EDLD 5342 Final Reflection (Week 5 Part 3)

EDLD 5342

Week 5 Part 3

• Competency 8 Self-assessments

___C__ apply procedures for effective budget planning and management.

___S__ work collaboratively with board of trustees and appropriate personnel to develop district budgets.

___C__ facilitate and evaluate effective account auditing and monitoring that complies with legal requirements and local district policy.

___S__ establish district procedures for accurate, effective, ethical purchasing and financial record keeping and reporting.

___C__ acquire, allocate, and manage resources according to district vision and priorities, including obtaining and using funding from various sources.

___S__ use district and staff evaluation data for personnel policy development and decision making.

___S__ apply knowledge associated with personnel management, including requirements related to certifying, recruiting, screening, selecting, evaluating, disciplining, reassigning, and dismissing personnel.

___C__ manage one's own time and the time of others to enhance district operations.

___C__ develop and implement plans for using technology and information systems to enhance efficiency and effectiveness of school district operations.

___S__ apply legal concepts, regulations, and codes as required.

___S__use revenue forecasting and enrollment forecasting to address personnel and budgetary needs accurately.

Reflection

Although seeking more information on any and all of these components is an ongoing process, I feel confident enough through my investigation of these items during this course that I am not completely in the dark about any of them and I know who and where to seek further clarification, if needed. Assessing my progress on these competencies, I do not feel an “I” is an indicator on any of these.

Items I feel I am competent “C” about are: applying procedures for effective budget planning and management; facilitating and evaluating effective account auditing and monitoring that complies with legal requirements and local district policy; acquiring, allocating, and managing resources according to district vision and priorities, including obtaining and using funding from various sources; managing one's own time and the time of others to enhance district operations; and developing and implementing plans for using technology and information systems to enhance efficiency and effectiveness of school district operations. These competencies I have gained important insight in. I have marked them with a “C” because my knowledge and expertise will definitely increase with practice and becoming more comfortable with the processes involved.

I marked “S” for: working collaboratively with board of trustees and appropriate personnel to develop district budgets; establishing district procedures for accurate, effective, ethical purchasing and financial record keeping and reporting; using district and staff evaluation data for personnel policy development and decision making; applying knowledge associated with personnel management, including requirements related to certifying, recruiting, screening, selecting, evaluating, disciplining, reassigning, and dismissing personnel; applying legal concepts, regulations, and codes as required; and using revenue forecasting and enrollment forecasting to address personnel and budgetary needs accurately. Many of these deal with working with people to establish goals and standards. Working with people in teams is a particular strength I have, so when I look at these, I can see why I feel more comfortable with these competencies and my ability to implement them straight away. I have a strong background in personnel matters and a strong understanding of legal concerns to provide a sturdy platform to build on.

• Lectures, interviews and readings, and resources

I found that I viewed all of the lectures at least twice as they contained a wealth of information about a subject area I initially felt underprepared. Breaking down the information and having the ability to review it was very helpful. I thoroughly enjoyed interviewing the district budget director. She was immensely helpful in explaining the district decision-making process in changing funding for teachers salaries, creating new personnel positions, and a new scheduling system. It made me even more aware of the type of person I want to have in place that is not only knowledgeable about accounting and school finance, but how to work as a team member who contributes to a vast array of decisions that affect the entire district on many different levels. The resources were excellent, not only giving me information on the nuts and bolts of school finance, but the different organizations available for more information. They also made me more aware of political considerations when going through the budget process.

• Weekly assignments and activities, including information and insights from interviews

I appreciated the design of the course beginning with the history of school finance in Texas, goal-driven budgets using data-driven decision-making, sources of revenue, FIRST, and applying the TAC Code of Ethics to superintendent behavior not only in finance, but in general. Again, breaking these components down in this way allowed me to really absorb the information in a way to make sense of it and be able to apply it. I enjoyed analyzing different types of school district data and comparing  the differences. I found this enlightening and a worthwhile exercise to understand different problems that exist in different kinds of districts. My interview with the district budget director gave me real insight as to how this district makes financial decisions and set the bar high in expecting ethical behavior.

• Any other highlights from the course – this may include wiki group experiences, blog comments and reflections, Web Conferences or other school finance insights or experiences during the course.

I enjoy seeing what other colleagues think is important as I look at reflections on the blogs and wikis. Seeing other perspectives really gives me an advantage I could not gain in any other way. Even a small observation has given me insight and often highlighting something I had not thought of before. Working in the wiki groups was difficult at times, but it was fun and worthwhile getting to know others in our cohort better. It is valuable to develop networks of people we can depend on as well as learn how to work with others at the superintendent level. Most importantly, we have resources available to us to help and we should reach out to utilize them. Another major item is the superintendent sets the tone for the district in expectations for everything from student achievement to hiring to how decisions are made and implemented. This aspect cannot be overemphasized.