Week 5 Part 2

Week 5 Part 2

Self- Assessment of Superintendent Competency 8

When comparing my answers from the week one to week 5, I have made several changes to Competency 8. I believe this course has improved my knowledge of the finance system. School finance was one of my areas of weakness. This is due to the fact that I had little exposure in this area. While working through this course, I have become exposed to various financial topics. A few of the areas that I have considered strengths such as:  using district and staff evaluation data for personnel policy development and decision making, managing one’s own time and the time of others to enhance district operations, and applying knowledge associated with personnel management, including requirements related to certifying, recruiting, screening, selecting, evaluating, disciplining, reassigning, and dismissing personnel. I had previously marked these areas as competent on the pre-test.

The areas that I marked as competent are:  applying procedures for effective budget planning, establishing district procedures for accurate, effective, ethical purchasing and financial record keeping. Also acquiring, allocating, and managing resources accordingly. Applying legal concepts, regulations, and codes are considered competencies.  I would like to continue working on this area, so that I will have more exposure and eventually consider them as strengths.

I have two areas that I need to improve my knowledge: developing and implementing plans for using technology and information systems to enhance efficiency and effectiveness of school district operations. The second one is using revenue forecasting and enrollment forecasting to address personnel and budgetary needs accurately. My goal is to become competent in the two areas. This will happen as I am exposed to the areas.

Overall, I believe that I have a better understanding of school finance. I feel that all superintendents must be familiar with school finance. It is paramount that districts hire competent CFOs, because this individual will be working very closely with the superintendent.  It is important that decisions are based on needs of the students.