Self-Assessment Reflection

From looking at my responses now and the ones before I see very clearly the areas where I still need improvement and that is budget and budget forecasting.  As I review all of these competencies again I have found that I sought out more professional development in areas where I needed more training such as human resources, organizational health, and curriculum.  I am reading the book What Great Principals Do Differently and I am reminded of how no matter high up I get in a district I can never lose tough with what is the most important thing we do and that is the kids.  Whitaker writes a book called What Great Teacher Do Differently and I found myself wanting to read that so that I could address best practice in the classrooms.  As a superintendent, I will learn topics such as budget that according to these competencies is only about 5 lines in essence that is a major role of most superintendents. I would find it helpful to keep these competencies close as a reminder of where my main focus should lie – success of all students. 

5399 Week One Part 2

Position Goal

The position that I would like to ultimately pursue is that of the superintendent.  I just moved to a larger district and find that there are more positions such as directors and assistant superintendents that I can pursue within the next 5-8 years.  I am currently the principal at an elementary campus and would love to move to middle school or high school to gain that experience.  I think that the superintendent needs to see all levels in order to understand the nature of a vertically aligned district.  I know that as young as I am I need all of the experience that I can get in other positions to become a better superintendent.  I would love to one teach teachers or principals at the university level and share with them my experiences as I have had the fortune  of working with professors who have helped me learn through their experiences.

Leadership Goal

I want to lead because I have a passion for making progress in public education.  I have a drive and desire to lead a campus and a district to preparing students to enter into the world with success and knowledge that will allow them to make a difference.  I want to accomplish momentum for my campus and district that moves forward.  The educational needs that underlie my motivation are that I never settle for status quo or complacency.  Our students deserve better than that.  My personal needs that underlie my motivation to lead is that I wake up every morning and I am excited to go to work. I lay my head on my pillow at night with no regrets.  My career is what I was meant to do.  The internship has truly allowed me to become a better principal and see things one a larger scale to help my district be more successful. 

Week 5 School Finance

PART 1

1.  Upon reading this activity I thought that I was going to have a hard time coming up with examples that were personal to me.  After I read the Texas Education Code of Ethics I began thinking of several examples that have happened close to home.  (A)The first is one of our administrators whom have not submitted documentation to Human Resources for countless days when they are absent.  Last year this person missed about 50 days of work because of a family illness and this year they have missed about 15 weeks because of family illness and personal illness.  Therefore the district is paying someone a contracted salary and they are not fulfilling their contracted days.  (B) Another incident could have happened to me but thankfully when I have a gut feeling about something not being right I act on it.  I was scheduled to go to a conference for 3 days and was given meal money in advance.  I have to come home a day early because I became ill.  I called our Business Manager to see what I needed to do about the meal money and was instructed to not worry about it.  Days went on and I felt like something was off.  I contacted my supervisor with the same question and was told to turn in the meal money that I did not use to our Business Manager. I did not through our Business Manager under the bus, but instead told them that I felt like I should turn the money in.  (C)The last example is a coach that our Board hired to take us to state in basketball.  He is being paid for coaching three sports and only coaches one. All of the other coaches must coach three sports or they do not receive the stipend like he does. 

2. (A) The short term consequences on this example was suspicion by our HR director and by the staff on campus.  Once news broke that this person was not being docked pay there was a huge crisis. The long term consequences have been that this person had to pay back about $10,000 to the District.  Trust was lost and it has taken lots of recovery for administrators to keep order on their campuses with teacher absences. (B)  Short term consequences would be paying back the meal money.  Long term consequences could be never being given meal reimbursement to termination.  (C)  Everyone on staff knows that this coach does not coach three sports and is being paid for it.  Everyone has lost respect for him and now the kids have too.  Long term consequences have been slow but he is finally being exposed for his poor work ethic and the Board no longer supports him. 

