After completing this course, areas that I consider my strengths are the areas in which I need to collaborate and work with others to get things accomplished. Evaluating staff and managing personnel are other areas that I feel like I can contribute greatly. I enjoy working with people and feel that managing my time wisely allows me to contribute to applying the legal concepts and regulations. I fell that I am competent in establishing, facilitating, and monitoring the financial side of things when it comes to budgeting. This course has really helped me to better understand budgeting as a whole. From setting the budget and what goes into that to the ethical side of things. The area that I feel I am still in need of improving greatly would be the forecasting of budgetary needs. This is a difficult process that I think only comes with time and experience.
The self assessments allowed me to see the growth and confidence that I have gained while progressing through this course. I felt that I knew nothing on budgeting when I began this course and now I can, at least, have a conversation about the process and what goes into budgeting. I know that I will learn so much more as time goes on.
The weekly lecture and resources gave me a great beginning to the assignments for the course. I feel like the interviews were most beneficial in preparing me for the assignments and expectations for the course.
The assignments themselves were helpful but somewhat frustrating at times. Trying to collaborate with other group members that had very different schedules and time frames for working was challenging. However, the knowledge gained in the discussions and the work was very beneficial and gave me great information on budgeting.
The blogs and wikis are helpful with collaboration and will continue to be as time goes on. This was the only way that I felt I could communicate with my group and try to come to a consensus with them. I am glad that we created these in our first class and will use them throughout the program.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Annual External Financial Audit
In my district, an external auditor is selected through the board. Bids are accepted and then the final say is given by the board. The auditor will work directly with the board for financial matters. The audit is conducted over some time. Through on site visits, off site consultation with CPA’s and financial people the audit would be completed. Talking with the districts CFO and financial department, reviewing all of the papers and data, the auditor will develop a final report for the district. The audit will conclude if the districts information and financial statements are an accurate representation of what the district is doing, where it is going and what the money has been spent on. At year’s end, the district will know if they have been accurately keeping track and spending their money appropriately. The auditors will present the findings to the board and it will be voted on to accept or not to accept.
If the board rejects the audit, the process would begin all over again. This would not be very wise as it would cost the district more money. This is why it is so important to build a relationship with the auditors and know who you are working with.
If the board rejects the audit, the process would begin all over again. This would not be very wise as it would cost the district more money. This is why it is so important to build a relationship with the auditors and know who you are working with.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Budgeting for Salaries
In working through the resources in this course and my district information, I know a large portion of our budget will go to personnel salaries and costs. In our district, roughly 80-85% of the budget is reserved for personnel items. In order to stay competitive and recruit to best teachers across the state, this must be the case. This goes back to our earlier assignment about the size of the district and the amount of money they are able to pay their employees. The larger the district, the higher the salaries.
We did not receive salary increases this year due to budget issues. It makes it very difficult on a district when other districts find ways to give increases to their employees. Again, this goes back to FIRST and a district being financially accountable and spending money correctly. This last year was an exception and I do not think many districts, if any, gave raises. It is clear that districts that pay the best and give raises when needed attract the best teachers, which can produce the best teaching and learning.
We did not receive salary increases this year due to budget issues. It makes it very difficult on a district when other districts find ways to give increases to their employees. Again, this goes back to FIRST and a district being financially accountable and spending money correctly. This last year was an exception and I do not think many districts, if any, gave raises. It is clear that districts that pay the best and give raises when needed attract the best teachers, which can produce the best teaching and learning.
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Stakeholder Involvement in the Budget Process
Central Office Administrators and Staff--These personnel could contribute by submitting their own departmental budget to the superintendent. They would essentially go through the same steps for the district budget in finding out the needs of the department and developing a budget accordingly. They can also communicate with campus principals as to their roles into the budget.
Principals—they are in charge of their campus budgets. They would need to complete a needs assessment with their campus and develop a proposed budget for review and to be added to the district budget.
Site Based Decision Making Committees—they can assist the principal in deciding what the vision will be for the upcoming year and where the money needs to be spent.
District Improvement Committee—these people can be very beneficial to the development of the district budget. They assist by focusing the ideas and visions around the district into a common theme or goal. They then report to district personnel about their finding, which assist with the budget development.
