Budget assignment 2

School Finance EDA 6201 Fall 2005 Assignment: Budget Assignment #2 Lynn Otheline Cato Instructor: Peter Timgon My Philosophy For the nation to continue to prosper it must invest in human capital and that investment begins in the school (Alan Greenspan, 2000). As a leader in a school setting I believe in using the funds allocated to the school to improve student achievement. I believe in researching the best programs available that will give me the maximum return on my investment. Due to the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) mandate, funds will be allocated for class size reduction, hiring the best and the brightest teachers, provide the support they need to do their job well, and maintain a safe, secured, child centered facility. The School Crystal Lakes Elementary School is nestled in the middle a communities with several single family homes. This school is a community school that was built ten years ago to meet the need of the growth explosion West Boynton Beach. The average household income is approximately $80, 000 per year. The school has a total enrollment of 689 students with 90% Caucasian, 4% Hispanic, 3% African American and 1% other. About 1% of the student body receive free/reduced lunch and breakfast. With this population the school has on staff 32 classroom teachers, 2 administrators, 4 ESE teachers, 4 paraprofessionals, 15 support staff, 5 cafeteria staff, 4 office staff, and 4 custodial staff, a total of 68 staff members. Most of Crystal Lakes Elementary feeds into Christa McAuliffe Middle, the neighborhood community middle school. While a small percentage of our students go on to the various magnet schools in the district. Reporting Structure At Crystal Lakes the reporting structure starts with the principal and the assistant principal. The principal meets with the grade chairs and them the information is disseminated to the teams. Learning teams report team information to the principal, and lessons plans, behavior issues, and other concerns to the Assistant Principal. Daily Schedule Being an elementary school with self contained classrooms, teachers have the autonomy to structure their day however they wish. They must adhere to the state requirement for 90 minutes of reading instruction and 90 minutes for math instruction. Allocation of resources The primary source of funding is the Florida Educational Finance Program (FEFP). The amount of funds allocated per district, and in turn per school, is based on individual student participation in educational programs. After salaries which account for approximately 90% of the total budget, the rest will allocated for instructional expenses, media services, pupil personnel, curriculum development, school administration, transportation, and plant operation, the school must purchase materials, update technology, provide school maintenance, supply teacher training, develop curriculum and insure safety for all students. Promoting Crystal Lakes Elementary School This school prides itself with its cutting edge, research based, data driven approach to educating students. Crystal Lakes has been awarded a grade of (A) for the past five years based on Florida’s A+ plan. Most of our students aim to read a million words in a year. Teachers collaborate weekly in teams to share best practice, and plan how to effectively serve our students. Parents are always welcome to work in the classrooms or any other area of the school. They also receive the benefit of choosing their child’s classroom teacher every year. Proactive Problem Solving Crystal Lakes is proactive in its approach to safety. Having an open campus, cameras haven been installed to monitor all sections of the school. All doors are locked to the main entrance and parents must be buzzed in to enter; then sign in on the computer, receive a badge before they go to the classrooms. Parents must update their files yearly, and badges must be returned to the office before leaving the campus. The safety and well being of our students is essential to provide the most favorable learning environment.