As your district transitions to student-based budgeting (SBB), many other parts of your school system and community will be impacted. SBB brings more flexibility and autonomy for schools, more transparency around school budgets, and an expanded role for school leaders and district central office staff. To ensure a smooth transition to SBB, you need a strong communication strategy for gaining support from your community and key stakeholders.

Based on the statements below, choose the answer that best reflects your district.

1. My district leaders consistently communicate key messaging around district initiatives to both internal and external stakeholders.

2. My district has clear communication channels (e.g., biweekly board meetings, weekly senior leadership meetings, weekly C-level meetings) that effectively and continuously engage internal and external stakeholders on new district initiatives.

For an SBB initiative to succeed, it’s critical to secure agreement and understanding across all levels of district and school leadership on why SBB is right for your district and how your district will make the transition.

Based on the statements below, choose the answer that best reflects your district.

3. Principals, cabinet members, and other key staff in your district office and schools understand and agree on how SBB fits into your district’s overall strategy.

4. Key district and school staff (e.g., principals, cabinet members, etc.) agree on the initial rollout strategy for SBB (e.g., starting to use SBB districtwide or only with a subset of schools).

To successfully integrate SBB into your district, you need a coordinated and collaborative core annual planning process. Having this process in place allows principals to take advantage of their new autonomy over school planning and serve students in the ways they know best.

Based on the statements below, choose the answer that best reflects your district.

5. My district leaders explicitly align timelines for individual school budgeting, staffing, and academic planning so they happen simultaneously and collaboratively.

6. My district leaders communicate proactively with school leaders about deadlines for and changes to the annual school planning processes.

Having accurate and easily accessible data—including enrollment data; budget and financial data; human resources and payroll data; and timely city/state/federal revenue projections—is critical to successful SBB implementation. This requires consistent, districtwide systems integrated across departments that capture, store, and retrieve data.

Based on the statements below, choose the answer that best reflects your district.

7. My district’s school enrollment projections include student characteristics that are relevant to weighted funding systems (e.g., data about students who are from low-income backgrounds or who are English language learners).

8. My district’s school by-grade enrollment projections are typically finalized by January and can be incorporated into the annual school funding allocation process.

9. School leaders have access to the data (e.g., student performance data, teacher data, school climate data, school resource use data) and professional learning time they need to make strategic school design decisions.

10. Central office departments collaborate with school leaders to ensure that, as leaders, they can take actions that best suit their school’s needs.