Teacher Organizations—reporting what is needed and being communicated by the teachers is important. The buy in factor is huge with this group. They need to feel that they have contributed to the budget.
Key Stakeholders—Need to have a voice in the budget process and should be included in meetings, input taken, and help make decisions based on the community as a whole.
Board of Trustees—Final approval of the budget is by the board. The more they are involved in the process the more likely the budget will be passed with few amendments.
When you think of a budget process, you must know that it is an effort that all the stakeholders should be a part of. The more a district leader communicates and involves the stakeholders the better. Including them in on meetings, validating their ideas and communicating with everyone is the key to a successful district, much less a successful budget. Everyone on the list above has a key role that is dependent upon the next, or upon someone else’s ideas and contributions. Again, I think the only way to truly understand the budget process, you have to be involved and go for it.
Principals—they are in charge of their campus budgets. They would need to complete a needs assessment with their campus and develop a proposed budget for review and to be added to the district budget.
Site Based Decision Making Committees—they can assist the principal in deciding what the vision will be for the upcoming year and where the money needs to be spent.
District Improvement Committee—these people can be very beneficial to the development of the district budget. They assist by focusing the ideas and visions around the district into a common theme or goal. They then report to district personnel about their finding, which assist with the budget development.
Teacher Organizations—reporting what is needed and being communicated by the teachers is important. The buy in factor is huge with this group. They need to feel that they have contributed to the budget.
Key Stakeholders—Need to have a voice in the budget process and should be included in meetings, input taken, and help make decisions based on the community as a whole.
Board of Trustees—Final approval of the budget is by the board. The more they are involved in the process the more likely the budget will be passed with few amendments.
When you think of a budget process, you must know that it is an effort that all the stakeholders should be a part of. The more a district leader communicates and involves the stakeholders the better. Including them in on meetings, validating their ideas and communicating with everyone is the key to a successful district, much less a successful budget. Everyone on the list above has a key role that is dependent upon the next, or upon someone else’s ideas and contributions. Again, I think the only way to truly understand the budget process, you have to be involved and go for it.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Superintendent's Role in Budgeting
The role of the superintendent in the budgeting process can vary from district to district. I think the size of the district will have much to do with what the district leader actually does. Although, the end result will be the same. It will simply be the superintendent performing the task or orchestrating the task for someone else.
My district is an average size district with 3 high schools, 4 middle schools, and 15 elementary schools. Given the size of the district it is impossible for the superintendent to have her hands in on every decision and for her to perform every task necessary to develop a budget.
She has our demographer give projections for growth and expansion (construction). We have a CFO that actually heads up the budget process as far as finances go. She also relies heavily on the assistant superintendent's in each area (curriculum, finance, athletics, human resources etc) to gather the information from stakeholders that is necessary to make wise decisions about the budget.
Her primary roles would be to communicate with the board, keep everyone focused on the vision and mission of the district and obviously be the spokes person for the district. Making sure the proposals are communicated with public is also an important task. She ultimately has the final say in the budget, but must trust that she has surrounded herself with the right people to help her make the right decisions.
I think at a smaller district, the leader would have a much more hands on approach. Instead of putting the right things into play and then facilitating the actions, they would be performing the tasks. Again, the end result would be the same and similar decision would be made regardless of the size of the district.
REFLECTION:
In completing this assignment, I think I simply confirmed what I thought about the roles of a superintendent. I knew that the size of the district would play a role on the actual task the superintendent performed. Larger districts must have systems in place to get the job completed. Smaller districts would not have the resources necessary to work in the same way. The end result would be the same, a developed budget. Ultimately the pressure is there for the superintendent to get a budget proposed that will convey the vision of the district and spend the money accordingly. Surrounding yourself with the right people is key, as well as involving all of the necessary stakeholders in the process.
My district is an average size district with 3 high schools, 4 middle schools, and 15 elementary schools. Given the size of the district it is impossible for the superintendent to have her hands in on every decision and for her to perform every task necessary to develop a budget.
She has our demographer give projections for growth and expansion (construction). We have a CFO that actually heads up the budget process as far as finances go. She also relies heavily on the assistant superintendent's in each area (curriculum, finance, athletics, human resources etc) to gather the information from stakeholders that is necessary to make wise decisions about the budget.
