had not been using any formal curriculum and the one that was on record as our curriculum had been put together by three teachers many years ago.  Basically, our teachers were using the textbook and the supplemental material that went with them as the curriculum.  We found that the textbooks did not follow a scope and sequence that was addressing many of the issues we were facing with our struggling math students.

Purchasing CSCOPE was a huge investment for our district.  $20,000 per year, in a year in which we had a reduction in force and significant budget cuts, could’ve been an insurmountable issue.  We were fortunate to have a non-profit foundation in our town that agreed to pay for the program for the first year so we did not have to take on the entire amount without time to include it in the budget.  The other costs included training teachers, purchasing needed supplies, and paying for substitute teachers when additional, more specific training was needed.

The next big issue was to make sure that our teachers followed the curriculum with fidelity.  Because we did not purchase the program until late in the summer and the teachers did not get formal training until October, we did not require them to implement CSCOPE fully.  I have asked for the teachers to begin including CSCOPE more each six weeks and we have planned further training this summer so that it can be fully and effectively used next year.  Our math teachers have been using the program more than the other teachers due to the influence of our TEA representative and their recognition that what was being done in the past was not working.  Other teachers are beginning to see the benefits and are encouraged by the success that the math teachers are experiencing.  Just yesterday, a biology teacher with 30+ year’s experience related to me that he had begun using CSCOPE and thought it was a great asset.

As we move forward with the program we are monitoring our grades, benchmark results, and of course, the all important state tests.  The early indications are that CSCOPE is making a difference in the classes in which it is used with fidelity.  An administrative concern is that all teachers be fully competent in the program by the start of next school year.  I believe starting slowly and letting teachers get accustomed to the change in curriculum is important.  It is an expensive “practice” year, but the long term success of our students is the goal and I believe we have taken the appropriate steps towards that goal because of this specific improvement initiative.

Reflections on competencies and job entry plan

The job entry plan is an outstanding idea. In my case, it gave me an opportunity to think through those things that I considered the most important to accomplish early in the job, the foundational elements.
Since I have no plans to leave my current district to pursue a central office position somewhere else, I was able to focus on this district, community, and our students more specifically. I found that the one thing that I kept coming back to was the need to bring our campuses, departments, and other entities together in pursuit of one goal: an improved eduational experience for our students. Therefore, I listed several meetings and information gathering/dispensing workshops as a high priority. We are a very small, poor district and despite our size have not communicated to each other or the community our shared vision. I also included meetings with the ESC and our local colleges and universities to see how we can better utilize their resources to benefit our students. One of the most important items was to develop a 5 year plan for facilities, finances, and student success. We have not planned ahead and the result has been that we do not know where we are going, so obviously we don't know how to get there.

The competencies always create a sense of confusion and anxiety when I study them. The job is so overwhelming and the competencies seem to intermingle so much that I just get confused. I know that the major themes, on the surface, are separate, but in the real world of our district (small, rural, poor) everything tends to run together and it is difficult to pull out individual steps since they are so intertwined. I believe one of the unspoken goals of this program is to get us to understand that the role of the superintendent is huge, but the real purpose of all of us in education, regardless of our title, is to help provide our students with an excellent education and the tools to be successful after they leave our care.

Reflections On Post SBEC Assessment

Post SBEC Self-Assessment and Reflection

I have grown considerably in several areas since beginning the series of courses at Lamar.  I have begun addressing the areas still in need of improvement (mainly in curriculum and finance) this school year in part because my current position in the district requires me to work with a TEA curriculum specialists as we work through an unacceptable rating with one of our subpopulations and our district has just finished a building project utilizing a bond.  So the areas that I considered very low at the beginning have been improved upon through the courses I’ve taken and real life circumstances.

I still believe I am in need of improvement in the first three parts of Competency 5 dealing with making effective curricular decisions based on pedagogy and curriculum design, implementing procedures to develop curricula, and implementing curriculum design and delivery systems.  I have learned a lot about these areas through the implementation of CSCOPE on our campus and working with our ESC during this process.  I am also in need of improvement in Competency 6 concerning the study of best practice and research, implementing a comprehensive school district program of student assessment, and applying knowledge of special programs.  Again, this year has brought me in contact more than ever with these areas in my daily job, but I know that I must gain more expertise in these areas before moving to the central office.  The final areas needing improvement all fall in the school finance area.  I need to work more on understanding the overall school budget planning and management process so that I can work collaboratively with the board in developing the budget.  I will also need to become more familiar with the auditing and monitoring systems, revenue forecasting, and the ins and outs of transportation, food services, and health services.

I believe myself to be competent in the majority of other areas including all of the indicators that concern knowing how to respond to and influence the political, social, economic, legal and cultural context to achieve the district’s educational vision.  Competency 5, other than the 3 items listed above, is an area in which I am at least competent.  I will be able to develop and implement collaborative processes for assessing and reviewing curriculum, use assessment to measure student learning and diagnose their needs, evaluate district curricula and provide direction for improving it based on research and facilitate the integration of technology into the district.  I also will be able to coordinate with other district staff to think creatively and will ensure that all staff members understand the accountability system. 

The areas in which I feel most confident and listed as strengths remain those dealing with working with others, modeling high standards, serving as an advocate for children, and serving as an effective communicator for the district.  These competencies are in Competency 1 through Competency 3.  Part of the reason for my confidence in these areas is that I’ve been in this district for 8 years and I know the community, board, and faculty and have a great relationship with these entities.  I believe that I know how to interact and communicate with them.  At this time I have no desire to go to another district in any capacity, so my strengths are reflective of my confidence in my ability to be effective in this district.

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.