3.  (A) If we had a better checks and balances system for absences this would prevent this from happening.  When are now using AESOP, an automated sub system to track absences.  These procedures should apply to EVERYONE from top down.  (B)  To prevent this situation it should be commonplace to remind staff of these procedures and to require receipts for transactions.  (C)  To prevent this situation is to always act with integrity in decision making and reminding the Board of these obligations.

PART 3

After much review of all of the concepts that we learned in this class and the self-assessment I know that I have a long way to go to be able to perform financial operations for a district.  I need to stay updated with the legal concepts, regulations, and codes.  I find myself reading them over and over.  They will probably be more meaningful once I am using them on a regular basis.  I still feel that I need to become more familiar with the budget procedures and management.  This area is simply something I have only experienced on paper and when I am able to gain more hands on experiences I feel that I will be able to feel more confident in this area.  I have a surface level understanding of auditing and have been able to gain much insight through interviewing district personnel.  The last piece that I find I will need the most assistance is revenue forecasting for personnel and budget.  I am going to start looking for training in this area and even ask my superintendent if I can attend some of the financial training that he goes to.  In week 1 we talked about the history of finance. These were concepts I never knew about.  In week 2 we discussed how to involve stakeholders in the budget process and the budget timeline.  We began our understanding of WADA and ADA and Tier 1 and 2.  The largest piece that I took away was how much demographics and the needs of the students play in budget.  In week 3 we learned about revenue forecasting. This brought a lot of issues with our current Texas school finance system to light by comparing the two districts.  In week 4 we explored more about expenditures and how this can tell a lot about a district and their needs.  Overall, I am only beginning my adventure in becoming the chief financial officer of a school district and have lots of growing to do. I look forward to this experience and I am conscious of my short comings so that I may look for opportunities to better my self.

Week 4 Assignments

Week Four – Part 1

FIRST is the Financial Integrity System of Texas.  According to TEC 109.1001 the purpose of this system is to give a rating to each district in Texas based on a rubric of financial and academic information that provides motivation for districts to improve the management of their financial resources.  The evaluation system is also designed to show the long-term effectiveness of improvement in the Texas public schools financial system. 

The process of this system is laid out in the TEC 109.1001- 109.1101.  Districts must disclose all financial information not just to the state but to parents and taxpayers in the form of an annual report.  External audits may be performed and that information must be submitted as well to the state.  There are processes for appeals, timelines, and explanations of each rating.

Through my research on this system I found several web sites such as the comptroller’s office that give ratings of school districts based on FIRST and AEIS.  I found this web site to be helpful in understanding these systems and how they provide taxpayers and the state with a rating for each district and campus.  The FIRST web site has the information from each district posted and even allows the viewer to click on the forms that the district submitted. This form helped me understand further the rubric of the FIRST.  The questions that the districts must answer are laid our simply and points are awarded based on responses.  At the bottom of the form the determination of rating and the indicators are explained for the public to understand.  These indicators include district size and this is taken into consideration as was discussed in the lecture about the economy of scale. 

The three areas that we felt as a group that were the most important components of FIRST are as follows. 

Reporting

As I was able to find districts submit or report to the state all of this information electronically.  This information must also be reported to the public in the form of an annual financial report.  If any of this data is not reported correctly then the system will give an accurate rating.  Reporting is especially important to give clear and accurate information to the public as a district is always under the watchful eye of the public.

Types of Ratings

The better your FIRST rating the better that a district is being financially responsible.  They are keeping their costs down and utilizing their money efficiently while still maintaining a high level of student success.  This is not our money.  It is taxpayer money and we are obliged to ensure that we are being frugal with this money to educate our students.  There are 5 ratings that the state gives.  After much research most districts fall into the top 2.  Superior and above standard.  The other 3 are standard, substandard, and suspended. 

Financial Solvency

This is important to understand that this evaluation system is used a first warning indicator or early alert for possible financial troubles in the future.  School budgets are forecasted annually but a budget is designed to be a 5-year plan.  If there are problems with their year’s budget FIRST will be able to see that coming so that district officials can plan accordingly.