Her primary roles would be to communicate with the board, keep everyone focused on the vision and mission of the district and obviously be the spokes person for the district. Making sure the proposals are communicated with public is also an important task. She ultimately has the final say in the budget, but must trust that she has surrounded herself with the right people to help her make the right decisions.
I think at a smaller district, the leader would have a much more hands on approach. Instead of putting the right things into play and then facilitating the actions, they would be performing the tasks. Again, the end result would be the same and similar decision would be made regardless of the size of the district.
REFLECTION:
In completing this assignment, I think I simply confirmed what I thought about the roles of a superintendent. I knew that the size of the district would play a role on the actual task the superintendent performed. Larger districts must have systems in place to get the job completed. Smaller districts would not have the resources necessary to work in the same way. The end result would be the same, a developed budget. Ultimately the pressure is there for the superintendent to get a budget proposed that will convey the vision of the district and spend the money accordingly. Surrounding yourself with the right people is key, as well as involving all of the necessary stakeholders in the process.
TEA Budgeting Guidelines Summary
In reading the TEA Guidelines for Budgeting, I learned many things. The process of budgeting can be very overwhelming and seem so daunting that it can come across as impossible. I think the best thing to do it to try to keep it as simple as you can as a district leader.
The difficult and most important part is figuring out what the "needs" of the district are and will be. Communicating with the stakeholders is crucial. Finding out the projected numbers is a guessing game sometimes, the estimated property taxes, the needs of the schools, and the cost of everything play a huge part in the process. How is a school leader supposed to be able to tie all of this into a budget and that budget be correct? The answer lies in the input and buy in that all the stakeholders give.
A school leader cannot be so arrogant as to not gather as much information from as many sources as possible before they propose or even begin to propose a budget. Having a sense of togetherness can ease some of the tension that comes along with developing a budget.
Having reviewed this process, I know I can use this information by not allowing myself to try and conquer this on my own. This holds true whether at I am at a large district or a very small one. I MUST use my resources to their fullest capabilities to develop a budget.
The difficult and most important part is figuring out what the "needs" of the district are and will be. Communicating with the stakeholders is crucial. Finding out the projected numbers is a guessing game sometimes, the estimated property taxes, the needs of the schools, and the cost of everything play a huge part in the process. How is a school leader supposed to be able to tie all of this into a budget and that budget be correct? The answer lies in the input and buy in that all the stakeholders give.
A school leader cannot be so arrogant as to not gather as much information from as many sources as possible before they propose or even begin to propose a budget. Having a sense of togetherness can ease some of the tension that comes along with developing a budget.
Having reviewed this process, I know I can use this information by not allowing myself to try and conquer this on my own. This holds true whether at I am at a large district or a very small one. I MUST use my resources to their fullest capabilities to develop a budget.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Goal Driven Budgets
A goal driven budget is a budget that will simply have campus goals aligned with district goals. This alignment will result in a common vision throughout the district. (Artebury, 2011). Districts that do not have a goal driven budget are wasting time and money in areas that may not be beneficial to the district, much less give to the common vision of the district. If a district is set on improving math scores, but are spending twice as much on science, then they are not focused on a goal driven budget. Making sure the goals we have are all measurable is very important. We want to be able to know if the money we are spending through our budget is having an impact on the scores. If not, we will need to focus our resources elsewhere.
My district has recently had a great focus on improving math and science scores throughout the district. Given this is a common vision with the entire district, we adequately spend money in the right areas. We budget for science and math coaches for campuses; we offer special programs that pay teachers for extra teaching. We meet regularly to make sure everyone is on the same page and are all still focused on the goals at hand. Focusing the correct financial resources in the right places all stem from having a goal driven budget and people in place that understand the vision.
Another goal of my district is to increase SAT and ACT testing numbers. Knowing this is a district goal, we pay for sophomores and juniors to take the PSAT and offer SAT prep classes through our schools. This is another example of a goal driven budget. We want to number of test takers to increase, so we spend money to make this happen.
