District Administration - April 2006 - (Page 8)

Editor's Letter Real-Life Budget Decisions lose readers of this magazine will remember that in addition to being editor- C in-chief here, I'm also a member of the school board in my town of Brook- field, Conn. So as I write this near the ides of March, I'm immersed in the same thing a lot of you are trying to decide on next year's school budget. I did originally think my knowledge of K-12 issues would greatly en- hance my effectiveness as a board member, but when it comes to decid- ing between an additional second-grade teacher to keep class sizes low and a data manager to help the district create customized reports to drive data-driven decision- making, my magazine expertise isn't much help. While this decision is just one of the difficult ones administrators and school board members face each year, I'm really more interested in examining the balance between how key people in districts weigh the needs of the next year versus the idea of commit- How do you ting time and money to lay groundwork that will mostly pay off in the future. balance your I'm sure in every school district budget meeting around the country someone has surmised that it's never a good year to spend tax dollars. In Connecticut, our budget district's needs of is mostly funded through local taxes, but even though the town's Grand List is grow- ing, other circumstances are conspiring to compete for education dollars. In Brook- the future versus field, after the Board of Ed sets the budget, our boards of selectmen and finance get its present-day to review read: cut the budget before it is readied for town vote. So although our board finished its budget deliberations in January, after the cuts are decided later this obligations? month, we'll be back at it to decide what programs to slash. And that's obviously the tough part. In addition to the above-mentioned example, the district is trying to bring high-speed Internet access to all of its schools. Although that's a capital budget item, in some ways it competes against more mundane goals, such as funding sup- plies and textbooks. And we all know that rising health care costs and increasing energy costs have to be paid before any of these considerations take place. Not so surprisingly, these same issues come up several times in this month's magazine. When Monte Moses, superintendent of the Cherry Creek School District in Greenwood Village, Colo., talks about the federal budget cuts that education faces in Underfunded, page 38 , he surmises that he's going to have to reduce the number of teachers and teacher aides in his district so he can give the remaining teachers the raises they deserve. Also, he's considering hiring an outside firm to study the success and readiness of the graduates in his district. While he admits the cost will be high, he says the information is necessary for the district to reach its goal of preparing every student for higher ed. In Research Corner Laptop Studies, page 102 , we find out that Henrico County Va. Public Schools is funding a study to find out what difference its laptop program has made in the past five years. While this will be important information inside and outside the county, it certainly came at the cost of other expenditures. So let me know how you and your boards make these types of decisions each year. Is there a formula you have, trying to set aside some money for longer-term projects, or is it just a feel as to whether the district as a whole would be better served by more textbooks and a sec- TREND WATCH ond-grade teacher or a data manager and high-speed Internet? Tell me what you think and I'll share your answers in a later note. Budget & Finance page s 36, 38 & 79 Technology Integration page s 32, 70 & 86 High-Performing Schools page s 43 & 58 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF wdorio@edmediagroup.com 8 April 2006 District Administration DA_406_Ednote.w.indd 8 3/20/06 10:31:05 AM

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - April 2006

Contents
Editor's Letter
Letters
Update
Inside the Law
Curriculum Update
Administrator Profile
District Profile
Measuring Value
Budget Talk
Underfunded
Are Your Schools Competitive?
Back from the Brink
Rigorous Expectations
Getting Connected
How to Get Your Bond Passed
The Online Edge/Odvard Egil Dyrli
Speaking Out/Gary Stager
Research Corner
Problem/Solution
Leadership Books
New Products
By the Numbers

District Administration - April 2006