Final Reflections on EDLD 5342

EDLD 5342 ranks alongside the education law course I completed as a requirement for my Education Administration degree as the most important, practical, and significant learning a district level administrator must master in order to be an effective advocate for children The material learned in this course will be put to use, as it was learned, in any administrative position I may fill at the district level in the future. The knowledge gained was practical, and the concepts of equity, equality, and adequacy described during this course are timeless concepts that will forever influence the constitution of school finance law in Texas. Those concepts will also continue to be the basis for future legal challenges to school finance laws that will undoubtedly continue.      The course was challenging and frustrating at times. As we began work on our Wiki Groups, we had to learn how to collaborate over great distances with people with whom we were not acquainted. Our group had a slow start but found a great tool in using GoogleDocs to complete our work. We found ourselves challenging one another and learning a great deal from the insights of the other members of our team. When I did not understand a concept or could not easily find the information necessary to complete an assignment, my teammates stepped up with clarification and real examples. I found the experience of collaboration to be very intellectually stimulating and I hope to work with these teammates in the same manner in the future.      There were several assignments that provided significant learning in this course and I was glad to have completed. The exploration of the school finance formula was probably the most significant learning that occurred in this course. Knowing the intricacies of this state formula and the local factors that influence the amount of state funding is paramount in playing the role of advocate for your district and maximizing funding for your own students. Other exercises that were significant were the two comparisons completed between two differing school districts: property poor vs. property wealthy, and high enrollment vs. small enrollment. Understanding the different challenges that exist in these differing districts is key for district leaders in finding the most lucrative solutions to funding difficulties in a district. Finally, learning the history of school finance. It is always important to know what has been attempted to fix the problem in the past so that we can keep moving in a positive direction.      I feel that I have grown significantly as a professional as well as a result of this course as I indicated in my self-assessment against the Superintendent Competencies. While I still rate my self as needing improvement in the area of “facilitate and evaluate effective account auditing and monitoring that complies with legal requirements and local district policy” and the area of “apply legal concepts, regulations, and codes as required,” I did so because these areas are ones that may have constant change associated with them. As legal requirements change, administrators must stay abreast of those changes and learn about all local, state, and federal requirements in these areas. I do not think that I will ever feel that this area can be a strength that never needs to be revisited or relearned. I rated my self as having a strength in five of the eleven areas and competent in the remaining four areas. I feel that I am competent, or could master the process of budget management and planning with experience and practice. I feel that I could competently manage district purchasing in an ethical manner. With experience and practice, this will quickly be a strength for me. Finally, I believe that I have been exposed to the revenue and enrollment forecasting in my current role but I have not managed it under my direct supervision. I feel confident that I could turn this into a strength with experience and practice. The remaining five areas are rated as strengths because I feel that I have been involved either at the campus or district level in managing those aspects of administrative leadership. This is a definite improvement to the self-assessment I completed earlier in the superintendents’ course and I attribute this improvement to the learning that I accomplished during this course.      The significance of the learning imbedded in this course cannot be over stated. I will continue to stay abreast of developments in the subject of school finance and I feel that I have the key knowledge and understanding to be a contributor and leader in this area at the district level. I also have a greater understanding and motivation to be an advocate for a school funding formula in Texas that truly provides equity, equality, and adequacy.