Goal Driven Budgeting II

Goal Driven Budgeting II

Goal driven budgeting should exist in every district in the state. A large portion of each district’s budget is confined to fixed costs such as salaries, fuel, electricity, maintenance, etc. with this in mind it makes it more difficult to apportion a large amount of funding to meet the goals of the district. A goal driven budget is simply having a budget that reflects and funds the vision and goals of the school district. As Dr. Nicks stated in the lecture this week, “ the purpose of a goal driven budget is to assist in the attainment of a shared vision for the district and each campus. A goal driven budget should be designed to take care of all the fixed costs and then disperse the remainder of money to fund the goals and vision outlined in the District Improvement Plan.
Rusk ISD District Improvement Plan identifies goals for the district. Along with the identification of these goals, each goal has objectives, responsible party, a timeline, resources for funding, and an evaluation procedure. It is very easy to identify if a district’s budget is goal driven if you compare it to the district plan. A very good example of this in our budget and district improvement plan is looking at our 3nd goal. Our 3rd goal states that Rusk ISD will foster a safe and drug-free learning environment that supports academic achievement. Rusk ISD budget clearly reflects a goal driven budget when allotting funding to meet this goal. A few examples are, 1) Law enforcement officer on campuses 20 hours per week, 2) K-9 units visiting numerous times per year, and 3) additional training and education for administrators pertaining to this goal. Most of this goal was funded by the general budget and a small amount was funded through grant monies.
During my interview with Dr. Largent he made it certain that it was understood that the entire district personnel had an input to how the budget was allocated. He stated, after the fixed cost were allocated, such groups as the DEIC and other staff groups determined the needs and goals of the district. Once these goals and vision are in place the administrative office allots the left over balance of funds to meet the goals set in place by district personnel.
In conclusion, there are several other goals that are in the district plan and they as well have adequate funding in the budget. The funds are specifically outlined to where they are coming from and are proportioned to meet the needs of the goal. Some goals change from year to year and some are continued for several consecutive years. Our district budget is always aligned with the District Improvement Plan and is designed to be goal driven and provide all funding necessary to meet these goals.