Week Four- Part 2

Snapshot Week4	District1	District2
TotalOpertationsExpenditures	8,611	8.908
TotalRevenuePerPupil	10,529	10.316
Avg. Teacher Salary	39,771	50,307
Students	830	32,326
Total Teachers	70	2,299
Total Schools	3	45
Econ dis	43%	53%
Revenue	8,823,250	329,638,930

Economy of scale is a fundamental business principal that is indicates that there are cost advantages for expansion or business that are large in size.  The cost for their output is significantly cheaper than other competitors because of their size.  It is like Wal-Mart compared to the local store in town.  Wal-Mart is able to keep their prices “rolling back” because of their purchasing power and bulk discounts.  Small stores are unable to compete with these low prices to stay open therefore they have to charge more for the same item. In Texas, these Wal-Mart school districts have an advantage over small districts because they are able to keep the cost per student down while still maintaining a high level of student success. 

In this comparison District 1 can only afford to spend 54% of their budget on instruction while District 2 is able to spend 62%.  This is due to the revenue generated from their tax base. 

Both District 1 and District 2 have the same needs fundamentally as all districts in Texas.  We all have to maintain a 1:22 class ratio.  We all have to have administrators.  We all have to pay a competitive teacher salary to keep highly qualified successful teachers.  We all have to pay building costs etc.  Where the cost effectiveness comes is with personnel and purchasing power. 

We used to receive a small school allotment that helped our mom and pop district compete financially with Wal-Mart districts but some out of touch lawmakers determined based on inferences made from paper that small districts were too top heavy and did not need these funds.  This generalization does not hold true for all districts and I assure you that I contacted my representative.

Week 4 Part 4

83% of our M&O budget is devoted to salaries.  As such, a 5 % pay increase has not been an option for over 5 years now.  3% in the highest we have been able to give.  We have several administrators that are over paid and some that are being under paid because of when they were hired.  Teachers all feel that they we are obligated to give a raise but in truth we are obligated to the students first.  This is a hard pill to swallow for some teachers.

Week 4 Part 5

I met with our Business Manager to discuss our external audit.  Our auditor was selected because his bid was competitive, he was from a large reputable firm out of Houston, and has been our auditor for 10 years.  Every year we must open it up for bids and the board decides who they would like to use.  Our superintendent makes his recommendation to the board and then is becomes an action item for them to vote.  Our auditor comes and spends about 2 weeks in my office going through all of my files and the files from every campus.  All student activity funds and each budget is analyzed.  Our audit always tells what we can do better but we are always given a great report to give to the board.  Our auditor comes to the board meeting and presents his findings to the board.  All of this information is then put into our annual report for taxpayers.

Week Three Assignment

Week 3 – Part 1

	District1	District2
Econ. DisAdv.	93.3%	20.7%
Refined ADA	$3,893.754	$4,032.937
Weighted WADA	$5,555.815	$4,794.076

The district with larger WADA has the smaller ADA because they are servicing more students with greater needs as indicated by the number of students in special programs and that are receiving free or reduced lunch.  While both districts have about the same number of students the needs of the students in District 1 are far greater based on at-risk criteria and other demographic numbers.

Week 3- Part 2

	District1	District2
WADA Compressed Rate	$5,044	$7,206
Revenue M&O Fund	$28,023,530	$34,546,111
Teacher/Libr.,Nurses, Counselors	281	307

The amount money for the M&O Fund is calculated by multiplying the Compressed WADA by Weighted WADA.  As noted previously District 1 should have more revenue than District 2, but because of local revenue they have more M&O funding.

