Goal driven budget

Each district has a mission statement.  In Liberty ISD, the mission statement is “to ensure that every student reaches his or her potential.”  With that goal in mind, each year, Liberty ISD creates a goal-driven budget.  A goal-driven budget is, as it sounds, a budget driven by the goals that the board and school administrators have set for the district.  The goals are determined by the needs of the students in the district.  The goal driven budget analyzes each goal and bases its spending on these goals.  The budget is not created then the goals are set. The budget is created using district goals as the foundation not vice versa.    I agree with Dr. Arterbury’s statement “the district and the campus goals should reflect the Board goals.”  In speaking with my Superintendent, Dr. Abshier stated that LISD budget goals focus spending on the district goals which include all subject areas, grade levels, and each special program. Dr. Abshier also indicated that the district needs were identified in the areas of decision-making (planning, curriculum/instruction, staffing, staff development, school organization, and budgeting) and through the Effective Schools Correlates-instructional focus, high expectations, school climate, and parental involvement.  Dr. Abshier also shared that the budget creators take on a huge responsibility.  Those who construct the budget must know how much money is available, where the money will be allocated, and be held accountable that the spending is done accurately.  Each decision maker must know his/her role and responsibilities.  It must be determined that the board, the superintendent, and the school principals are on the same page and realize that there a system of checks and balances before a final decision can be made.  Educators must make daily budget decisions based on how it will affect the children of the district.  Any variation from this goal negatively affects the success of the children and no administrator would want to take the blame for that.  Often the administrators must re-evaluate budget making decisions and review the goals to ensure that they correspond with one another.  Each year monies must be spent with one goal in mind to reflect the vision, goals, and mission of the district.