Budget Assignment Reflection

Examining the budget at my site was one of the most meaningful assignments that we have had. Working at a Title I school means that we receive more funding, but that also means we have more decisions to make and more pots to watch over. I was impressed with the savvy way that my Principal, GIS, resource Teacher and Officer Manager work together to make sure that the funds are spent wisely and appropriately. They have a keen sense for finding money and know when, where, and how to use it.

Maintaining my personal finances and establishing a budget has never been a problem for me. However, as an administrator I will be making more important decisions about funds that will affect the entire site. Keeping the specific needs of the students in mind will be of the upmost importance. I am thankful to work in a district that leaves much of this decision-making up to the site so that their specific needs can be addressed.

Session Reflection

Our class sessions proved once again to be valuable. I enjoyed the communication activities on Friday night. We are all aware that communication is a key to effective leadership, but this is one of the only times we have been explicitly shown how to improve in this area. I will continue to practice listening without responding.

While I am not an administrator at this time, I appreciated the insight we got from Dr. Terry Bradley about the budget and funding for K-12 education. The factors concerning our budget may seem out of our control at times, but we are still responsible for providing a quality education. This class session opened my eyes to the complexities of school finance.