Every element of a school design or redesign has budgetary implications. As a rule of thumb, remember that 80% of school and district budgets typically go to staffing, often based on state and district formulas. So it’s tremendously important to consider both how to use staffing strategically and how to make the most of the remaining 20%.

For example, if your school design calls for recruiting and training teacher fellows, bringing on artists or other nontraditional educators, or investing in coaching, mentoring, and other learning experiences for teachers, each needs to be planned for and included in the budget. The same is true for tutoring, youth services, arts experiences, or community-based learning experiences. New and redesigned schools often require substantial upfront costs, too, for things like purchasing specialized equipment, setting up a learning management system, or reconfiguring space.

All these items are costly, and trade-offs are an inevitable part of the budgeting process. Which aspects of a school design are most important? How can they be prioritized creatively? And how can you keep equity at the forefront?

It’s also important to understand how much autonomy your school will have in how it spends its resources. In most cases, the answer is “not very much,” but the answer varies, depending on state and local policies and whether a school is a district or charter school.

Whatever a school’s level of budget authority, the main objective year over year is to prioritize the operational and programmatic elements that matter most to the success and well-being of students. A smart budget process therefore begins with a candid assessment of the impact of each item, especially when flexible money is scarce, and leaves room for annual or more frequent adjustments.

“Most big-ticket [financial] decisions happen at the district level, so those at the school level have little or no involvement. Most principals have not been included in discussions about what things cost or about how to divvy up district funds that affect their buildings directly.”

MARGUERITE ROZA, Edunomics Lab, Georgetown University

“Training School Leaders to Spend Wisely”