Organization and Moneys in local education

School governance and Finance
"We may have reached the time when the public will not grant us more money unless we can show greater efficiency in spending the dollars which have already been voted for school use."

I believe that the school system does get enough money, but they just don't spend it efficiently. I think that a lot of money goes to the big administration people which should go to the students. Many teachers end up buying materials for themselves, and as a teacher I don't want to end up buying supplies for my students all by myself. Its expensive. I almost wonder if some teachers would prefer a pay cut to pay for materials vs buying them themselves. Some schools run a tardy program which is a waste of time and money. Its basically a "detention" hall. Why not have the students make up tardies other ways, such as presentations or making a donation to the school.

Organizing for Education in the U.S.
-fifty separate state educational agencies
-more than 14,000 school districts
-about 90,000 schools
-3 million teachers
-Largest budget items in most states exceeding $550,000,000,000 per year

Local Level Organization. primary function of school districts:
-adopt policies and regulations for school operation
-within state guidelines, adopt curriculum
-serve as links between community and schools
-provide reports about schools
-provide human and material resources needed
-provide and maintain adequate facilities
-provide state and other agencies with information
-funding from local, state and federal sources (8.9%)


Local School Boards
-Lay citizens serve as board members. Appointed or elected.
-Represent all people of district
-Stewards of public trust
-Decisions should be based on beliefs, values and traditions of community
-Rely on counsel and recommendations of superintendent
-Establish policies under which schools operate

School Board Functions
-Budget adoption and approve expenditures
-Approve schools organizational pattern
-Approve and adopt textbooks and curriculum
-Employ school personnel Approve/issue contracts
-Inform community- public relations
-Maintain strong base of community support

District Superintendent
-Chief executive officer of district
-Planning, recommends and carries out policies
-Staffing, certificated and classified
-Coordinating, works with board and staff to improve educational programs
-Budgeting, administering, evaluating
-Responsible for day-to-day operation of district
-Possess management and leadership skills

2/3rds of school budgeting goes ot instructional services.

Site Based Management (SBM)
Defined: Shifting of management from central administration to school councils composed of parents and teachers. Promoted to:
-Increase teacher morale
-Improve management of schools
-Raise student performance
-Increase involvement of teachers, parents, and community members in school-site decision making

Mastery Learning
-Most students (>90%) can master what we have to teach them, and it is the task of instruction to find the means which will enable them to master the subject under consideration. A basic task is to determine what we mean by 'mastery of the subject' and to search for the methods which will enable the largest proportion of our students to attain such mastery. -bloom-