Goal Driven Budget

A goal driven budget is one that is designed and built around a group of goals that has all stakeholders of a school district in mind.  The superintendent has taken in to account all stakeholders and their needs, and gears their budget to meet these particular goals.  A superintendent must look at several sets of goals, from several different stakeholders, in order to effectively plan and produce a goal driven budget.

Not only does a Superintendent need to look at a district improvement plan, but they should also consider each campus improvement plan as well when they begin the budget process.  Each of these plans requires different resources and the responsible party needs to take that into consideration.  Even though these particular plans will have some of the same goals and desirable outcomes, they will have distinct differences that will need to be considered.  The goals that these plans lay out will need to be taken into consideration during the budget process in order for the district to reach them.  Superintendents must allocate funds for improvement plans by utilizing Title I and State Compensatory funds in an appropriate manner that will allow these goals to be accomplished.  The school board also has goals for the Superintendent to address and try to help the school district reach.  As Dr. Arterbury says during the interview, this is having a shared vision within the entire budget process in order to reach all goals set forth by all stakeholders.  The Superintendent in turn must work the budget towards achieving these goals in order to utilize the budget to the best of their ability.

The budgeting process can be a daunting task for the entire team, and for it to be a valid budget it is necessary for open communication from all involved.  As Dr. Arterbury states during the interview, it is vital that the Superintendent communicates with everyone during this process in order to address any and all needs.  When a Superintendent is better able to address needs in different areas then they are better able to serve the district and create an effective budget.  The Superintendent and the Board of Trustees create the “team of eight” and must communicate effectively and be transparent about the entire process.  When this team works well together and strives to accomplish all goals set forth by all stakeholders then positive results will occur.  When all of these stakeholders work collaboratively and share the same goals and desires for a district, it creates a goal driven budget.  When a budget is goal driven many positives begin to take place within a school district.  Goals are often times attained and improvement will soon follow.  If this process is not followed correctly then many times these funds are spent in ways that are not conducive to improving and overall learning environment of a district. 

Having goals and a budget processing team that desires to create a budget along the lines of the goals will ultimately result in a positive experience.  When all stakeholders have a part in the process and their voices are heard, then it makes for a good environment within the district.  A school Superintendent will accomplish much more when they involve the other stakeholders and communicate effectively with them.  So many times a school leader wants to do it their way or the highway and the relationship begins to deteriorate and will eventually cause the demise of that individual.

Drive the school budget towards a set of goals that have been set by all stakeholders and see the positive results that will ensue.  Don’t get caught letting the school budget drive the goals or one will not get the desired results.