Week 3 – Part 3

WADA

After comparing both districts it becomes very clear why we studied in previous weeks the definitions of equality, equity, and adequacy. All of these are guarantees set forth by the Texas constitution more than 100 years ago and their definitions are still challenged in the courtroom when it comes to Texas school finance. The goal of WADA (weighted average daily attendance) is to provide more professionals and funding for districts that are property-poor by utilizing a formula that considers all sources of revenue for a district. Not only does this equation take into account the number of students in attendance, but it also looks at the type of students that are being serviced. The more students that are involved in specials programs such as gift and talented, bilingual, vocational, compensatory, and special education the more funding a district will need to provide a free and appropriate education for these students. The establishment of WADA was to provide equity among all students in the state of Texas regardless of what district they are in, but the witches in Shakespeare’s Macbeth best sum up the system, “fair is foul and foul is fair.” This week we are charged with comparing two districts and reviewing their snapshots and summaries of finance to look for correlations between revenue and demographics. This understanding will help us in determining funding for our future districts and begin to scratch the surface of the mystery of Texas school finance. With the combinations of areas of funding and the impending deeper budget cuts it stands to reason that our current knowledge of Texas school finance will change with the tides.

Differences

District 1 is similar to a district that we studied before, Edgewood ISD. They receive very little funding from tax revenue but have a high number of students that are being serviced in special programs. They are 100 % Hispanic and therefore have a large number of Limited English Proficient (LEP) students and a large bilingual program. It costs almost double to educate a child in both English and Spanish and without funding a district could not provide these programs. This district is also 93.3 % economically disadvantaged. This number directly correlates to the reason why there is a low amount of property taxes collected in District 1. This community most likely suffers from the effects of poverty. In an article published in Instructional Leader (May 2012) Eric Jenson discuses the effects of poverty on the brain. He describes how the brains of students who live in poverty are affected and how schools can address these gaps. This research is part of the driving force behind everyone’s favorite No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and is why the state monitors the data so carefully of children who are economically disadvantaged. Districts that have a higher number of students who are on free or reduced lunch receive more funding from the state for implementing programs to address the needs of this subgroup or in the case of some districts this majority.

In comparison, District 2 is a property-rich district. They receive less revenue from the state because they generate so much total target revenue locally. While both of these of these districts have about the same student-teacher ratio, District 2 has more professional staff. Even though the goal of WADA was to give District 1 this advantage, inadvertently District 2 has come out on top. District 2 does not have near the subgroups that District 1 has nor the amount of students in specials programs while District 1 is expected just to do more with less.

Positive Impact

The positive impact for District 1 is that without WADA they would not be receiving very much funding beyond local funds and ADA.  Clearly District 2 has many positive financial impacts from local revenue to WADA and ADA. 

Negative Impact

District 1 has many more student needs for funding than District 2.  I would wager that District 2 will have better accountability ratings than District 1 and can afford more educational opportunities for their students.  The inequity between the two districts is fierce and this battle is commonplace in districts across Texas.

Week 3 – Part 4

We are a property-poor district and therefore receive more state and federal funding than local monies.  We scrape every penny we can from every allotment and our expenditures prove that.  This year our goal has been to make sure that we are receiving all funding possible from ADA, compensatory, and the transportation allotments.  We have developed a better system for making sure that we are identifying both at-risk and economically disadvantaged students.  We have devoted personnel to Medicaid billing to maximize our return.  We calculated that we are losing about $50,000 annually by not billing for this.  We are also looking into better investments and making sure that our money is working for us.

Week Two Assignment

Week 2 Assignment- Part 1

The definition of goal driven budgeting is that the budget reflects the goals of the district and more specifically the goals of the board of trustees.  It is not enough to say that we need to improve our writing scores, but there has to be planned resources set aside to attain this goal.  This is basic goal setting.  The goal of a district should put students and instruction and a goal driven budget should reflect this.

