Understanding TEA Budgeting Gulidelines

EDLD 5342 Week Two Assignment, Part 3 – Understanding TEA Budgeting Guidelines

Summary

In reviewing the  Budgeting Update 14 A Module of the Texas Education Agency Financial Accounting System Resource Guide published by TEA in January 2012, the one hundred forty nine pages of useful and important information is organized with three pages of contents, a page listing Exhibits and pages and pages of budgeting objectives, approaches, legal requirements, annual budget responsibilities and guidelines, annual revenue estimates, district and campus expenditure estimates, and other areas of district budgeting knowledge. It is a document that is updated as needed and available on line http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index4.aspx?id=1222. I have learned that budgeting is allocating resources based on school district needs and should reflect the goals that are based on the district’s vision and mission. This guide lays out a planning process that will help the district be accountable for the taxpayer’s money. There are three phases of budgeting (i.e. planning, preparing and evaluating). In the planning process decisions are made by the board and administrators to connect resources with needs. In the preface of this document it states that, “The budget provides an important tool for the control and evaluation of a school district’s sources and use of resources”. The budgeting evaluation should tie to educational performance because the resource allocation should be closely tied with instructional plans. The school district’s budget is made up of local property taxes and state revenue funds along with federal funds and grant supplements. Financial forecasting and planning for expenditures, revenue, construction projects, student enrollment and other issues are an important part of the superintendent’s job. There are many aspects to budgeting that are addressed in this guide with some of them being funding, monitoring, reporting, estimating, projecting, law reviewing, and communicating the features of the budget itself. There are data collection and reporting that has to be done by the district to TEA. The ultimate responsibility for developing and communicating the district budget is the superintendents.

Reflection

In reading through the TEA Budgeting Guidelines, (Retrieved from the internet on April 19 at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index4.aspx?id=1222 and in the LU EDLD 5342 Resources) and reflecting on district budgeting I realize I will never know everything but as a superintendent I will need to know where to go get resources for information. It also makes it very clear, like our professors in all of our Lamar University superintendent certification program keep says, “Superintendents must network and help each other”.