Week 5 Part 3
Final Reflection
EDLD 5342 School Finance has been a very valuable class. Prior to starting this class, my knowledge of school finance was very limited. I began to appreciate and have a better understanding of entire process of school finance. It was interesting to look at the history of school finance and comparing budget data of different school districts. School finance is very complex and there are many variables that affect the system.
The competency eight self- assessment was an interesting assignment. I had to decide whether I was competent in specific areas or determine whether I needed to improve in areas. There were areas such as managing one’s own time and the time of others to enhance district operations; I believe that I was competent in this area. The majority of the other areas, I stated that I needed improvement. The reason is that my exposure to school finance has been very limited. My rationale for this decision was to work and study in the specific areas to improve my level of knowledge. I feel that school finance is an area that all superintendents should know and understand thoroughly.
The weekly lectures were very helpful in the sense that they provided an explanation for the upcoming assignments. They served as an extension to the assignments. I truly enjoyed week one’s lecture, Dr. Nicks explained the History of Texas School Finance and Dr. Arterbury discussed the concepts of equity, equality, and adequacy. The lectures were a great tool. The interviews have been the most interesting assignments. It is very beneficial to hear first-hand from individuals such as the CFO describing processes such as the annual external financial audit. This reinforces the weekly lesson. The readings and resources are great references to further study the various areas of school finance. Learning from the Best: Lessons from Award-Winning Superintendents, has be very insightful not only through this course, but the previous courses too. School Finance 101: Funding of Texas Public Schools, in my opinion was a resource that I referred to quite often. This document provided detailed information about all areas of school finance.
The weekly assignments were challenging and informative. The assignments using the district snapshots were the most intriguing. Week four required the cohort to compare data between two districts. Some of the information requested was total revenue per pupil, total operational expenditures per pupil, and economy of scale between the two districts. This assignment really exposes the advantages and disadvantages of small versus large districts. I found that larger districts seem to operate more efficiently. Also, smaller districts rely on state funding to maintain operations. The interviews with the Superintendent and the CFO were very informative. The interview process allows one to hear first hand about the financial operation of school districts. What I learned from this process is the Superintendent must have an experienced and trustworthy CFO. There are areas in which the Superintendent must rely on the CFO. Prior to the interview with my district’s CFO, I was not aware of the annual audit. I found the interview to be informative about the selection of an auditor and the importance of the process.
I have found the reflections to be helpful for having a clearer understanding of the assignments. My approach to reflective writing is looking at what I have learned and processing the application of the new material. I enjoyed working on the group assignments. I was able to collaborate with three classmates on several assignments. Through this process, we were able to share our thoughts and experiences. There is a lot to be said for cooperative learning, even through media programs such as Skype. Overall, I believe that I expanded my knowledge on school finance and have more of an insight of the process. I still have areas that I want to study more in depth.
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