Dr. Arterbury made the most profound statement that all of the goals of the district should be a “version of the vision.”  This implies a top-down goal setting approach, which is a delicate balance when it comes to the board of trustees in my district.  I have always been told that you can tell a lot about district by looking at their budget and this statement makes more sense to me now in the aspect of goal driven budgeting.  While I agree with Dr. Arterbury’s advice to always consider the board’s goals I am also cautioned because of their potential lack of understanding of curriculum and instruction.  I consider student instruction to be the most profound area of operation for a school district and this may or may not be the sentiments of the board.  As a superintendent it would be my job to make sure that not only is the board happy, but that we are maintaining a high level of academic success and as such our budget should reflect this attitude.

Instead of starting with my district improvement plan, I started by looking at our district budget.  I started here because I wanted to see what the budget would tell me our district goals are.  I was not surprised to find that the goals of our district had more to do with extra curricular, maintenance, and other non-instructional items then any other area.   For example, our band supply budget is greater than all three of our campuses combined.  It stand to reason that our athletic budget would be this way as well as the costs to operate this are greater, but in the areas of capitol improvement projects athletics reigns.  Our GT/testing coordinator makes more money than some of the campus principals and so does our athletic director. 

I then shifted my focus to our DIP.  It stated instructional goals but did not provide any monetary resources for acquisition.  In these difficult budget times the district also slashed teacher professional development but still states goals that include this area.  I have been very creative on my campus and was still able to send many teachers to training or bring training in this year.  One creative way is that some of our district goals do not need to have cost factor but rather by adding these duties to existing personnel.  In my meeting with Dr.Creel we discussed about keeping job descriptions updated for this reason. 

Week Two Assignment – Part 2

We determined that our top 5 important events dealt with more end of the year items.  After experiencing the late legislative session last year and the impending one the following year, we felt that this calendar was a mute point in some areas.  Our top 5 were both dates in March where districts receive budget services and start making plans for projected funds and starting to review and analyze this input.  We also decided that April was important because it was the start of discussion of the projected budget with the rest of the district.  June dates are especially important because this is when the budget is discussed and communicated with both the board and the community.  The board should already have had communication along the way about budget and truly been the first involved development on every point on the calendar.  By the finalized board meeting and community discussion are critical for open dialogue to all stakeholders. 

Week Two Assignment- Part 3

Out of all of the assignments that we have been required to do so far in this course I found this part to be the most beneficial for me.  I would say that I have a working knowledge of the budget process but this resource guide put everything into a systematic format that was easy to understand.  I have started a budget binder that contains my district budget and placed this entire resource guide in there as well.  I found that I was reading I was highlighting non stop items that I thought would be helpful for understanding as a superintendent.

I learned all about the different types of budgets and that the learning outcome that I will utilize the most is the evaluation of current programs for driving funding.  All of the different types of budgets had their strengths and weaknesses, but I found that a balance between them is a good place to operate. 

The area that I gained the most knowledge about was how to estimate revenues and expenditures through forecasting and planning.  I found that forecasting for me seemed to be the most important part for planning a budget.  By checking trends, monitoring enrollment numbers, projected tax rates, and the bulk of a budget being salary calculations a superintendent can plan for what to expect.  I have had many experiences in helping calculate or monitor trends for enrollment.  We had a drop in enrollment this year at my campus by only 20 student but that means that we will receive that much less money from the state and are still maintaining the same personnel.

Revenue projections were something that I have never had experience in.  The different Tiers and allotments for still fuzzy to me but after reading this article I feel closer to having a good understanding of it. By understanding state funding and then looking at local tax revenue projections a superintendent can accurately determine a potential budget.  Federal money is another area for projected revenue based on number of students and mainly in the areas of child nutrition (the cafeteria.) One area this year that our district had as a source of revenue was the fact that we cut out all local leave days and teachers were being docked if they missed more days then they had banked. 

Expenditure projections is another area that I read heavily about because I know that the revenues and expenditures go hand in hand.  There are three areas of expenditures: operating costs, capitol improvement projects, and state mandates.  Operating costs are everything from salaries, insurance, supplies, and salaries.  Capitol improvement projects are multi-year projects that deal with facilities.  State mandates are what Dr. Arterbury referred to as un-funded mandates.  These are things that districts are mandated to do and must budget for. 

