Building support in a team of like minded individuals who are looking for alternative schooling opportunities can help make the vision a reality.   Creating an advisory board of individuals who believe in your vision would be the first step.  Including people who are of business and financial backgrounds can assist with this task, especially when it comes time to develop a budget and business plan.  Line items are extremely important when developing this budget as well as marketing and promotion.  Opening your own school is a lot like opening a business, so it is important to research the risks and how to get the most funding possible.  

     

Federal special education funding comes from two sources: the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA).  While IDEA contributes to the majority of the funding, ESSA provides the categorical funding spoken about above.   While these acts provide some of the funding, they do not support all of the funding necessary to provide special education students with the services necessary.  This is where state funding comes in.  State funding varies depending on the tax structure for the district.  In New York State, the cost of living or local state tax in the big five city school districts supports some of the funding.  Disparities continue, but state equalization formulas such as STAR help to balance out inequities.  Even with the different sources of funding, funds for special education often miss the mark and are a topic in many campaigns.  The importance of going out to vote for local budgets to pass in districts continues to be of utmost importance.

School choice continues to be a debatable topic across the nation.  There are a considerable amount of variables that make it challenging to determine whether or not school choice is beneficial for students and families.  In the state of New York alone families have the choices between traditional public schools, public charter schools, public magnet schools, private schools, and homeschooling.  New York is not a voucher state which means there is no option for families to take the tax dollars usually set aside for public education to use towards their school of choice.  That being said, not all children have families who are able to advocate for, understand, or even are fully aware of school choice.  This alone creates a continued debate on its effectiveness.

Some pros for school choice include that education can be specific to a student’s needs (whether this be special education specific, academics/arts influenced, religious based, etc), it can provide students in low socioeconomic areas with the ability to obtain a high quality education if the public school is not strong, parental involvement may increase, as well as others.  The biggest push and sell for school choice is that public schools do not always reach all learners and school choice provides students of all ability levels with access to many opportunities.

The cons for school choice include the fact that money is taken away from public schools that are in need, lack of funding/staff for the private and charter schools which decreases the quality of education, lack of funding to support students with special needs and/or disabilities, and the lack of proof that students make more gains in other options of schooling versus public schooling.  It is evident that while the idea of school choice makes sense to support the variety of learners present in all schools, it is unclear if student needs can be supported elsewhere.  The system itself needs to be looked at as a whole in order to support all diverse learners and families.

One obvious importance is knowing the number of new employees required for the next year.  This does not only include taking into account their salary, but also the benefits that go along with each hire.  Each year salaries increase along with benefits, so this is also important to take into consideration.  Human resources need to be aware of the vision and goals for the district when making decisions.  For example, if a goal for the district is to increase the success rate for ENL students, it is important for the budget to reflect personnel and resources that match this goal.  Oftentimes the board of education and various stakeholders have specific goals that drive the district.  

Another important aspect of budgeting for human resources is ensuring money is set aside for proper training.  New teachers and veterans alike require training and are constantly learning.  With curriculum resources continuing to change, implementation requires that educators are trained to fully implement programs, interventions, and overall curriculum.  When teachers feel empowered, it directly impacts their students.  

Many factors contribute to proper facility operations including ventilation, lighting, temperature, electrical work, and plumbing.  To address these issues, the school financial officer needs to ensure that buildings within the district are continuously monitored and prioritize needs.  Due to our nation's recent events with violence within schools and intrusions, many districts have made safety upon entrance  a top priority.  Older buildings were designed with many entrances and exits which has proven to create a more vulnerable atmosphere for students and staff.  Facilities budgets now often include upgrading the main entrances and door safety throughout districts as a main priority.

Ensuring the budget includes facilities management, upkeep, and condition requirements is a critical component of a school business leadership role.  The success of students and staff members depends on it.

By law, school districts are required to keep a system of accounting and are audited to ensure that money is being managed properly.  Along with this, many items are purchased to keep buildings running smoothly.  These items include school supplies, furniture, copiers, technology, food supplies, safety equipment, and much more.  School leaders, whether it be Principals and Assistant Principals within buildings or school district leadership staff, need to be aware of the system, procedures, and protocols.  All staff members should also be trained to ensure that the same message is being communicated throughout the district and key players involved are identified.

In order to prepare for audits, leadership teams should come together to ensure that systems are in place for each important task.  Once this is established and clearly outlined, the process and system should be communicated with staff and stakeholders.  Whether schools are audited internally or externally, this is a very important step to ensure that systems are in place to protect the district.  When auditors find mistakes, missing pieces of information, or lack of systems management and organization, they can provide insight and recommendations for future success.  Continuing to better the district as a whole is important.  Understanding the auditing process is important for all educational leadership.