LM Sept. 2018

Evidence-BasedFunding: Instrument for Strategic Leadership

By Gary Tipsord, Superintendent, LeRoy CUSD #2 You may have heard IASA Executive Director Dr. Brent Clark say, “The only significance of $6,119 as a foundation level is that it is between $6,118 and $6,120.” The number carried no educational significance. Through the course of the Vision 20/20 process, we set to change that model. A core objective evolved, one that was specifically related to the delivery of instruction and opportunity for our students. The Evidence-Based Funding Model, passed last August, pivots around an Adequacy Target—a unique target that is driven by the specific students that a district has a responsibility to serve and by the economic factors associated with their geographic location in the state, rather than an arbitrary number like $6,119. More specifically, this funding solution is about each of us rather than all of us. That distinction truly is critical to communicating a narrative and making leadership decisions. Now that the EBM model is our reality, it’s necessary for us as superintendents to use it to establish a framework for the next 10 years. So, what I want to do is challenge each of you to embrace the comprehensive capacity of this model to tell your story, to develop a plan for the future and to take on dissent. We now possess an instrument for those types of strategic conversations that are data and mathematically driven, rather than ideologically driven. While opinions do and will continue to exist, and remain relevant, EBF as an instrument of leadership allows us to return to the relative data and frame the dialogue around numbers that carry significance. Here are some critical questions where the model becomes more an instrument than just a spreadsheet. 1. Now that we know what our Adequacy Target is, is that target sufficient to meet the demand of the public that we are responsible to serve? What will our district look like in 10 years if the state invests according to the design? 2. How do our staffing and services compare to the research-based design for the students we serve? Are we overstaffed, and is there intentionality to that staffing?

Are we understaffed, and do we have deficits in learning because of the staffing structure? Is either the excess or deficit in staffing meaningful to the demand of our community? Is there a relationship between this gap analysis and our student achievement data? 3. What does shared responsibility look like for our district? Once fully implemented, what is the anticipated responsibility for the community? How can we rightly design our tax rate? If we do, what is the impact to the demand for programming core to our community values? These are just three themes that come to the surface for nearly every district in the state in some form or another. Our ability to create narrative around educational initiatives and resource management is limitless within the context of the funding model. We have a powerful tool with which to both make decisions and have conversations. In some cases, we can find answers in the model; but in every case, we can find information around which to have critical conversations. Regardless of where your district lies in relative access to resources, the model will allow you to create a strategic narrative for the next decade. With ESSA and the recent demand to establish and communicate an appropriate spending plan related to new funding and accountability, it is important to begin to leverage this model as a means of transparent communication and analysis of resource allocation. We have two steps related to funding going forward: 1. Communicate how new funding is being utilized to enrich the experience of our students. 2. Determine if resource allocation to specific buildings and programs is having an impact on student outcomes. Finally, if you have specific questions related to School- Based Accounting, you are encouraged to watch the IASBO video: https://vimeo.com/259219503. And, if you have specific questions related to the EBF Spending Plan, email: EBFspendingplan@isbe.net.

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