EDLD 5399: SISE Conference Reflection

     My superintendent completed my SISE on June 7, 2011.  We scheduled a conference to go over the evaluation on June 20, 2011 at 9:00 a.m.  Dr. Cavness and I discussed ways to gain more experience in central office operations by becoming more involved when possible.  I asked him about allowing me to continue to work with others and ask questions about different areas such as school finance.  He said that would be great, and the more involved I can be, the better.  I was encouraged by the positive comments made on the form and that he has high expectations for me in the futrue.  

EDLD 5399: Three Year Professional Development Reflection

     Working on the professional development plan made me think about what I wanted to get accomplished within the next three years.  I found myself thinking about personnel growth and ways to improve my leadership abilities to prepare me for future possibilities on my professional journey.  I felt I needed improvement in becoming more community oriented, technology proficient in terms of applications, more aware of the major issues regarding public education, well versed in school finance, and better in determining the staff development needs for our teachers with regards to our increasing Hispanic and economically disadvantaged populations.  Something I feel I need to accomplish is the ability to speak Spanish.  I set this a one of my three year goals and would like to be able to communicate with both students and parents in Spanish to be able to provide them with information about school rules and procedures and to relay why education is so very important for all children.  The plan made me think of how I would accomplish the goals and what I would use to evaluate the goals.  We all need goals for continued improvement.  Actually writing out a plan helps to keep the goals in focus and to think about what we all would like to accomplish.

EDLD 5399: The Value of Reflection

     Reflection is an essential skill need for continued growth on our leadership journey.  Examining how and why we dealt with different situations allows you to make course corrections.  Similar situations will arise and we want to be able to handle them with greater confidence.  We all want to do things the right way that is the most beneficial for students and our schools.

     Being able to reflect on the many things we have done in this superintendent program has enabled us to see the tremendous growth we have achieved since October.  I know I have gained much more knowledge and learned many more skills than I had thought.  Reflecting help bring to light the amount of learning that has taken place. 

     Reflecting is not something that should be done only in our work environment, but should be utilized throughout our lives both personally and professionally.  It is a great skill that will help us everyday.  I believe we all have used reflection in some way or another.  We may not have used the term reflection or written our thoughts and feelings down all the time, but doing so in this program has reinforced the value of  reflection.  

EDLD 5399 Week 3: District Improvement Initiative

All schools today are faced with the same dilemma, how to remain current with societies’ increasing use of technology.  Starting in kindergarten through college and into our work environments technology is being used more and it is becoming a necessity for all students to have technological capabilities.  The changing technological advances are causing school districts to become even more creative with budgeting and financial planning.  Equipping both staff and students with the tools to be technologically proficient is a challenge for any school district.  Examining my district’s campus improvement initiative, we focused on increasing the use of technology throughout our district by our students and staff.  A tremendous amount of time and effort has gone into the development and planning for district wide incorporation of technology.   The district began with a district technology committee and sought input from students, parents, district personnel and board members about technology for the district.  The planning process began several years ago and plans for use and implementation have continually changed over the years.  Answering the questions of why, what, how, and when for technology in our district had to occur early in the planning and development process.  Technology for schools is not a simple issue.  The district’s yearly staff development plan for 2010-2011 school year focused primarily on technology throughout our district.  The district’s technology upgrade ideas came about primarily from an extensive bond project.  New campuses and academic wings all included up to date classroom technology.  The teachers needed training to learn to use the computers, mimios, document cameras, whiteboards, and flat screen effectively in their classrooms.  The district felt that a one-time or one-day training was not sufficient enough for our teachers.  We included several district early release days we called “Wired for Wednesdays” designed to provide additional training for staff members that were campus based.  The sessions were lead by teachers and were based on the technology level of the campus staff by dividing them into advanced, proficient, and basic levels.  They included how to effectively use and incorporate the classroom technology into the lessons.  We are also moving to a one-to-one laptop usage for students at the secondary level.  Sixth through twelfth graders will be issued a laptop to use for the entire school year.  The sixth and seventh graders will have one issued to them for use at school and eighth through twelfth will be allowed to take their laptops home everyday.  A technology usage fee was determined to be necessary for all students, which will begin at the beginning of the next school year.   After getting involved with the technology committee, several other questions came up and had to be addressed for proper technology implementation.  Without thoroughly planning and investigating all angles of the district improvement initiative it becomes extremely difficult to adequately prepare the students, parents, staff and district for changes.   Planning is the foundation of any change.  The most important lesson learned is to become involved within your district in the process, you learn more than by just observing.  For any initiative to be successful, there has to be a valid need and desire for change.  Changing the way we teach with technology inside our schools, how we allow students to use technology for lessons and assignments, parent understanding and commitment for change, and understanding school funding are all important skills for implementing successful changes.            

EDLD 5399 Week 2: Job Entry Plan

Job Entry Plan

            Proper job planning and organization is essential when seeking a new position within a school district or any organization.   Thinking about goals you would like to accomplish during your first day, first week, first month, and first year will be beneficial to anyone seeking a new career level.  There will be several areas and things that need to be learned and investigated in preparing for this kind of change.  On my first day as a new superintendent I would like to get settled into my new environment and learn about the people in the administration complex that I will be closely working with on a daily basis.  I would like to set my office up quickly, so visitors will get a sense of who I am and promote an image of organization.  My office would reflect some of my leadership style and personality in the décor and arrangement.  The major goal for the day would be to learn who and about the people on staff and begin building relationships with them.  Talking to them will provide them with the opportunity to learn more about family, my professional history, and me.  I would like to meet with them formally first as a group, then meet with them individually to get a feel of what they think are important issues within the school district.

