School Finance Budget Analysis and Development Project

Running head: BUDGET DEVELOPMENT PROJECT
Budget Analysis and Development Project
Teisha Goudeau, Justin Mack, and LaKeisha Weber
Xavier University of Louisiana
In partial fulfillment of the requirements for EDAD 5570 Management of School Personnel and
Finance
Dr. Esrom Pitre
December 1, 2015

BUDGET DEVELOPMENT PROJECT 2
TABLE OF CONTENTS
SCHOOL MISSION AND VISION................................................................................... 3
PROPOSAL OVERVIEW.................................................................................................. 4
DISTRICT AND CAMPUS SNAPSHOT.......................................................................... 4
COMPREHENSIVE NEEDS ASSESSMENT................................................................... 6
ADDRESSING THE NEED............................................................................................... 7
REFERENCES ................................................................................................................. 11
APPENDIX A …………………………………………………………………………...12
APPENDIX B ................................................................................................................... 13
APPENDIX C ................................................................................................................... 14
APPENDIX D................................................................................................................... 15
APPENDIX E ................................................................................................................... 16
APPENDIX F.................................................................................................................... 17
APPENDIX G................................................................................................................... 18

School Mission
The mission of Wade High School is to prepare students for the future by providing a
rigorous and relevant instruction for students at all academic levels to ensure each has the
opportunity to achieve maximum potential.
School Vision
Wade High School will provide students with highest quality college readiness education
in a secure, progressive, and positive environment through rigorous teaching, learning, and
student engagement practices. As a result, our students will become globally competitive and
excel in all post-secondary endeavors.
Proposal Overview
As a newly appointed school principal, my team and I have to make major budgetary
decisions that will support and ultimately uphold the integrity of our school’s mission and vision.
In order to spearhead these upcoming changes, it was necessary that we identify the needs of our
school, analyze current and past state/district budgets, and employ research-based strategies to
improve our education program. This proposal will illustrate our needs as well as our plans to
allocate funding to ensure positive school achievement.
District and Campus Snapshot
According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the Bryant Public
School District has a student body that resembles many large, urban cities; a great percentage of
minority students who receive free/reduced lunch. The census data gained from the NCES
indicates that in 2013-2014 Bryant Public Schools educates a population of 12,447 students
across 21 schools. The student population is a sample that reflects the overall demographics of
the area. According to 2010 state census data, the Bryant Parish Schools District services an area

that is 60 % African American, 33% White, 2.9% Asian, 0.3% American Indian/Alaska Native,
0% Hawaii/Pacific Islander, and 1.9% other race. This school district was once one of the largest
in the state, but due to recent educational reform it has lost many of its schools. The most recent
data states that the school district employs approximately 804 classroom teachers. The data from
the NCES indicates an overall 15:1 teacher to student ratio which is ideal for most teachers in the
state. The district supplies 11.2% of its student body with special education services and employs
147 instructional aides to maximize educational time.
The district received a total of $383,222,000 from federal, state, and local funding
sources. The amount each school received per student was $35,219, which is funded almost
solely by local revenue sources. The district requires $243,529,000 to provide its schools with
the fundamental necessities (instructional, student/staff, administrative, operations, and food
service expenditures) for fluid operation. Strategic budget allocations combined with the
district’s focus on obtaining funding from community and business organizations contributes to
its larger-than-most per student capital.
Wade Charter High School is a 9-12th gradedistrict-run charter school. Wade is very
unique school with deep ties to the community as well as many of the city’s successful African
American leaders. Having a total of 990 students, Wade is large school relative to other schools
in the district. The student body consists of; 956 (96.6%) African Americans, 2 (0.2%) Whites,
26 (2.63%) Hispanics, 1 (0.1%) Native American, 1 (0.1%) Asian, and 4 (0.4%) other races (see
Appendix A). Of the school’s 990 students, 81% of them qualify for free/reduced lunch,
illustrating that the majority of students attending Wade Charter High School are economically
disadvantaged (ED). Therefore, our school is a qualified recipient of Title I funding. Despite the

large number of ED students, Wade has a very small population of students that require special
education services (10%).
Currently, Wade Charter High School is classified as an “A” school as indicated by
receiving a school performance score (SPS) of 109.2 for the 2014-2015 school year. This is an
increase of 13 points from the SPS score earned during the 2013-2014 school year (96.2/B).
With the exception of the 2013-2014 school year, Wade Charter has experienced continued
growth & profession over the last five years increasing their SPS score each year. Serving such a
large urban population of students whom are largely economically disadvantaged requires
continuous hard work by teachers, administrators, parents, and the community to ensure we’re
meeting the needs of all students at Wade Charter High School and ensuring the SPS scores
maintains a positive slope despite a recent decline.
Rating student performance on the ACT is based on students achieving a minimum score
of 18. Approximately 70% of Wade Charter students received a minimum of 18 on the ACT
score showing an increase the 2013-2014 school year. This score was 1% (71%) lower than the
district average and 8% higher than the state average (62%). The average earned ACT score by
Wade Charter High School students was 18.8 which fell below the district average of 20.8, state
average of 19.2, and national average of 19.7.
Students earning college and career credit is based on student performance on advance
placement exams (3+) and students earning dual enrollment credit. Less than 5% of students at
Wade High scored 3+ on advance placement testing which was identical to the 2013-2014 school
year. However, this was far below the district average of 20%, while closer to the state average
of 5.3%. Approximately 54% of graduating students earned dual enrollment credit showing an

