Alliance for Smarter School Spending

Alliance for Smarter School Spending

The Alliance for Smarter School Spending is a diverse group of school districts working on implementing GFOA's Smarter School Spending Framework by connecting with a diverse group of leading school districts, from both the finance and academic departments, across the United States. Member districts range in size from several hundred students to several hundred thousand students, representing a broad range of student performance and other key demographics as well.

Participants in the Alliance for Smarter School Spending will enjoy benefits such as access to resource materials as well as hands-on training to help them throughout the implementation process. More importantly, Alliance members will be able to network with their peer organizations to share their experiences and knowledge.

This Affinity Group is a free member benefit with no additional fees or volunteer requirements. As a member, you’ll gain access to exclusive networking events, webinars, and an online Community forum to connect, exchange ideas, and build relationships with your peers.

Requirements for membership in the Alliance include:

  • Participation in the annual Alliance conference by district leaders from both the finance and academic departments.
  • Willingness to adopt the Smarter School Spending Framework
  • Openness to sharing your experiences with future Alliance members.

GFOA Staff Liaisons:

Join the Alliance for Smarter School Spending

The Alliance is open to any active GFOA member from a school district.

Smarter School Spending Online Community

This forum is for members who represent school districts and want to participate in a wide-range of school budget and finance topics.

Smarter School Spending Resources

GFOA has developed a budgeting framework, which provides recommendations and tools for developing a budget that best aligns resources with student achievement goals.

Alliance FAQ

Answers to common questions about GFOA's Alliance for Smarter School Spending

Jason Demerath, Director of Business Services, School District of Fort Atkinson (Wisconsin)

"Being a member of GFOA's Alliance for Excellence in School Budgeting has allowed Fort Atkinson to connect to national resources we would have never otherwise had access to. It has also allowed us to build relationships with colleagues in similar situations across the country to learn from them how they approach certain issues and effectively leverage resources for the most impact."

Join the Alliance

Kristen Behnke, Assistant Superintendent for Business and Finance, Pittsfield Public Schools (Massachusetts)

"Our efforts to prioritize and fund district goals for student learning have taken a leap forward through our work with the Alliance for Smarter School Spending.  We have ongoing conversations now between finance and our teaching and learning administrators that don't just look at the number of FTEs, but how we are deploying the staff resources that we have. 

Join the Alliance

Scott Gooding, Executive Director, Budget and Financial Management, Columbus City Schools (Ohio)

"Our work with the GFOA’s Alliance for Excellence in School Budgeting has provided us with the necessary tools and expanded network to take our budgeting process to another level.  We are finally able to allocate resources that are aligned to our strategic plan and driven by the programs and services needed for the education of our 52,000 students."

Join the Alliance

Share now!