Heather Hays Gates

EAD-510

Clinical Field Experience B: Schoolwide Budgetary Needs

The school sits in a large suburb, and is overall, a minority-based school, with 85.2% of

the student body identifying as black. As of 2022, the student enrollment is 671, ranging from

37% of enrollment being 9th graders to 16% being 12th graders. A total of 100% of students are

on the free lunch program and 100% are economically disadvantaged. The graduation rate is

77%, well below the state median. There are 49 full-time teachers, and the school is a Title I

school. There are AP programs in place, and of the 20% of students who took an AP exam, 8%

of them passed at least one exam.

Looking at the sample budget provided, current expenditures include instruction, pupil

services, and improvement of instruction. Travel, supplies, and technology supplies are subcate-

gories under instruction. Communication is a subcategory under pupil services. Travel, supplies,

technology supplies, and software are all subcategories under improvement of instruction. Each

category is necessary for the overall success of the students.

I was not able to get a hold of last year’s school budget or this year’s school budget, but if

I were to use the given as a template, I would increase future expenditures in the areas of sup-

plies and communications. Knowing the school I am dealing with, these two areas are of concern

and based on the needs assessment survey results, would support stakeholders in meeting the

goals of the SIP.

After analyzing the results from the needs assessment survey, I have discovered the need

for more specialized teachers within the school, such as reading and math interventionists. Fac-

ulty and staff feel as though the administration could do more to support them by protecting
planning time and giving them time to collaborate with other educators in their field. Overall, the

goals of the surveyed are academic success of their students and more engagement with parents

and community members. They also expressed the need for emotional support as they prepare

students for graduation and college. I learned that there are some programs in place to assist with

these goals, however, the main problem lies with the actual implementation and consistency of

these programs by stakeholders. There is a concern that there are not enough stakeholders ac-

tively involved in the process of teaching and engaging the students. In addition, there is a lack

of communication overall between the school and home, which creates gaps in resources as well

as student achievement. There was a deep concern in lacking consistency across the board.

Based on the needs assessment findings, I would first suggest hiring one or two special-

ized teachers in the areas of reading and math. There is a strong need for interventions for stu-

dent academic success and this is one area where monies could really benefit the students and go

a long way. A second suggestion is to implement professional development to support the grow-

ing needs of teachers to support their students. Teachers needs to have consistent support through

professional development that specifically appeals to their weaknesses so that they can best meet

the needs of their students. A third suggestion I would make would be to actively pursue all

stakeholders within the community including parents, local business, etc., so that the students

and teachers feel more supported, and in turn, raising the academic achievement and emotional

health of each student.

Conducting a formal needs assessment is very important to gaining insight into what is

needed within a school community. PSEL Standard 1 states that effective school leaders “Strate-

gically develop, implement, and evaluate actions to achieve the vision for the school.” In addi-

tion, PSEL Standard 4 states that effective school leaders “Implement coherent systems of cur-
riculum, instruction, and assessment that promote the vision, mission, and core values of the

school, embody high expectations for student learning, align with academic standards, and are

culturally responsive.” Lastly, PSEL Standard 5 states that effective leaders “Promote adult-stu-

dent, student-peer, and school-community relationships that value and support academic learning

and positive social and emotional development.” These standards, among others, embody the

goals and needs of the school budget, the students, and the stakeholders, as they relate to each

other. In my future endeavors as a school leader, I will be sure to keep these standards at the

forefront of my mind when planning the school budget and when conducting a needs assessment

survey, as they help to guide the mind towards what’s most important.