Overall I found this resource guide very valuable and will keep it in my budget binder to refer to when needed.  While I realize that this course is designed to give me a quick 5 week snap shot of school finance I want to register from some up coming workshops in my region. 

Week Two Assignment – Part 4

My superintendent is known for his ability to stretch a budget and to get more bang for your buc (we are the buccaneers and this was our motto this year.)  We do not have an Assistant Superintendent or anyone over budget but him.  He is truly the Chief Financial Officer.  He had just come back from a Financial Officer’s meeting in Ft. Worth and so most of our discussion was about what he learned and was planning on reporting to the board that night.  His entire workshop dealt with investments and how to make more revenue.   There are three things to keep in mind when investing and they go in order of priority. 1. Safety/Security 2. Liquidity 3. Return.    Right now big districts with lots of money are not making very much money because of collateral.  Because school districts are tax exempt we only have one tax ID number and therefore all of our money has to be in one bank.  The bank has to collaterize this money (secure property in this amount that would be sold to make the money back in case the bank goes under.)  Collateral loans this amount does not make much money.  So right now small districts like us that have only have 3 millions dollars to move can make small revenues by distributing this amount of up evenly into 12 different banks at $250,00 each uncollateralized because the FDIC requires that all banks must have collateral for all single accounts up to $250,000.  Our return would only be about $20,000 annually but that is more that what it is making currently.  That pays an aide salary or a secretary.  While this move takes work it seems that it may be a good option to make money.  I really enjoy discussing finance with my sup because he is very knowledgeable and know how important networking is.

Week Two Assignment – Part 5

I interviewed my superintendent that same time that I did the other interview. Our Business Manager does not help create our budget nor does she take input from any of these stakeholders.  My district used to follow this model of involving stakeholders and really seeking input about budget but at this point there is not much money to be seek direction about.  In the current status the responses to this may seem bleak but I am afraid they are the cold hard truth.  I find his responses to be honest and open and truly reflect the sentiments of how the new budget is effecting all of these stakeholders. 

The central office admin and staff see the numbers on paper everyday.  So their inputs are cut more and do less with more.  They see the strain it puts on the district and me when they look at the projections.  They do not envy my job.

The campus principals are right there too with the central office staff but it is their job to fight for what their campuses need budget wise and not get left with nothing.  So they are charged with taking a stand when it comes to personnel and budget cuts for the needs of their students on their campus.

The SBDM unfortunately does not have much a say in the budget any longer because of the fact that there is not much money for professional development or programs. 

The district committee is in the same boat and really looks at the big picture.  I have sent out emails recently to the staff about what they would like to see for next year as far as days and salary.  What is important to them?  Well, I knew the answers before I pressed send but wanted to be wrong.  Everyone wants a raise, wants all of their local days back, more money from the district for health insurance, and does not want anyone to lose their job.  Wow.  Me too. But we still have a district to operate.  I explain it in this way:  We only have 8 ounces of water to distribute into all of these cups (days, raises, insurance, etc.)  I don’t mind how to distribute the water but you can’t have 10 ounces! 

We do not have any involvement with teacher organizations nor do we receive pressure from them.

Some key stakeholders in the community give me the same response as the teachers do.  Most of them thought are from the business world where the reality of salary freezes and lay-offs hits home.  They get it.  What they don’t get is the response that some teachers have. Funny.

The Board is my rock.  They understand it all.  They see the work and effort I put into this and these are goals that they have given me in this order. 1.  No lay-offs 2. Raises 3. Fringe benefits.  So if I start pouring into these cups and have to stop at 1 or 2 they know that I have looked at every angle and done everything I can do meet their goals.  They are 100% a part of the creating the budget and are with me every step of the way.  

