Budget+Process+-+Top+Five+List

Using the Wiki process, develop your group’s “top five list” of events and dates in the development of a budget (you may want to seek input from your superintendent/site supervisor), post to your Wiki and the professor’s cohort blog and comment on at least one of the other cohort group submissions:

Group Members, Please add your suggestions for the top five list:

Top Five List of Events and Dates in the Development of a Budget: Here's what I came up with. It was very hard to limit it to five: 1. Identify Budget Priorities based on Board Goals, District Improvement Plan, and Student Enrollment Projections (January) 2. Budget Planning Process with input from each campus,each department, and input from the community to determine total expected expenditures (March-June) 3. Revenue Estimates based on Certified Tax Values and total State Aid (Tier I Funding and Tier II Funding plus all other special funding sources) (July) 4. Preparation of the district budget (by August 20) 5. Adoption of the final district budget by the Board and Approval of the district tax rate (by August 31) -Lee

It was hard to limit to just five dates. In talking with my site supervisor, as well as a superintendent from a neighboring district, this was the information I gathered: 1. Same as Lee's 2. Same as Lee's with a shortened time frame of March through April. All campus principals should submit their budget requests along with the departments in the district to the superintendent no later than May 1st. 3. During April/May the superintendent should work with the district business manager to forecast revenue for upcoming school year and go over budget proposals from campus administrators and department heads. A draft budget should be ready for budget workshops prior to June 10th. 4. June-August: budget workshops with school board to review proposed budget. This will give the school board ample opportunity to ask questions and the district to develop a budget to fit the districts goals and needs. 5. By August 31st, the final budget should be adopted by school board and approval of the district tax rate for the upcoming year. (Same as Lee's) Laurie

1) Identify Budget Priorities as identified in the DIP (Jan) 2) Input from campuses, departments, and programs presented to district planning committee along with identified budget priorities. (Mar-Apr) 3) Superientendent, CFO, Executive Superintendents, work with projected revenue figures and identified budget priorities to create draft form of district budget for next fiscal year. (May) 4) Budget workshops and community meetings scheduled as needed to discuss and revised proposed budget. Adjustments may be made to the proposed budget, the District Improvement Plan, or both. 5) Final budget and district tax rate must be accepted at the August board meeting. If not special called meeting must be scheduled prior to the end of the month. Debbie

1. The Board and Superintendent must develop vision and goals for District’s Budget.(January) 2. The Superintendent and all Stakeholders work collaboratively in determining revenues and expenditures.(March – June) 3. Board must call a public meeting giving ten days public notice in a newspaper, for the adoption of the district budget. 4. August 20th, Budget must be prepared or June 19th for districts that have a fiscal year start date. 5. August 31st, District budget must be adopted or June 30th for districts that have a July 1st fiscal year start date. //Carlos// We need to come up with a consesus which are the top five? 1,4 and 5 are the same. 1 for me is different but I like what you both placed for 1. What do you all think about ,2,3 ?

I think that 2 & 3 from mine and Debbie's would be the best ones to complete our top five, so it would look something like this: 1. Identify Budget Priorities as identified in the DIP (Jan) 2. Input from campuses, departments, and programs presented to district planning committee along with identified budget priorities. (Mar-Apr) <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14pt; margin: 5pt 0in;">3. During April/May the superintendent should work with the district business manager to forecast revenue for upcoming school year and go over budget proposals from campus administrators and department heads. A draft budget should be ready for budget workshops prior to June 10th. <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14pt; margin: 5pt 0in;">4. August 20th, Budget must be prepared or June 19th for districts that have a fiscal year start date. <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 130%;">5. Adoption of the final district budget by the Board and Approval of the district tax rate (by August 31)

The reasons we decided on the events that we did was due to the fact that they encompassed the major stepping stones on development of a district budget. You have to decide what you want to accomplish before you start out- that is why we included the input from the various stakeholders in the process. After that is gathered, the superintendent needs to take all of the information and streamline it into a proposed budget to present to the school board. Once the draft is prepared, it is imperative to give time for the superintendent and the school board to conduct numerous workshops to fine tune the proposed budget. Finally, as mandated by the state of Texas, the budget must be adopted and the tax-rate set by September 1st each year. This is naturally the final date of the yearly budget process.

Laurie

I can agree with the above version. Although, I am not so sure about the timeline of number 3. We are not sure of certified tax values until July, and every other year we are waiting on the completion of a legislative session to know the final appropriations. This year is an example of districts waiting on the legislature to have an idea of what state funding will be. -Lee Comment from Group 3 member (Andrea) You guys are doing a great job of working together on your group wiki! You all seem to have a focus on the budget development process while looking through the lens of improvement goals. Good job!

Last version looks great!!!! Carlos