Goal Driven Budgets

If the school district is a car then the goals of the school district set by district leadership and the board are the steering system; the people, systems, and initiatives of the school district are the engine that turn the wheels; and the budget of the school district is the fuel by which it runs. In a school district, leaders – including the superintendent and his/her staff – along with the school board and other key stake holders, set goals for the school district based on comprehensive needs assessment. Among these goals are benchmarks for improvement of all aspects of the instructional program. To take the car analogy further, there are many different models – as many as there are school districts in the state. Each district sets goals that fit their student body, their communities’ needs, and their particular geo-political/social situation. But it is the goals that steer the vehicle and determine where the “fuel” of the budget drives the engine. Does the engine have more accessories such as air conditioning and a CD player (analogous to intervention programs or particular initiatives)? Or does the engine have more cylinders (analogous to more personnel)?  This is an illustration of “goal driven budgeting.” The goal driven budget is one that places the instructional goals of the district in the driver’s seat – the position of steering the district toward improvement. A budget is then created that supports those goals through expenditures that fund the resources the district needs to accomplish the goals set by the leadership. There should be a direct relationship between how money is spent in the school district and the goals that the district has adopted. If the goals indicate a priority, then the budget should also indicate that same priority.

I will use my district improvement plan as an example. Our district Policy CE(LOCAL) states:

“Budget planning shall be an integral part of overall program planning so that the budget effectively reflects the District’s programs and activities and provides the resources to implement them. In the budget planning process, general educational goals, specific program goals, and alternatives for achieving program goals shall be considered, as well as input from the District- and campus-level planning and decision-making committees. Budget planning and evaluation are continuous processes and shall be a part of each month’s activities.”

One of our board goals is, “All campuses in BISD will achieve success on the State's student achievement and quality of learning indicators to prepare students to live, learn, and lead in an ever-changing global economy.” In, with, and under this goal is the district thrust to utilize new instructional models that are supported by cutting edge technology. One of the strategies to support this goal is to fund the transformation of our alternative high school to a New Tech Model. To support this strategy, $3 million was dedicated through the budget for various trainings, observations, technology, personnel, and the required partnership with the New Tech Network that are necessary to initiate the transformation. This was funded with proceeds from a grant. Additionally, to support the transformation, renovations to the current building were needed. The conditions of the grant prohibited using grant funds to pay for renovations so the district dedicated another $3 million of local funds for the needed renovations. Obviously, the success of this endeavor is a priority for the district. Another example is a second strategy to support the same goal of implementing a new instructional design at our new middle school. Over $400,000 was dedicated to the training of faculty and staff needed to implement the Challenge Based Learning model of instruction at the campus. Additionally, to support the new instructional model, a one-to-one iPad initiative was funded with an additional $500,000 of local funds.  It is obvious that the goal and the supporting strategies were written with specificity followed by the pursuit of the funding. Dr. Arterbury suggested in the lecture that the board goals should be reflected in the campus and department goals to ensure alignment. We definitely see this alignment in the district and campus improvement plans in Belton ISD. Each district goal is a board approved goal for the district and each campus improvement goal is a direct translation of the district and board goals as they are applied to each individual campus. Each department and campus then uses funds to pay for personnel and materials to specifically address each goal. 


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