Week One Assignment

Week One Assignment – Part 1- Reflection

I really enjoyed learning about the history of school funding. It really helps put our current situation into perspective and it is evident that the problem of school finance has plagued our forefathers.  As I read the historical issues I was reminded of how wonderful it is to be an American and more specifically a Texan.  By learning the history of these reforms I am given a helpful perspective in viewing our current budget.  As a future superintendent it will be helpful to take this with me.

The assignment itself was not the issue, but the technology and how to achieve collaboration was seemingly unclear.  I have found that not just the members of my group were confused but that other members in the cohort were having difficulty as well.

Week One Assignment – Part 2 – Reflection

My group had basic understanding of funding formulas.  I felt that I needed more information than just the lecture and could not find any of the suggested readings.  So I did the next best things and googled it.  I found an excellent PDF  out by TEA last January that honestly goes into more depth than some of the documents in epic.  I posted this to our discussion board and while it is 50 pages long, it leaves no topic uncovered for Texas School Finance.  I learned A LOT from this assignment.  This was the area where I wanted to learn and understand more.  All of the allotments, the Tiers, and the formulas for WADA were very helpful!

Week One Assignment – Part 3 – Reflection

I realized how perspective becomes such a viable definition for every educator and lawmakers understanding of these concepts.  I have read the laws and read the new cases that are being currently discussed on Texas ISD and find this to hold true for each individual from corporations, to boards of trustees, to parents, to lawmakers, to teachers, and to school administrators.  Many people hate Robin Hood because it takes way funds from already wealthy districts and helps equitably provide adequate funding for the receiving district.  The wealthy district remains unharmed and is still able to provide (according to the state) an adequate education.  Special education and bilingual education is always a discussion with equity and even with equality.  Some sides feel that the amount of money that is spent of these students should be reduced to support more of majority of the students.  If you were to ask a parent of a Special Ed or Bilingual student I am sure you would get a much different opinion.

Week One Assignment – Part 4 – District Comparison

As I began to review my district improvement plan I found that it looked very similar to the year before and then even the year before that.  This week I attended a workshop on Comprehensive Needs Assessment and I am going to take over our District Improvement Plan.  This was the largest difference between my DIP and Austin ISD was that when there was goal set then funding and personnel was devoted to this goal. Each goal for Austin ISD was marked by how they were going to monitor the results of the plan in place.  Key funding sources for many of the initiatives comes from the Compensatory Allotment, Grants, and Title 1 federal funds.  My district does not have anyone that is dedicated to grant writing and I feel like this should be something that the administrative team should look in to. All of our compensatory and Title 1 funds are currently being for salaries after all of the budget cuts.  I am sure that Austin ISD’s current Dip would reflect this also. In our DIP we did state the implementation of campus-wide PBS systems, but there was no money or personnel devoted to this.  In Austin ISD they were hiring PBS coordinators and people to help track this data.  Their implementation process was very in depth and required specifics steps for everyone in the district to easily follow.  There are some areas in our district where I know that we need to focus improvement efforts on and Austin ISD left no stone unturned.  They addressed everything from graduation rates to attendance to discipline referrals.  In my district it is tough to see what we need to focus on looking from the outside because the dates on the DIP were just changed and we never did a formal comprehensive needs assessment.  Four years ago we hired an outside agency to come in and put together our CIPs and DIPs and now we just change the dates. I pulled up other districts DIPs on their web sites if they were posted and noticed that some look pretty cookies cutter while others are a livable document used for truly working towards improvement.  While I did find other DIPs that I liked better format wise than Austin ISD, I found that theirs really included a lot of meeting minutes and communication with stakeholders.  I worked in Austin ISD for 3 years and know that each site based decision-making team meets once a month, which is more than the bi-annual requirements that the state mandates.  This is reflected in the DIP and I think that this would benefit our district to engage in more meetings like these to get a true feel for what changes need to be made district-wide.