            The first week I would focus on learning the school board members and would like to meet with them to review the districts goals, vision and mission.  Working with the school board and initiating building relationships would actually begin for me during the interview and hiring process.  I would like to quickly develop the team of eight relationships.  Learning the board is key to having a positive superintendent-board relationship.  They are the direct link to the citizens and understanding their desires will help me learn what to focus on for the district.  Additionally, during my first week I would make it a priority to learn the different campuses and facilities within the district and their leadership teams.  I would like to spend a morning or afternoon on each campus, just visiting with the teachers and staff.  I would tour and observe how each campus operates.  I would then call an administrative staff meeting to meet the district administrative team.  This, to me, would be very important.  Having a strong working relationship with them will provide valuable insight to unwritten needs of the district.  A large majority of the directives and changes in the district will begin at the campus level.  A strong cohesive administrative team will help continue progress for the universal goal of success for all students.

            During the first month I would have two main goals.  These would be to meet all community leaders and to meet the entire district staff.  I would invite the community leaders to an individual meeting and suggest we meet at their offices.  This would provide me the opportunity to become more familiar with the geography of the community.  I know they are very busy and this would allow them to decide the time for the meetings and exhibit a willingness to cooperate with them.  I would be able to gain insight into how the city feels about their local school district and get ideas on what they feel needs to improve in our schools.  After the first meeting I would invite them to the administration building or my office for the next meeting.  The second goal would involve learning the district personnel.  This would be completed by having meetings on all campuses within the month.  It would be more informal and provide them the opportunity to learn more my expectations for the district and my philosophy about educating students.  I would discuss the accomplishments of the district and the direction the district is heading. 

            The first year goal would be to  effectively lead the district by using the skills gained in our superintendent program.   The first day, week, and month were geared heavily in building campus, district, school board, and community relationships.  While those goals were being addressed all the other responsibilities of managing a multimillion-dollar business that has as their product highly educated students continued to exist.  Limited resources were needed for the first month.  The main thing needed for accomplishing those goals would be time.  For the first year all data pertaining to district operations would be needed for leading the district.  Primarily examining school funding, budgeting and fund allocations within the district will be needed to understand the financial state of the district.  Campus data such as scheduling, student population and staffing will be examined.  Campus budget needs will be investigated.  This will happen by working with the campus leadership teams.  Student population trends and revenue projections will be disaggregated to determine the future budgetary needs of the campuses and district.  The daily operations of the district will be examined and a daily schedule and monthly calendar will be developed for organizational purposes.  Being visible and involved in all aspect of the districts operations and procedures will occur to create a climate of awareness and to enhance district communications.  Major changes within the district will only occur based on the needs identified by the school board.  It is very important to learn the district, the way it operates and make changes that promote the welfare of the students and boost their education.           

EDLD 5399 Week 2: Superintendent Leadership Experiences

     Many of the experiences in this Superintendent Internship program have influenced my leadership on my current campus.  As a campus principal you have somewhat a microscopic sense of what the superintendent job entails.  The superintendent position carries a much greater responsibility than one can imagine.  These experiences have enlightened me to what a superintendent has to do on a routine basis.  Success for all students is a foundation for all superintendents.  Competency 1, the ability to act with integrity, fairness, and in an ethical manner provides the basis for student success.  By reviewing the job description and evaluation instrument of the superintendent, developing interpersonal skills, attending more board meetings, and meeting with office staff members I have gained a greater understanding for the need to promote the highest standards of behavior and lead by example.  Reviewing The Code of Ethics and Standards for Texas Educators, I am more aware of the policies and attitudes that display the best practices of ethical behavior.  Competency 2, shaping a district’s culture required reviewing several documents involving the district strategic plan, assessment data and analyzing the school’s vision and mission statements.  Understanding these documents required examining current school issues that help to build district support to promote a climate of high expectations that incorporates contributions form the staff and community.  Competency 3, stressed the importance of community interaction with the school district.  Analyzing the relationship between the school district and our two communities influenced the decision making process to ensure a successful education for all students.  Examining current parent involvement policies and learning about school to community communications has helped me understand the required necessary support of all stakeholders in the education of students.  Interviewing community leaders gave me their perspective on the quality of education within our district.  Competency 4, dealing with the larger political, social, economic, legal, and cultural context and working with the board, is my overall weakest area.  Working with the board was not the issue.  Working with local, state and national political systems is where I need the most improvement.  The activities helped me realize my weakness in this area.  The internship activities dealt with learning more about the community and superintendent-board relationship, which was informative.  I wish I had involved more activities dealing with the political side of education.  The interviews with my superintendent increased my awareness of the importance of getting involved with the political aspect of a superintendent’s job.  I will continue to work on this area.  Competency 5, facilitating planning and implementation of strategic plans to enhance teaching and learning are a major reason I entered into education.  The activities involving data analysis and examining district curriculum and development, along with investigating campus and district level procedures help to stress the importance of the superintendent as being the district’s instructional leader.  Competency 6, promoting and sustaining an instructional program that leads to student learning and staff professional growth emphasized the importance of understanding the student population and programs available for students.  Students need to know they are important and valuable to all school programs.  Recognizing their accomplishments and learning how they feel about the educational and extracurricular opportunities at school help to understand how changes are affecting education.  Issues that were considered very serious five years ago, such as bringing their own electronic devices to school, are now minor offenses due to changes in society with electronic devices.  Competency 7, stressed the importance of quality staff evaluation and development systems for the improvement of all staff members.  Examining the district’s staff development plan and identifying the correlation with the district’s mission, student performance, and staff evaluations helped me further understand that all aspects of the district’s programs are interrelated and that each needs to reinforce the other systems in place.  Quality education requires quality teachers and support from the administration and board.  Competency 8, applying effective leadership and management for district budgeting, financial management, personnel, use of resources and technology was the area that I learned the most.  Understanding the major duties of office personnel, the process of requisitioning equipment and time management were all very beneficial.  The main area of growth for me was in the area of budgeting.  The planning and management of the budget, understanding more about how the state funds school districts and the effect the budget has on the overall educational process for a school district has helped me realize that funding drives everything.  Appropriate money allocation and management is vital to providing an education that meets the needs of all students.  I hope the state addresses the funding issues facing our state and properly takes care of our most important resource by providing them with the necessary resources for preparing them for their future outside of school.  Competency 9, leadership and management of the school facilities for a safe effective learning environment focused on the physical quality of our schools.  School safety will always be an important issue on our campuses.  The activities that investigated the supporting areas of school life like the cafeteria and buses helped me to learn these areas are vital to the school organization.  School and student safety concerns do not stop when students leave the classroom.  Proper attention needs to be given to all auxiliary areas of a campus to enhance the overall educational process.  Competency 10, organization, decision-making, and problem solving skills relate to federal and state requirements emphasized how important decisions made by the superintendent requires thinking about more than what is happening locally.  Interviewing the superintendent helped me to understand more about many of the requirements associated with the responsibilities of being a school superintendent.  The ability to work with the school board, community members, school personnel, and effectively communicating with all groups is extremely important to be an effective school superintendent.  A major portion of a superintendent’s time is dealing with problem solving.  Understanding state and federal requirements, desires of the school board and community are necessary skills for the school superintendent.  The superintendent is a position that requires more from an individual than any other position within a school district.  The internship activities, courses, and logs have provided many lessons and experiences about the superintendent position.  Learning about the necessary skills needed to be successful has provided me with greater understanding of what it means to be a superintendent.   