I am sure, as Dr. Artebury stated, that there are many districts that do not have goal driven budgets and put their money here and there and hope for the best. This is not best practice and will likely end up negatively affecting the district. It is hard not to assume that everyone is doing things the right way, but many districts simply do not have it figured out.
My district has recently had a great focus on improving math and science scores throughout the district. Given this is a common vision with the entire district, we adequately spend money in the right areas. We budget for science and math coaches for campuses; we offer special programs that pay teachers for extra teaching. We meet regularly to make sure everyone is on the same page and are all still focused on the goals at hand. Focusing the correct financial resources in the right places all stem from having a goal driven budget and people in place that understand the vision.
Another goal of my district is to increase SAT and ACT testing numbers. Knowing this is a district goal, we pay for sophomores and juniors to take the PSAT and offer SAT prep classes through our schools. This is another example of a goal driven budget. We want to number of test takers to increase, so we spend money to make this happen.
I am sure, as Dr. Artebury stated, that there are many districts that do not have goal driven budgets and put their money here and there and hope for the best. This is not best practice and will likely end up negatively affecting the district. It is hard not to assume that everyone is doing things the right way, but many districts simply do not have it figured out.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Events in Texas Education
Texas had many events in its development that helped shape education as we know it today. One of the most important to me would be the development of the Texas Constitution in 1845. This constitution gave the framework necessary to build an educational system. The establishment of free schools came out of the constitution would allowed for equality in education at the time. Another important event would be Texas giving one tenth of the state revenue to the educational system. This allowed for better resources and solidified the need for growth through education. The final event that I see as one of the most important when the state declared that it was mandatory for kids to go to school. Granted, the age requirements were 8-14, but it gave some validity to education and that it was going to stay around.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Response to Site Supervisor Meeting
During my conference with my site supervisor we discussed my internship plan. She was able to put me somewhat at ease by reassuring me that there would be plenty of opportunity to complete my internship. We discussed the fact that many times it is simply figuring out with Domain/Competency the activity will fall under. Being a school superintendent requires that you were many different hats, which cause you to perform many different activities. My internship will be no different. She did not see any areas that looked like I would not be able to complete. However, we did also discuss the fact that this would be a working document and activities would be added and deleted along the way.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Vita
Jason Childress
4540 Hickory Meadows
Keller, TX. 76244
jchildress@nisdtx.org
940-210-5244
Objective: To secure a responsible, challenging administration position
Skills/Experiences:
- 2 years Administration experience
- 8 years teaching experience
- Taught 8th grade science, High School sciences, PAL’s and Exploratory Sciences
- Coached for 6 years
- Middle School Athletic Coordinator, Southlake
- State Championship football coach
- Supervised and evaluated coaches on job performance
- GT Certified
- CPR/AED Certified
- CDL Certified
- Peer Assistance and Leadership Certified Instructor
- Developed and Implemented PAL program for Southlake
- Highly Qualified Teacher
- L.E.A.P. Participant (Leadership Experiences for Aspiring Principals)
Education:
Masters in Educational Leadership
Lamar University
Beaumont, TX
Bachelor of Arts and Science
Teaching fields in E.S.S. and Biology
Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX
Graduation date May, 11, 2002
High School Diploma
Frenship High School, Wolfforth, TX
Graduated with Honors, May 1995
Honors:
3 Time State Champion Football Coach (2004, 2005, 2006)
Recognized Teacher Dawson Middle School (2003)
National Honor Society
Who’s Who
Work Experience:
Assistant Principal (9th Grade House Principal) (2010-Present)
Byron nelson High School Northwest ISD
Serve as the 9th grade house principal while assisting with other school duties. These duties include textbooks, safety and secuirty and PDAS assignments
Teacher- Chisholm Trail Middle School Northwest ISD (2008-2010)
Serve as the 8th grade Team Lead and teach 8th grade science at Chisholm Trail, while completing my Masters in Educational Leadership. Involved in LEAP program with NWISD
Teacher/Coach Sanger High School (2007-2008)
Taught at Linda Tutt High School in Sanger in the DAEP/Choice High School Program. Ran and operated the science department at Linda Tutt, which included Biology, Physics, Chemistry and IPC.
