School budgets…do they truly benefit our children?

School budgets are an important part of ensuring that our children receive the best education possible.

School budgets are an important part of ensuring that our children receive the best education possible. They are the source of funding for a wide range of services and resources that can impact a student's educational journey. School budgets determine the quality of teachers, facilities, and equipment available to students in our schools. The decisions made about school budgets can have long-term effects on our children’s educational development.

The school budget is a critical factor in determining the quality of education our children receive. The proper allocation of funds can make all the difference in providing an enriching environment for our students to learn and thrive. Unfortunately, many schools are not properly funded and are forced to make cuts that can adversely affect our children's education.

As a school principal, I would begin working on plans for the school budget every January.

As a school principal, I would begin working on plans for the school budget every January. This would be the time to look at where I was with my current school budget and determine priorities for the remainder of the current school year. I also looked at where I was in my spending to ensure that I had spent about half of the current budget so that I wouldn’t be overspent by the end of the school year. It would be in the Spring that I would get my allocation for the next school year and begin to split up that allocation amongst departments and the priorities that had been set.

The problem that I always had with the budget process was that each year that I served in that role, the budget got smaller and smaller.

The problem that I always had with the budget process was that each year that I served in that role, the budget got smaller and smaller. It was also mind boggling because during most years my student population increased or at least stayed the same. There was one year where the budget increased, and it was due to the allocation of federal Title One funds. I was initially very excited about the budget increase until throughout the year I realized how many restrictions were going to be put on the spending of those funds. It ended up being much more of a hassle than a benefit.

Was the school budget spent on students and their needs? Definitely. Were there programs and initiatives that we wanted to do to support our students that we couldn’t due to funding? Most Definitely.

Was the school budget spent on students and their needs? Definitely. Were there programs and initiatives that we wanted to do to support our students that we couldn’t due to funding? Most Definitely. In my opinion the individual school budget covers students’ basic needs. Every now and then, usually once per year, schools in my district were provided the opportunity to apply for grant funds to run programs to support specific groups of students. These funds came with stipulations about which students could be serviced and what those services needed to look like.

If there was more funding and more flexibility, I feel that students would be better served in the public school setting. Often the principals, the leadership and teachers in a school know what their kids need and they should be the ones to determine who is serviced. When you have individuals outside of the school making those decisions it is not going to truly meet the needs of the student population.

I am sure that the stipulations come due to the need to ensure that all schools are doing what is right for all kids. However this could easily be solved by ensuring that there are checks and balances that all schools must meet while still giving them the flexibility that they need to do what they believe is right.

The issue of school budgets can be a complex and controversial one. There is no easy answer to the question of whether or not our children benefit from school budgets, but it is clear that money can have a large impact on the quality of education students receive. Educators at the school need to be given the flexibility to assess the budget and make decisions that best serve their students.