Professional Vita

James E. Arnett

215 LaMesa Dr., Bridge City, TX. 77611

(W)(409) 962-0225; (C) (409) 540-1702; (H)(409) 735-4803

jarnett@pngisd.org

Education/Certification

Master of Education                    Administration, Lamar University,

    Beaumont, TX., 2001                                 

Bachelor of Science                     Secondary Education, Lamar University,

    Beaumont, TX., 1989

Superintendent Cert.          Lamar University, Completed Program June 2011
                                                  

Principal Certification                  Standard, Texas

Teacher Certification                   6-12 Composite Science, Provisional, Texas

Educational Aide II                      Paraprofessional, Texas

Administrative and Leadership

Experience

Principal, Groves Middle School,

Port Neches-Groves Independent School District,

Port Neches, TX, 2010- present

• Achieved Recognized Rating for 2010-2011 
• Provided instructional leadership on campus
• Organized and developed the campus budget
• Provided campus staff development and conducted all faculty meetings
• Monitored and supervised all TAKS testing on campus
• Decided and supervised final decisions for bond construction including ordering materials for teachers/staff and the building
• Chairman of Tri-County Middle Schools, organized meetings and discussed athletic schedules and academic schedules with multiple campus principals

Director, Alternative Education Center,

Port Neches-Groves Independent School District,

Port Neches, TX, 2008-2010

• Controlled all areas of the campus operation
• Controlled campus budget
• Supervised Credit Recovery Program and Homebound Instructional Program
• Conducted and supervised all TAKS testing as Campus Testing
• CoordinatorCertified Crisis Prevention Institute Instructor and provided instruction district wide for crisis intervention
• Conducted expulsion meetings for recommendations to JCYA 

Assistant Principal, Port Neches-Groves High School

Port Neches-Groves Independent School District,

Port Neches, TX, 2006-2008

• Performed all duties required as assistant principal and assigned by the principal
• Performed discipline for 9^th through 12^th grades
• Distributed textbooks and collected them for the end of year textbook inventory
• Supervised pep rallies and was the administrator on duty for extracurricular activities
• Monitored student transitions/supervision
• Performed teacher appraisals, evaluation of student handbook, alternative placement hearings, expulsion and  JCYA hearings, scheduling for teachers for administering the TAKS test

Assistant Principal & Medical Magnet Coordinator, Central High School,

Beaumont Independent School District

Beaumont, TX, 2002-2006

• Performed all duties and responsibilites as an assistant principal
• Implemented Medical Magnet Program at Central HS
• Developed Dual Credit Programs with Lamar University and University of Texas
• Supervised student discipline, student attendance and court referrals, UIL Athletics and Academics, Extracurricular and Co-curricular Activities
• Was the administrator for the Ninth Grade Success Initiative Program in 2003
• Was the administrator for DANA Center TEXTEAM for Science

Teaching Experience

Chemistry & Physics Teacher, Bridge City High School

Bridge City Independent School District,

Bridge City, Texas, 1992-2002

• Provided instruction for chemistry, physics, physical science, and geology
• Committee memberships included of Site-Based Decision Making, Campus Advisory, Discipline Review, Hiring for Band Instructor, Textbook Review, Alternative Education Placement, 
• Sponsored UIL Science
• Member of Texas Math and Science Coaches Association
• Scoreboard operator for home football games
• National Honor Society Faculty Council

Chemistry & Physics Teacher, West Orange Stark High School,

West Orange-Cove Consolidated Independent School District,

Orange, Texas, 1991-1992

• Provided all daily classroom supervision, instruction, and operations
• Taught content for physics and physical science
• Developed rules and regulations for classroom behaviors and expectations

Physic & Physical Science Teacher, Deweyville High School,

Deweyville Independent School District,

Deweyville, Texas, 1990-1991

• Provided all daily classroom supervision, instruction, and operations
• Taught content for physics and physical science
• Developed rules and regulations for classroom behaviors and expectations

