Superintendent Interview (Budgeting)

I learned several items of interest in interviewing Dr. Eric Wright, Superintendent for Huntington ISD.  His first statement about the budgeting process was that it is the most important thing that he does.  He stated that it is also an area that needs your undivided attention to detail.  Dr. Wright said that nothing is overlooked, adjusted or agreed on without his approval.  He was clear that he was very hands-on in the process, and wanted to know all aspects before finalizing the budget.  He gets together with our Business Manager and a contracted consultant to analyze data and trends that will affect the budgeting process.  They look at student to teacher ratios, property values, and five year attendance averages.  He said that regardless of the averages on attendance rates, that they are always conservative on their projections.  In doing this, it keeps our district from having to make a payment to the state for over-projecting.  Dr. Wright said that some districts do over-project, so that they receive more money at the beginning of the year.  He is not a fan of this approach because we are a property poor district, and could not afford having to make payments to the state for over-projecting.

After visiting with Dr. Wright for over an hour, I was overwhelmed.  I felt unprepared to walk into a superintendent position and manage the finances like Dr. Wright.  He assured me that he felt the same way when he took over as superintendent in Woodville.  There are many aspects of the job concerning the budget that can be learned, but nothing beats actual hands-on experience.  He told me that once you get involved in the process, it becomes much easier.  Once again though, he reiterated the importance of always being involved in all phases of the budgeting process.  He stressed the importance of relying on information from different sources, but to go through the final product meticulously. 
 

It is important to involve all stakeholders in the budgeting process.  From the top, to the bottom, all parties will be affected by the decisions of the budget.  All principals and directors meet with the business manager in early spring, and discuss the budget.  They discuss concerns, and needs that have been addressed within their departments, on their campuses, and with their committees.  On our campus, any needs that have been addressed through our SBDMC, are discussed in this meeting as well.  So it is left up to the principals and directors to provide information to the business manager for their departments and campuses.  Once this information has been accumulated, then our business manager and superintendent meet to discuss the items that need attention.  At anytime, if there are any stakeholders that need to meet with the superintendent concerning the budget, they can.  Discussions with the board are also important to see if there are any needs that have brought to their attention.  Once all of the information regarding the budget from the different stakeholders has been accumulated, then our superintendent and business manager compile the data and finalize the budget for board approval.