Teacher/Coach/Athletic Coordinator Dawson Middle School (2003-2006)
While in Carroll ISD, I taught Exploratory Sciences (Environmental, Oceanography), Secrets of Success and PAL’s. I also functioned as campus Athletic Coordinator for both boys and girls athletics while coaching football, basketball, and track. I developed and implemented the Peer Assistance and Leadership program at DMS.
Teacher/Coach Atkins Jr. High School Lubbock, TX (2002-2003)
Taught 8th grade Earth Science, while coaching football, basketball, and track. I served as the Head Basketball coach at Atkins while there.
References:
Ryan Wilson Trudie Jackson Linda Parker
WilsonR@cisdmail.com 214-649-4302 lparker@nisdtx.org
Dawson Middle School Carroll High School Byron Nelson High School
Southlake, TX Southlake, TX Trophy Club , TX
Rob Thornell
Chisholm Trail Middle School
817-215-0600
rthornell@nisdtx.org
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Reflection from Interview
My interview with Mrs. Linda Parker was very informative and eye opening to some of the things that I may face as a superintendent. She is a certified superintendent and is currently an acting principal. I found that we have many of the same views on leadership, which is one of the reasons that I chose her as my site supervisor. We seem to react very similar to situations that come up. Beginning with the first questions, Mrs. Parker began to impress me with her ideas and thoughts on superintendence and leadership. I asked what her definition of leadership is and she answered it, but also answered question 5 without evening realizing it. Leadership to her is “leading by example and acting ethically and morally in doing so.” Mrs. Parker went on to say that she feels the need to be the hardest working person on campus but knows when to let go and let others shine. As we talked, I realized that there were many positives and negatives to the job. We discussed the fact that it is the same with any job. One may view a negative aspect as “dealing with the public” on a regular basis, but at times that would be a positive. Just as in any leadership role, you have to take the good with the bad and hopefully the knowledge you have gained through life’s experiences will transfer in the difficult situations. One of the most important things that I gained from the talk was the need to build a relationship with, not only the board, but all “stakeholders” in the district. The difficult part of this is always feeling the need to be “on” and ready to discuss a variety of topics at anytime. However, the personality trait of being a “people person” helps her in these situations with her job. Learning to work with all types of people is a skill that I am fortunately learning now and will certainly come in handy in the future on a much larger scale. She went on to discuss the leadership skills necessary to be successful. One must possess a variety of skills and be able to “be a situational leader.” This type of leadership will allow the superintendent to put competent people in the right places and feel no need to micro-manage. Improving all staff member’s performance was another interesting topic. She feels that having a variety of professional development is vital. Not only that, but allowing the teachers in the district to have a say so in their development through surveys and needs assessments is a good way to build ownership in their professional development. We ended the discussion with Mrs. Parker saying that, even as a principal, she had to get used to the number of decisions she makes on a day to day basis. We discussed the fact that this must be multiplied as a superintendent. Thus, the need for surrounding yourself with competent people is even more important. This assignment was very insightful and allowed me to see what working as a superintendent may look like. I learned that it is important to be flexible but to stand firm in your ethical beliefs and what is best for the kids of the district. Always have a situational style of leadership and be willing to treat people differently according to their needs.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Blogs in Education
Blogging is a great tool for educators as long as they are passionate about what they are saying in their blog. As the number of followers increase, so will your credibility with those viewers. Using a blog as a professional development tool is a fast and easy way to get information out to your staff and also receive feedback, immediately.
Action Research
Action research is a great tool for education. Pretty simply put it is a process, or research that involves planning, action, monitoring and reflection. These steps do not necessarily have an order. For instance, you may find yourself reflecting as you are planning; or monitoring during action. In Action research that I have been apart of in the past, it is sometimes difficult to keep theses steps separate as they tend to run together during the process. Action Research uses action as a means of research, a plan for change is put into action and then monitored and analysed for success. Action Research is basically educators trying to better understand and improve their practice. It can function at an individual level, or as a collaboration of teachers/educators. One other great aspect of this type of research is that it can be used at any level. From the most complex issues to the simple everyday struggles in education. Basically, any issue that needs to be changed or fixed can be attempted through action research. I think of it as a living document that can be changed and adapted as you progress to reach your goal.
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