District Homebound Teacher & Middle School Behavior Modification Program Aide,

Orangefield Independent School District,

Orangefield, Texas, 1990

• Provided instructional materials to homebound students from their main campus
• Gave instructions and explanations on assignments for homebound students
• Helped to manage and instruct students in middle school behavior modification classroom
• Assisted all behavior modified students during lunch period
• Monitored behavior modified student during physical education period

Earth Science Teacher, North Shore Middle School,

Galena Park Independent School District,

Houston, Texas, 1989-1990

• Provided all classroom instruction adhering to the district curriculum
• Supervised student transitions between classes
• Calculated all grades and averages for students

Biology & Physical Science Teacher, West Orange Stark High School Summer School,

West Orange-Cove Consolidated Independent School District,

Orange, Texas, 1989

• Provided all instruction for summer school for biology and physical science courses
• Calculated all summer school student averages in courses taught

Related Experiences

Chemistry 141 Lab Assistant,

Lamar University Beaumont

Beaumont, Texas, 1988

• Provided laboratory instruction and assistance for lab portion of Chemistry 141

Math 1313 & Math 1314 Teacher and College Algebra Tutor,

Lamar University Orange,

Orange, Texas, 1983

• Provide quality instruction for introductory math courses
• Provided tutoring for students enrolled in college algebra

Professional Development

TASSP Summer Conference, Austin, Texas June 2011
Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment: Principal Update, 2010

TCASE Behavior Academy, Austin Texas, 2010

Response to Intervention - We're Just Beginning Day 3, Region V, Silsbee, Texas, 2010

Campus Coordinators/Principals TAKS Training, 2010

Response to Intervention - We're Just Beginning Day 2, Region V, Silsbee, Texas, 2009

Response to Intervention - We're Just Beginning Day 1, Region V, Silsbee, Texas, 2009 

Campus Technology Update, 2009

Chapter 37 Discipline/Law/Safe Schools, 2009

RtI Campus Procedures/Differentiated Instruction, 2009

Campus Coordinators/Principals TAKS Training, 2009

Discipline of Students with Disabilities, 2009

Discipline Drama: How to Avoid Common Mistakes, 2009

Nonviolent Crisis Intervention Certified Instructor, 2009

Leading Through Relationships for Administrative Teams, 2009

Handle With Care Certified Instructor, 2009

Five Personnel Laws Every School Administrator Must Know, 2008

RtI Skyward Family Access Training, 2008

19th Annual Law Conference, 2008

Conflict Resolution, 2008

Credit Recovery/Special Education Regulations, 2008

Campus Planning for 2008-2009

Strategies for Differentiated Instruction, 2008

Crisis Prevention Institute Certified Instructor, 2008

Motivating the At Risk Student, 2007

18th Annual Law Conference, 2007

Dating Violence Awareness & Prevention Toolkit for School Administrators, 2007

Campus Planning, 2007

Worksheets Don't Grow on Dendrites, 2007

Leadership for the 21st Century, 2007

Skyward Discipline Training, 2007

Responding to Student Sexual harassment & Bullying in Schools, 2006

Administrative Leadership Training: Workforce, Education, & Economic Develop., 2006

Searching for Drugs and Weapons in Our Schools, 2006

Crisis Prevention Institute, Nonviolent Crisis Intervention Training, 2006

Emergency Operations Procedures/Basic First Aid, 2006

Drug and Gang Awareness, 2006

UIL Capital Conference at University of Texas at Austin, Instructional, 2005

Techniques, Increasing and Maintaining Involvement, & Integrating Technology, 2005

TAKS scores improvement for class of 2006: ELA 56% to 71 %, MTH 35%

     to 52%,SCI 32% to 53%, & SS 74% to 84% for Central High School , 2005

Best Practices II Conference, Dallas, Texas, 2005

      TEXTEAMS Mentoring Academies for H.S. Science, The Charles A. Dana Center
                 the University of Texas at Austin, 2004

     15th Annual Law Conference for Educators, Region 5 Ed. Service Center, 2004

Principal Individual Assessment & Individual Professional Development Plan, 2004

Annual Yearly Performance, Participation Rate for Sophomores:  Language Arts - 98%, Mathematics - 99%, Central High School, 2004

Director of Ninth Grade Success Initiative at Central High School, 2003

Director of Algebra Camp at Central High School, 2003

Framework For Understanding Poverty, 2003

Recognition of Academic Achievement in the Department of Educational Leadership,
          Perfect Academic Record (4.0), Lamar University Beaumont, 2002

 PDAS Certification, Lamar University and Region V, 2001

      Who's Who Among America's Teachers, 2000

      Instructional Leadership Development Cert., Lamar University and Region V, 2000

Polymer Chemistry, Lamar University, 2000

Focus Group Meetings, Region V, 2000

NASA's Johnson Space Center, Region V, 1999

Assessment and Curriculum Differentiation, Region V, 1999

Lift-Off to NASA's Educational Resources for Grades 6-12, Region V, 1999

TEXTEAMS Professional Development, Integrated Physics and Chemistry,

     Region V, 1999

Nature and Needs of G/T, Region V, 1998

Section 504 and ADA: Basic School District Requirements, Region V, 1997

33rd Texas Energy Science Symposium for Outstanding High School Teachers,

     University of Texas, 1993

Ideas, Activities and Strategies for the G/T Classroom, Region V, 1991

Classroom Management and Discipline Program Center for Initiatives in Education,

     Southwest Texas State University, 1991

Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education, Cum Laude, Composite Science

     Certification, Lamar University, Beaumont, Texas, 1989

Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, Lamar University, Beaumont, 1988

