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.