Goal Driven Budgets

            The definition of a goal driven budget is simply a means by which the goals based upon the vision and mission of the school are put into action. In today’s school climate, the expectation for the school and community having the authority and support in making decisions based upon the academic success and needs of students is a responsibility of the site base decision making teams. The site base decision making teams, both campus and district, should therefore be involved in the budget planning process. The goals that are adopted by the school board are to be used to measure the realization of the vision and mission of the school. In other words, the budget process and spending allocations should be followed to ensure the accomplishment of the school district’s goals. 
            According to Philip Gloudermans, Director of Strategic Communications at the Annenberg Institute for School Reform, there can be many benefits to creating a goal driven budget, such as the budget will be built around academic needs. Also, campus principals and campus site base decision making teams will have flexibility in providing resources for the campus. Finally, a goal driven budget “promotes district conversations on school resource equity.” (Gloudermans, 2010).

            The Lumberton Independent School District has had a firm budgetary calendar in place to ensure the most effective process in budget planning. The school district has also adopted five main goals this school year, with several performance indicators tied to each goal. Currently, the district is in a reorganization state, with the Superintendent and Business Manager learning the budgeting process. I also have the opportunity to learn with these two individuals participating in various webinars and assisting in the budgetary projections for the upcoming school year. One main district goal that has been written is to “develop and maintain physical infrastructure to enhance educational opportunities for all students.” While this is a generally written goal, the performance indicators of the goal focus on the newly projected building projects and maintenance opportunities the school district has placed in the five year strategic plan to enhance and modernize the courses we offer to students.

            While focusing on a reorganization of the campus structure, it is important to understand the relationship between the Board of Trustees and the Superintendent as was mentioned in the lecture. The main issue resulting in the reorganization was dealing with funds and the management of the budget. Without stepping over into the area of governance by the school board, the relationship between our new Superintendent and the board has grown. The openness of the Superintendent with the School Board is evident, and the focus on the goals and objectives of the school district is being held with the stakeholders. This openness has created a stronger trust between the Superintendent, Business Manager, and Board of Trustees and all are learning their roles in creating the budgets. We have seen when there is turmoil at the top; the turmoil dwindles down amongst the campuses. This is now starting to change, and the budgeting process will be changing where the focus is upon academic achievement and growth.