Various Roles in the Budget Process

 Central Office Administrators and Staff: The big picture. An ability to look at things from a larger scale and pinpoint where money is needed and where cuts can be made.
 Principals: Same idea as above, but on a campus level.
 Site Based Decision Making Committees: Given a good deal of information on classes and special programs, and with parents serving on this committee, is an already established group with multiple perspectives.
 District Improvement Committee: Same as above but on a larger, district wide scale.
 Teacher Organizations: No matter the economic times, this is a group that will make sure the needs of teachers is always considered and thought about when budgets are being developed.
 Key Stakeholders: This is the entire community. With the current budget situation, they are being involved now more than ever.
 Board of Trustees: Elected to voice the concerns and needs of the citizens, they can meet with community members and report back on a regular basis.

SUPERINTENDENT'S ROLE

The superintendent’s role is very much to the help drive the ship, especially in this very difficult economic time. He lays out the district needs, the goals that need to be accomplished, and the way in which you can get there. But in these times, having the buy in of all involved in the process is an absolute necessity. An example of this has been going on in College Station for the past 2 weeks. The superintendent has gone to each campus and spoken to the entire staff to discuss the reality of the situation we’re in. His reason for it- everyone has a right to know where we are in this process and they deserve to hear it from me. As administrators, we were given the charge to tell our staffs about the progress made on the budget throughout the year. Now, the superintendent has taken the lead in telling the information to the entire staffs of each school in the district and encouraging them to help disseminate the information to their friends and neighbors as well. He also mentioned that there will be a public forum held later this spring when the budget has been passed at the state level to tell everyone what the district is facing. As is the case with telling the staffs the news now, telling everyone in the community is an attempt to get all stakeholders involved in the budget process.