Understanding School Finance Fall 2005
Instructor: David Tobin (tobin@tci.org)
Understanding School Finance Online will help school administrators effectively
develop and manage financial budgets in an organized, understandable, useful
and systemic manner by exploring revenue sources both in state aid calculations
and municipal efforts and by improving administrators skills in locating information
and in presenting and defending a school district budget to others.
Objectives:
- Understand and communicate to other the requirements and standards of
Chapter 70 as they are applied statewide and in specific communities and
school districts
- Understand or review the concepts and components of Chapter 70 and associated
requirements.
- Locate and understand school finance information related the current
fiscal year’s state budget requirements. Estimate next year’s revenue streams
and spending requirements.
- Prepare a presentation explaining to others,
including the school committee, staff, municipal officials, and community,
using information that is readily available to all concerning your school
district’s budget information.
- Become familiar with the considerable information that is available to
you and the general public through the Internet and at the Department of
Education and Department of Revenue.
Agenda:
Session 1: Build the Budget Needed
- Understand school budget building as a
plan and that understanding Chapter 70 and its requirements are a driving force
in that plan.
Session 2: Foundation Budget
- Locate and interpret foundation budget information
- Analyze components
of the foundation budget
- Be able to articulate to others an explanation
of the foundation budget
- Take corrective actions to insure the accuracy
of the foundation budget
- Estimate future foundation budget and related requirement
- Be more knowledgeable
of issues related to changes in the foundation budget iii.
Session 3: Calculation
of Local Spending Requirements
- Locate and interpret local required contribution
requirements
- Analyze component of local contribution
- Be able to articulate to others
an explanation of local spending requirements
- Be aware of the issues related
to the distribution of local spending requirement among a municipalities
member school districts
- Be knowledgeable of efforts to change determination
of local contribution
- Estimate future local contribution requirements
Session 4: Calculation
of Chapter 70 State Aid
- Locate and interpret Chapter 70 information school
districts
- Analyze and be able to articulate how aid is determined for
one or more school districts
- Investigate and discuss changes in Chapter
70 being contemplated
- Net School Spending Requirement
- Understand and be able to articulate minimum
net school spending requirements
- Be able to locate and be knowledgeable
on how local spending requirements are met at the city and town level
Session 5: Working with Municipal Official and
Community
- Historic Trends in Chapter 70 Local Spending Requirements
- Be able to
locate historic trends in state and school district appropriations to meet
or exceed minimum school
finance
requirements
- Analyze,
discuss and
articulate issue related to past and future
means of
improving
school performance and support
Locating Sources of Revenue
- Be able to locate information related
to school and municipal finance
- Be introduced to various municipal and
school accounts and discuss
how they
can be managed and applied in supporting
the school’s
mission
Working with Municipal Officials
- Discuss issues related to working
with municipal officials
- Survey peers and investigate effective model
of communicating school budgets and working with municipal officials
and communities
Culminating Activity:
Demonstrate effective understanding
of Chapter 70 and its requirement
- Develop and presentation to an
audience concerning
Chapter
70
and
its requirements as they are applied in a specific
school district.
- Make that presentation
to an audience and be able articulate in writing
your reflections and learning
outcomes from that experience for purposes of making future presentations