Budgets as tools of reform

Questions are often asked of school board candidates: What will you change in the budget, what will you take out, and what will you add?

The answer is - I'll revamp how we do budgeting in general, so we can address our most pressing deficits: the trust deficit we have with voters, and the achievement deficit we have in the classrooms.

We need to move towards outcome-based budgeting, where significant spending is linked to the expected results for students and teachers. This includes improving reading, math proficiency, test scores, school safety, CTE labs, mental/physical health, teacher safety, professional development, and proficiency in new teaching aids. We will also establish outcome expectations for the superintendent, which will be communicated to the classroom, enabling us to track progress and adjust the budget as needed.