Running head: FINAL EXAM PART II

Michele Joyce
Module 7: Final Exam Part II
EDU 709 School Finance
University of New England
August 2015

FINAL EXAM PART II

For my final exam, I am considering the budget for the Brunswick School Department.
Because of the size of the district, I narrowed my focus to the following proposed changes:
increasing multi-age classroom offerings at the elementary level, increasing foreign tuition
students at the high school, obtaining alternate funding and/or resources for the boards strategic
planning initiative, and increasing the hours for the math strategist position(s) at the upper
elementary school.
Increase multi-age classroom offerings at elementary level
Historically, Brunswick offered a 1st-2nd grade multi-age classroom option at one of four
elementary schools. When the schools were consolidated into one K-1 elementary and one 2-5
elementary in 2011, the multi-age classroom option continued to be an option at the K-1 school.
Due to parent interest, the program has expanded over the past year at that school. I propose that
it be expanded further, offering the option of an addition multi-age classroom at the upper
elementary school.
Looking at the enrollment numbers, my original plan of offering one additional multi-age
classroom, potentially eliminating the need for two separate teachers teaching smaller numbers
of children by having one teacher teach the combined class, would not work. The enrollment
numbers are high enough where the remaining straight 2nd and 3rd grade classrooms would be
over-enrolled. Therefore, I must propose two 2nd-3rd grade multi-age classes. This would be
budget neutral in terms of salaries and benefits for the teachers since it would be a change in
teaching assignment rather than an addition or subtraction of positions.
The fiscal neutrality enhances the equity aspect of this proposal. In terms of adequacy,
this proposed change addresses the notion of appropriate adjustments in order for all students to

FINAL EXAM PART II

achieve high standards (Odden & Picus, 2014). It offers options for students, further meeting a
range of learning needs.
Increase foreign tuition students
Before the town of Durham became part of RSU 5 with Freeport and Pownal, Durhams
high school students had the option of being tuitioned students at Brunswick High School. We
no longer have that source of revenue. However, we have initiated a sister-school project with a
city in China which has brought their students to Brunswick for summer workshops and has
extended to a school year program. These exchange students are housed with local families and
pay tuition to attend Brunswick High School. If we were to recruit three more students, the
increase in tuition revenue would be $84,000.
I am aware of other considerations to be taken into account, most notably the potential
impact on the existing ESL program. However, with technology and the relatively low number
of international students I am proposing, the impact should be minimal. In addition, there should
be minimal impact on class sizes.
When addressing equity in terms of the party for whom school finance should be
equitable, this proposal would be highly beneficial to the towns taxpayers. An increase in
revenue through tuition translates to less out-of-pocket costs for the taxpayers, especially when
no new services are needed to support the program.
The connection I see to adequacy is the potential of increased revenue to provide the
resources to do a sufficient job of educating students in Brunswick. In addition, I believe that
increased diversity enhances ones educational experience.
Strategic planning

FINAL EXAM PART II

Over the past several years, the school board has been unsuccessful in building
momentum in moving towards developing a strategic plan for the district. There was a failed
attempt at using a facilitator whose vision of the process was radically different from that of the
board. In the current budget, the board set aside $25,000 for this project. I propose that the
board work with the new assistant superintendent to evaluate internal facilitation options,
discounted or pro-bono options within the community, and potential grants to pay for the project.
It would be a more fiscally conscious and considerate move to seek alternate funding for
this project. While the end product stands to have a large impact on both equity and adequacy, I
believe that the district should minimize the impact it has on the current operating budget.
Increase math strategist positions/hours
Based on the evaluation of standardized test scores, students at the upper elementary
school are not making gains in math. In order to address this, I propose that the district increase
the hours for the math strategist positions at the school and/or increase staffing by one strategist
position. I estimate the cost to be $70,000. This will be covered by one of several ways: the
increased revenue from tuition or the reallocation of resources from the strategic planning
project.
The main impact this will have is on adequacy by creating more opportunities to reach all
students who need math support. It will provide the needed resources for all students to be
successful. One could argue that it might be considered an equity issue since the other schools
are not being provided with the same additional resource, but the need is specific to that school
site.
Personal learning

FINAL EXAM PART II

It was easier for me to approach the budget from the district perspective rather than a
school site because of my experience on the school board. When looking at individual schools, I
found it hard to separate the impact changes in the budget at one school would have on the
system. However, it became a daunting task as I poured through each cost center, trying to
determine where I would propose changes. Having experienced cuts in personnel, I was aware
of the impact that has on student learning. There is also the reality that once a position is
eliminated, it is often difficult to get it reinstated in the budget at a future point. Therefore, I
chose to look at ways to increase revenue and decrease non-academic related expenditures.

FINAL EXAM PART II

6
References

Brunswick Approved School Budget 2015-16. Retrieved from

http://www.brunswick.k12.me.us/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Adopted-Budget-2015-16
v1.pdf
Odden, A. & Picus, L. (2014) School finance: A policy perspective (5th ed.). New York, NY:
McGraw-Hill.