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The EBR School District has many unmet needs that prevent students from receiving the quality education they deserve, including resources to significantly improve literacy and numeracy outcomes, an effective transportation department, more stability in the teacher workforce in struggling schools, and more. The EBR School Board recently passed their annual budget, and while there were considerable improvements, the process still left much to be desired.
Budgets are a statement of values, and approving a district budget is equally as important as hiring and holding accountable a superintendent. At the Baton Rouge Alliance for Students, we believe school district budgets must be accessible, accountable, and aligned. They must be easy for families to understand, be developed using a public, transparent process, and clearly demonstrate values that support students and teachers. In our state, school boards have very limited powers. Their budget is the most significant tool they have in driving the direction of the school system and ensuring success throughout the school year.
To truly develop a school system budget that is responsive to the needs of students, the district should have intentionally and proactively solicited input from parents about their children’s experiences and been receptive to that feedback. By asking parents, before a budget is developed, whether their children are receiving the services they need and expect, the school system can ensure its new budget will address gaps. Unfortunately, the longstanding practice in Baton Rouge is for district staff to start with the last year’s budget, make some tweaks, and bring a 100-page budget to the board and public for review.
At the end of the day, the density and opacity of the budget remained. It is unfair to expect that parents or voters can wade through these massive, highly-technical documents and come away with any real understanding of how they translate to their child’s school experience. Parents understand best and whether their children are being served appropriately: ask them. Prior to developing the budget, seek their insight as to whether their children are being well-served, and make meaningful changes designed to make a difference in the lives of students and educators.
The budget that was passed has a few promising need-driven items. Among them is a tiered Student Achievement Stipend that will reward the teaching staff at struggling schools for leading significant academic improvement. As an organization focused on ensuring that every child receives their birthright of an excellent education, we applaud the commitment to reward educators doing the hardest work in the district. This inclination is the right one and we are very pleased to see it.
As a community, we must demand more transparency and engagement from our elected leadership going forward. School board members must hold their staff accountable to themselves and our community. More than that, they must make sure that they use their tools – the budget – in the most effective and efficient way possible, to ensure every child has a school that fits their needs.