Phi Kappa Theta Honor Society, Charter Member, Lamar University, Orange, Texas, 1988

Professional Affiliations

Texas Association of Secondary School Principals, 2010-present

National Association of Secondary School Principals, 2010-present

EDLD 5399: Post SBEC Self-Assessment Reflection

After reviewing my responses from the first SBEC Self-Assessment to the Post SBEC Self-Assessment I was pleasantly surprised to see how much I have learned and gained from this superintendent program.  There are many things that I am using to improve my leadership skills on my campus.  I have many more strengths than any other category in the Superintendent Competencies.  For Domain I, Leadership of the Educational Community, Competencies 1-4, I had 23 strengths, 11 competent, and 1 improvement responses.  For Domain II, Instructional Leadership, Competencies 5-7, I had 14 strengths, 15 competent, and 1 improvement responses.  For Domain III, Administrative Leadership, Competencies 8-10, I had 18 strengths, 5 competent, and 1 improvement responses.  I still need to improve on working on learning to use political influences to benefit the educational organization and accessing and working with local, state, and national political systems and organizations to impact educational issues.  There were still several areas that I considered myself to be competent and need to continue to learn and grow as an administrator.  The greatest area of growth is with Competency 8, learning district budgeting and financial management of the district.  My strongest area continues to be with acting with integrity, fairness and in an ethical manner.  Even though I rated many more areas as strengths, I know I need to continue to actively learn more about each Competency to become a more effective school leader.  I will continue to investigate and learn about areas that are competent to move them to strengths and to change the weak areas to competent and eventually to strengths.    

Week 5 Final Relections on School Finance

     School finance is such a large and important component of public education that it is extremely important for school administrative leaders to have a thorough understanding of the entire system.  Effective management and leadership of a school district revolve around school finance.  Investigating and completing many of the activities and assignments throughout this course has helped me understand the magnitude of what our school finance system entails.  Examining the Competency 8 at the beginning and end of this course, listening to the lectures, interviewing school leaders, reading the materials and resources to complete the assignments have help to learn more about how the overall process of school finance affects our public educational system.  The activities involving the group wiki and blogs have also helped to develop contacts and view insights from other prospective school leaders.

      The ability to compare our pre and post self-assessment on Competency 8 show areas of definite growth and areas that I need more exposure and investigation. I went from 1 to 3 indicators as strengths, 6 to 7 indicators as competent, and 4 to 1 indicator as an area needing improvement.  The overall improvement in competency 8 is a result of what I have learned throughout this course.  I will continue to learn more about our school finance system and will pay particular attention on how to facilitate and evaluate effective account auditing and monitoring that comply with legal requirements and local district policy.

     The lectures, interviews, readings, and resources have provided valuable information to help in understanding the complexities of our school finance system.  The insight provided by our professors from their experiences operating a school district provided a real and practical view of how district operate.  The acquisition of knowledge and a greater understanding of school finances will continue as we become more involved in the school budgeting process for our campuses and districts.  The ability to see more of the greater picture of the broad reaching affects of how revenue is created and where expenditures occur will help to evaluate all of our financial procedures and there effects on the education of our students.

     I have enjoyed the ability to read other students reflections and group experiences through the wiki and blogs.  It is comforting to realize that many districts are facing the same difficult issues in Texas.  At times it was difficult to get organized with my particular group due to our different positions in our respective districts.  The overall experience and networking was very beneficial throughout this course.  I found the ethical violations to be very interesting and made me think of how I would react in similar situations.

    Although there is a lot more I need to learn about school finance, I now have the ability to ask questions and collaborate with others in finding answers.  I feel much more confident in my own ability to develop my campus budget to get the most out of our limited available funding.    

Code of Ethics for School Leaders

     Actively being involved in public education we are able to identify many examples of ethical violations in which educators have violated the Educators Code of Ethics.  Following are several ethical conflicts that have occurred in public education that has negatively impacted the reputation of public schools and educators.  Standard 1.2, states that the educator shall not knowingly misappropriate, divert, or use monies, personnel, property, or equipment committed to his or her charge for personal gain or advantage.  A school administrator used a district’s food service department personnel, equipment, and vehicles to cater a party at his or her home is an example that violates Standard 1.2.  Standard 1.10, states that the educator shall be of good moral character and be worthy to instruct or supervise the youth of this state.  An administrator having and affair with another district employee while stilled married to his/her spouse that is also a district employee shows a definite moral character flaw.  Standard 1.12, states the educator shall refrain from the illegal use or distribution of controlled substances and/or abuse of prescription drugs and toxic inhalants.  For this example a new educator the profession is taking pills while on campus in his or her room and becoming under the influence during the school day is an abuse of a controlled substance for this district.  Standard 2.2, states the educator shall not harm others by knowingly making false statements about a colleague or the school system.  This example has an educator spreading erroneous information about an administrator thus damaging the reputation of the administrator and the district.  Standard 2.5, states the educator shall not discriminate against or coerce a colleague on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, age, gender, disability, family status, or sexual orientation.  For the final example, a person less qualified is promoted above another person more qualified solely based on race.  These examples show that people make many mistakes in judgment and ethical conduct that negatively impacts the public education profession.  The examples cited have an adverse impact on financial issues affecting school districts.