increase over the 2013-2014 school year and 33% higher than the state (21%) and 26% higher
than the state average (28%).
Finally, in relation to graduation rates, college enrollment, and assisting academically
struggling students, 95% of Wade students graduated in four years representing an improvement
for the 2014-2015 school year. Wade’s graduation rate exceeded the district by 6% points (89%)
and exceeded the state average of 75%. Following graduation 73% of Wade Charter students
enrolled in college while the district average was 72%. This was well above the state average of
59%. In the area of making progress with students struggling academically, Wade earned 7.1
points resulting in an increase from the 2013-2014 school year. The overall performance in these
various areas of student achievement are what collectively resulted in an increased SPS score of
109.2. This score designates Wade Charter as an A school within the state of Louisiana.
Despite numerous positive gains, Wade has seen a decrease in the performance scores of
students with disabilities. That fact may be an indication that small group instruction in
combination with other interventions/strategies is needed for more effective instructional
outcomes. It is imperative that we identify and address the needs of all students, particularly
those struggling with high-stakes assessment or the school’s SPS will cease to show continuous
improvement.
Comprehensive Needs Assessment
After careful analysis of student performance data, the academic needs of the students
were isolated. First, my team and I analyzed school and state assessment data and listed the key
student academic strengths (see Appendix A). The table hones in on the academic success of 9th
Algebra I students, the 10th grade African American ED subgroup (English II, Geometry, and
Biology assessments), 11th grade English II students, and 12th grade ACT testers. Using the same

data we determined the top six academic needs/weaknesses of the students which are also
displayed in Appendix A. While the EOC assessment data disclosed that students were capable
of achieving remarkable overall scores, a closer look exposed key areas of weaknesses. Students
with 504 accommodations, as wells as the African American ED subgroup, struggled on the
reading & research portion of the EOC English II/III. African American ED students did not fare
well on the life/earth science section of the EOC biology test. That was also the case on the
numbers/statistics/functions portion of the Algebra I EOC assessment. Of the small population of
Hispanic students only 42% are capable of scoring a good or above on the expression of
geometric properties portion of the Geometry EOC test. Lastly, 9th grade students achieved an
average score of 13 on the science section of the ACT. This is significant because the school’s
SPS scores is calculated based on a combination of factors that includes 11th grade average ACT
scores.
Addressing the Need
As a result of the needs assessment analysis, we set a school-wide goal to increase high-
stakes testing scores (ACT and EOC) for students across all grade levels and curriculum by 0.5+
(see Appendix B). An increase in these scores will keep the school aligned with the vision of
creating students that are college ready. To achieve this task, it was obligatory for us to
determine what school practices, strategies, and/or reforms are capable of helping us meet our
objectives while upholding the mission and vision of our school. After an immense amount of
research and staff input, six school-wide reform strategies were selected to helps us achieve our
goals; (1) job-embedded professional development, (2) meaningful learning, assessment &
engagement for all students, (3) data-driven instructional strategies, (4) recruitment and retention
of highly-qualified teachers, (5) response to intervention, and (6) parental involvement and

support (see Appendix B). Appendices C-H detail our comprehensive plan which includes staff
responsibility, funding sources, cost, research-based strategies, and the reform strategy
supported.
Aiming to increasing high-stakes, standardized testing scores can be overwhelming for
many staff members. It is vital for teachers to be included when decisions are made regarding
assessment data and procedures. Teachers are oftentimes subjected to professional development
meetings are not aligned with student needs (Ruddy and Prusinski, 2012) which is
counterproductive to student success. With the proper training that provides teachers with tools
to improve instruction students will likely receive high-quality instruction and positive
assessment gains. According to Saad (2012), teachers are more committed and feel appreciated
when they are being included in discussions about their school. Illustrated in Appendix C are the
strategies we will use to educate teachers on effective methods to help close our achievement
gap. Title I and II fund allocations permit the hiring of math, technology, and ELA instructional
coaches. Teachers across curriculum will attend content-specific educational conferences
throughout the school year in addition to the 16 mandatory on-site meetings.
Achieving our goal of increasing student scores by 0.5+ closes the achievement gap
between our students and their peers district and statewide. It is necessary to improve the
performance of lower achieving students through research-based strategies and interventions.
Listed in Appendix D is our reform plan that focuses specifically on utilizing interventionists,
para-educators, and technology programs to meet the needs struggling students. The use of Title
I and district funding will finance these programs and initiatives.
The mission of every school leader should be to hire and retain highly qualified teachers.
Teacher quality can have a profound effect on the goals and objectives of any educational

program. Researchers, politicians, and other scholars have supported the notion that highly
qualified teachers play a pivotal role in reforming educational practices, but fail to remain in the
classroom (Keigher, 2010). Our plan for recruiting and retaining highly qualified educators in
our school is detailed in Appendix E. Providing in-classroom supports and meaningful
professional development opportunities in the key to teacher retention and student success. A
detailed outline of the actions we will take to meet the needs of our students can be found in
Appendices B-G.

References
Bryant Public School District Census Data. (2014, January 1). Retrieved November 10, 2015,
from http://nces.ed.gov
Hodges, G. W., Tippins, D., & Oliver, J. S. (2013). A study of highly qualified science teachers'
career trajectory in the deep, rural south: Examining a link between deprofessionalization
and teacher dissatisfaction. School Science and Mathematics, 113(6), 263-274.
Keigher, A. (2010). Teacher attrition and mobility: Results from the 2008-09 Teacher Follow-up
Survey (NCES 2010-353). U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC: National
Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved 11/15/2015 from http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch.
Louisiana Census Data. (2010, January 15). Retrieved November 22, 2015, from
http://www.census.gov/
Ruddy, A., & Prusinski, E. (2012). Professional Development for School Improvement: The
Case of Indiana. Journal of School Leadership, 22(1), 55-78.
Saad, N. (2012). The effects of teachers’ participation in decision making on commitment. The
International Journal of Interdisciplinary Social Sciences, 6(9), 1-15.

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