The budget needs to be rooted in the priorities of the district. Intentionally created instructional priorities provide a strong basis for developing a district’s budget and strategic financial plan, as well as presenting a budget document.

Objectives

• Develop goals
• Identify root cause of gap between goal and current state
• Research & develop potential instructional priorities
• Evaluate choices amongst instructional priorities

A collaborative process increases the likelihood that the decisions made will be supported after the budget process is over.

• Set expectations for the budget process and analyze the district's current state
• Effectively communicate the process and corresponding decisions to stakeholders

Milestones

• Level 1: Superintendent, chief academic officer, and chief financial officer agree to pursue Smarter School Spending (SSS) and commit to regularly review progress at cabinet meetings.
• Level 2: Develop a formal governance structure to guide the district as it pursues progress on the SSS framework.
• Level 3: Develop criteria to define what constitutes a successful budget process.