     Examining three of the examples from above of ethical conflicts, short and long-range consequences should be considered for these types of violations.  For the Standard 1.2, short-range consequences should address the reimbursement of all costs involving the use of school property and personnel by the administrator.  Disciplinary actions should be taken to document the violation and a report of the violation may be sent to the State Board for Educator Certification for them to investigate and place possible restrictions on the administrator’s certification.  Long-range consequences are the loss of public support for the school district and administrators and a lack of confidence in district personnel.  The loss of support and confidence may carry over into district personnel.  The school board of trustees may lose confidence and respect in the district administrative personnel, ultimately causing them to lose employment if actions of this nature continue.  The incident involving the administrator having the affair while still married has many short-range consequences for violating Standard 1.10.  The direct embarrassment for the district as a result of the exposure of the administrator’s actions and the questioning and scrutiny of all employees by the public and stakeholders will be severe.  The moral character of the administrator will be questioned and the effectiveness of the administrator’s ability to lead the campus is jeopardized in the long-range.  Again a long-range impact will be the loss of public support in the administrator.  The consideration that the administrator showed lack of moral character will lead the public to question the ability to operate the campus without adversely impacting the financial issues on the campus.  The question if quality teachers want to work in a district or on a campus for administrators with severe character flaws will surface and need to be considered for the adverse affect on personnel.  Finally the teacher violating Standard 1.12 by using pills during the instructional day directly impacts students and parents.  The short-range immediate consequences are the reporting if such violation to SBEC and the superintendent resulting in the removal of the teacher.  The long-range impact on students on what they perceive to be acceptable behavior by educators will be affected.  The ability to find a highly qualified teacher to replace the one removed will be negatively affected.  The loss of the teacher’s certification and the resulting police involvement with the teacher, also have long-range implications.

     All superintendents should know how to act with the greatest of integrity, fairness, and in an ethical manner to promote the success of all students.  Preventive actions may help to avoid many ethical conduct violations.  Check and balances should be in place to help prevent educators from taking advantage of their position and overstepping of their authority.  The Texas Administrative Code, Educator’s Code of Ethics and school district policies are in place to provide guidance for administrative leaders.  For the examples from above all school educators should be above reproach when dealing with ethical behavior.  Unfortunately, many fail to live up to all of the expectations of students, parents, staff members, and stakeholders.  They have lapses in judgments that create problems for districts and the public’s perception of our educational system.  The action plan for Standard 1.2 involves each administrator modeling and promoting the highest standards of conduct and ethical integrity in all decision-making processes.  They must follow all district policies and demonstrate a total understanding of the behavior expected of district administrators.  The action plan for Standard 1.10 should include moral character and the ability of the administrator to interact appropriately with all district personnel in professional and ethical manners.  The administrator’s actions should always demonstrate behaviors that support the highest standards for educator behavior.  Finally for Standard 1.12, the action plan should incorporate the use of law enforcement and drug testing for employees.  It is very important that administrators protect all students from possible harm from district employees.  The students should be protected from both physical and emotional harm that could result from unethical behavior of educators.  Having educators know the negative consequences that will occur for these types of infractions may deter them from acting in unethically in all areas of the Educators Code of Ethics. 

Annual External Financial Audits

     We are fortunate to have a veteran business manager in my district.  The business manager was very helpful in answering several questions about financial audits for our district.  We start to accept bids every three years for an external auditor.  The majority of the time one is selected based primarily on price but knowledge, experience and reputation also have an impact on the selection decision.  The audit is conducted after the end of the year by examining our records and testing our data by taking a sampling of our financial practices.  Each year as a result of the audit we have received an “Unqualified Opinion”, which according to our business manager is the best rating you may receive from the audit.  This opinion indicates that our district is following proper procedures and record keeping practices.  The auditors present their finding at a board meeting to inform the school board members and stakeholders of our financial rating.  It is nice to know that our district dose not have any issues with the way we conduct our financial business.  
 

Understanding Personnel Salaries in District Budgeting

     Upon reviewing and analyzing the 2010-2011 budget for the Port Neches-Groves Independent School District the total personnel salaries equal $28,766,764, which is 81.6% of the district’s total budget.  This percentage is comparable to the state personnel salary percentage.  The total staff for PNGISD is 627 employees of which 55% or 342 are teachers.  As a result of the majority of the school district’s budget being used for salaries it is clear why school superintendents and school board members pay special attention to personnel recommendations.  For a school district to significantly impact an effective change in their annual budget personnel salaries must be critically examined.  I believe most people would be surprised that the overall percentage of a district’s budget is allocated for personnel salaries.  It is also worthy to note that in many communities the school district is the largest employer. 

     The impact of a 5% salary increase for all personnel has many possible affects for a school district.  Beginning with the positive aspects of a raise, several things come to mind.  Everyone would like to think they are doing a quality job and are gaining new skills that greatly impact student’s education.  A salary increase would have a positive affect on individuals by providing to them additional self worth and appreciation for a job well done.  It would certainly increase the appreciation, popularity and support for the team of eight from the employees of the school district.  Higher salaries would help to retain and attract the best teachers by keeping the district competitive with neighboring school districts.  Another positive impact results from a perception from stakeholders and outside communities that things in the district are progressing favorably when we are facing many difficult decisions ahead with the current financial position our state is in regarding school finance.

     Unfortunately there seems to be more possible negative impacts and questions needing resolution when determining if a school district is giving their employees a 5% salary increase.  For my school district we have 62% of teachers with eleven or more years of experience and of that half of them have over twenty plus years of experience.  For a district with a veteran staff trying to give a 5% raise, it will be significantly more expensive than a district with a less experienced staff.  Questions such as will the raise require a tax increase, reduce the fund balance, reduce/remove established educational programs, or create an undesirable affect on the district are some of the questions needing to be answered before the raise is initiated.  In most cases the answers are going to have or cause negative reactions regarding the operation of a school district.  Another potential negative impact is how are the stakeholders going to react to this type of raise.  What is the financial state and climate of the community is another area that must be examined before a raise is implemented.  One of the most negative aspects that could result in giving a 5% raise would be the need to reduce the overall budget resulting in the possibility of having to reduce staff, which means people would lose their jobs.  This also negatively impacts the entire image of a school district. 

     The main question regarding an across the board salary increase is how is it going to impact the overall operation of the school district.  Is the raise something the district can afford and is it something the community and all stakeholders will support?  With the state and each school district facing many financial challenges for the next few years all areas both positive and negative must be thoroughly investigated when determining whether or not a school district can provide a 5% salary increase for all personnel.  A raise would be great but is it practical and can the district really afford it?  

Reviewing and Analyzing My District's M&O Fund

According to the Texas Education Agency Office of School Finance, School Funding 101: Funding of Texas Public Schools, January 2011, funding for Texas’s public schools comes form three main sources: local school district property taxes, state funds, and federal funds.  Schools are funded mainly by local property taxes and state funds administered through the state’s Foundation School Program (FSP).  The FSP is revenue in the state budget earmarked for public schools in Texas.  This revenue comes from tax collections transferred from other state accounts.  The FSP establishes the amount of state and local funding due to school districts under Texas school finance law administered by the Texas Education Agency.  The two main components of the FSP are operations funding and facilities funding.   The operations funding component of the FSP provides school districts with assistance in financing their maintenance and operations based on Tier I, Tier II, and revenue at the compressed tax rate components.  A district's revenue at the compressed tax rate is based on the state and local maintenance and operations (M&O) revenue.  A school district's property tax rate is made up of an M&O tax rate and, if applicable, an interest and sinking tax rate (I&S).  The M&O tax rate provides funds for the maintenance and operations costs of a school district.  The M&O tax rate is the local district property tax rate that raises money to maintain and operate the district’s schools.  The maximum M&O tax rate set by the state is $1.50 per $100.00 value.

            For the Port Neches-Groves ISD the M&O for the 2010-2011 budget was set at $1.04 per $100.00 value based on a certified taxable value of $2,713,301,162.  The revenue collected came from local and state funds.  Projected local revenue was $32,146,529 and state revenue was $4,017,296.  There are several categories from which the local revenue is generated including current year and prior years taxes, penalties and interest, ineligible transportation, summer school tuition and fees, interest in temporary investments, rent, gifts and bequests, other local revenue source, other revenue foreign trade zone, other revenue H.B. 1200, and athletic activities.  The categories for state revenue are fewer and they are per capita apportionment, foundation school funds, state revenues distributed by TEA, and TRS/TRS Care on-behalf of payments.  For the 2010-2011 budget these total $36,163,825 for M&O.

            Expenditures for the Port Neches-Groves ISD for M&O 2010-2011 budget totaled $38,044,871 coming from several major categories.  The categories are payroll costs, contracted services, supplies and materials, other operating expenses, and capital outlay.  It is interesting to note that 79.1% of the expenditures came from payroll costs totaling $30,095,335.

            When comparing revenue and expenditures for the projected 2010-2011 budget it is important to note that the district is spending approximately $1.9 million above the projected revenues.  In other words we adopted a deficit budget.  The difference in the revenue and expenditures will have to be made up from some other source, possibly from our fund balance.  The other way to make up the difference is by cutting spending, which is what we are trying to do throughout the district.  Continuing to operate under deficit budgets will ultimately bankrupt a school district.  I believe many other school districts are having the same budgeting issues and we are hoping the state addresses the funding difficulties our school districts are facing. 

Additional Stakeholder Input in the Budgeting Process

     The overall budgeting process involves several groups and individuals that have a significant impact on the final budget product for all school districts.  The more stakeholders involved the greater the budget reflects the vision, mission, and goals of the district.  Each group and individual provides unique ideas during the development process.  Central office staff and administrators provide the beginning stages of the development process.  They help to start the process by following the budget calendar and soliciting other groups for their input.  The principals examine their campus budgets and incorporate their Campus Improvement Committee for recommendations for programs at their campus.  These committees are made up of campus staff, parents and community members.  Information is examined to help make/suggest budget allocation determinations.  The District Education Improvement Committee provides a similar function as the campus committees but at the district level.  Once all the data is collected and campus budgets are submitted, the superintendent reviews all budget allocations for the campuses and the overall district.  The superintendent works closely with the Board of Trustees and follows the TEA budget timelines for the adoption of the new budget by the deadline.

Reflection

     The superintendent, the chief executive officer, though ultimately responsible for the district’s budget, relies on several groups and individuals to help develop a budget that supports the vision, mission, and goals of the district.  The budgeting process is much more complicated than I imagined and without everyone’s input the process would extremely difficult and more time consuming.       

Superintendent's Role and Responsibilities in the Budgeting Process

     After reviewing the different readings and my superintendent interview there were several points I learned about and found interesting.  The superintendent has an extensive role in the budgeting process for a school district.  There are several key aspects of the budgeting process a superintendent must understand and are key to becoming a successful superintendent.  The ability to work closely with the school board early in the budget building process is an important skill every superintendent needs.  A well-developed budget mirrors a school district’s vision, mission, and goals.  The superintendent must pay critical attention to revenue and expenditure projections during the process.  The budgeting process should include full disclosure and transparency for all stakeholders involved in their district’s annual budget development.  Also understanding the details and dynamics of a school district are important for a superintendent to consider when helping to prepare their budget.  Another key factor a superintendent should evaluate is the neighboring school districts tax rate before deciding/determining the tax rate of his or her own district.  These are just a few of the many areas a superintendent examines and understands for an effective budget building process in a school district.

     The superintendent is ultimately responsible for the budget of a school district.  They are to see to its planning, preparation and passage by the school board.  It is critical that the superintendent involve everyone in the budgeting process from all district employees to students to parents and community members.  The school superintendent is key to developing a budget that is goal-directed and supports fiscal responsibility.  The superintendent must relay to his entire staff the importance of living within the confines of a budget and be prepared for unexpected and unforeseen budget issues.  They must be well versed in the law and understand the legal requirements involved with budget planning for a school district.  A solid understanding of the budgeting process will allow for superintendents to maintain a sound financial environment within their school district.

Reflection    

     I found that there is a lot more to the budgeting process that a superintendent must know and understand to be an effective district leader.  I have a greater appreciation for individuals that are involved in the budget building process and have a greater respect for the enormous responsibility the superintendent has for their school district.  My superintendent stressed many of the same points I found in the readings.  In the current way schools receive funding, bottom line, the more students the more money a district receives.  Property tax values impact the whole state and school funding.  When property values are up tax revenues are up and every district is in a better financial situation.          

TEA Budget Guidelines

     I found the information in the TEA Budgeting Financial Accountability System Resource Guide, January 2010 very informative.  This document is a valuable resource for everyone involved with school finances and school budgeting.  The information provided emphasizes the importance of understanding the workings of the budgeting process.  It is something that should be provided to all aspiring and new school administrators.  I learned multiple points about the budget process.  Several aspects of the budgeting process provided insight to the methods used in my district for developing our campuses and district budgets.

     The budget process for a school district is an ongoing evolutionary aspect of school business.  Sound planning is a continuous cycle of preparation and evaluation to achieve district goals.  There are five basic budgetary approaches school districts utilize in their budget developments.  Each approach has advantages and disadvantages and hybridized versions of these are developed to help the best approach for the school district based on each districts unique circumstance.  The Port Neches-Groves ISD has a budget approach that resembles a combination of Site-Based Budgeting and Outcome-Focused Budgeting.

     After reading over the budgeting guidelines, I learned that the superintendent is the budget officer of the school district.  The superintendent may delegate the development of the budget to someone else such as the business manager but he/she is ultimately responsible for the budget and operation of the school district.  The superintendent must make sure the budget is legally adopted before the adoption of the tax rate.  The overall budget process and budgeting calendar must be followed to meet all state mandated deadlines and to remain in compliance with all state laws.

     Maximizing the revenues of a school district requires financial forecasting which is an ongoing process.  This should be used throughout the budget making process during each school year.  This type of forecasting facilitates planning, helps to make trends, needs, and issues more clear, and enhances the decision making process for a district.  In order to have valid financial forecasting several projections need to be examined.  These include student enrollment projections, revenue projections and expenditure projections, which are all vital to developing a quality school district budget.  My district does a good job of maximizing revenues but helping PN-G ISD review our budgeting process might help to increase the efficient use of our revenue.

     The TEA Budgeting Financial Accountability System Resource Guide has many sample documents for school district personnel to reference during the budget making process.  It is a valuable resource with many helpful sections for administrators.  The function codes, projection methodology forecasting by analogy, Truth-in-Taxation Principles, and the list of acronyms I found particularly informative and useful.

     There is a wealth of knowledge in the Resource Guide and much more time is needed to help fully digest all of the information in the document.  Understanding more about the budget development process will be helpful during our school district’s budget development this spring.  The campus and district budgets should be accessible all year long and changes to the budget for future years should be made and continue to be ongoing.  I would recommend that school finance be included as one of the components for the principal program.  With the problems facing school districts regarding finance and funding this information is extremely valuable to both new and veteran administrators.   

Goal Driven Budgets

     The definition of a goal driven budget is inherently defined in the terms itself, when reading the words.  Simply put, it is a budget based on a goal.  For school districts it means so much more.  It is the development of the district and campus budgets with the purpose of attaining the district vision and achieving the district’s mission. I agree with Dr. Arterbury’s statement that the budgeting process is a part of the total planning process of the school district.  Clearly defined goals for the district and each campus are the logical starting places for the development of their budgets.  Each goal developed requires careful planning and involves the identification of needed resources to achieve the desired results.  The goal driven budgeting process helps to maintain fiscal responsibility from year to year with the changing dollar amounts received by school districts.  With approaching reported economic hardships for educational funding in Texas it is now more important than ever before for districts to prepare budgets that do not exhaust fund balances yet still maintains the higher standards our communities have come to expect from our school districts. 

     School districts have been building budgets since the beginning of public education.  I am fortunate to be in a school district that supports the idea of a balanced school district budget and promotes fiscal responsibility.  Reviewing the Port Neches-Groves ISD District Improvement Plan we have seven clearly established goals.  Each goal has objectives that are followed by several components describing how to achieve the goal.  The components are initiatives, strategies, or activities, person responsible, timeline, resources, and evaluation.  The plan establishes where the resources are coming from in order to implement the initiatives, strategies, or activities for reaching the goal. In other words, where does the money come from to pay for and to implement the processes outline to attain the district goals.  The funding sources are from local, state, federal, ARRA, Title, and personal funds.  As funding sources are lowered or no longer available, budgets need to be adjusted annually to accommodate for these types of changes.  Through the development of my district and campus improvement plans by the different committees, as our goals change, the allocation of resources correspondingly changes.  Dr. Arterbury stated, “The District Improvement Plan and the Campus Improvement Plans should reflect the goals of the Board of Trustees.”  The Port Neches-Groves District Education Improvement Plan does adhere to the goals of our Board of Trustees.

     The suggestion from Dr. Arterbury that campus plans and goals should be a version of the vision is apparent for PN-G ISD.  Our campus plans reflect the goals established by our School Board.  Our budgeting process is driven to achieve our district vision and accomplish our district mission of a commitment to excellence in education and to provide a learning environment that ensures opportunities for all students to pursue lifelong learning and responsible, productive citizenship.