Real-Life Math
Basic math skills come in handy in any superintendent's day.
"You
must be especially comfortable with finances," says Joseph Schneider. He is
the former deputy director of the American Association of School Administrators.
"You
are the individual responsible for how the district spends money. And in a
lot of communities, the school system is the largest employer in town. So
you've got a big payroll and you do a lot of purchasing, buying everything
from computers to chalkboards to school buses."
As the main person
in charge of the school district's budget, the onus is on the superintendent
to spend wisely. In that respect, the figuring involves more decision making
than straight math.
"You probably don't have to do the bookkeeping,
but you've got to be able to read a ledger sheet," says Schneider.
"You've
got to be able to know when somebody's flimflamming you, and you've
got to know what's a good business deal and what isn't. And if you
go over budget, oh my! One of the biggest reasons supers lose their jobs is
if they have poor financial managing skills."
You're a school
superintendent for a troubled urban district grappling with its budget. A
major area of concern is making sure enough funds go to school programs for
students with special education needs and students from poverty-stricken,
high-risk backgrounds.
There are 24 schools in your district with a
total of 12,000 students. The special education program serves 828 students
and the students-at-risk program serves 2,170. These populations are divided
like so:
| School # | Special Education | Students at Risk |
| 1 | 29 | 163 |
| 2 | 60 | 42 |
| 3 | 15 | 83 |
| 4 | 12 | 124 |
| 5 | 63 | 62 |
| 6 | 28 | 80 |
| 7 | 30 | 164 |
| 8 | 59 | 41 |
| 9 | 14 | 82 |
| 10 | 13 | 125 |
| 11 | 64 | 63 |
| 12 | 27 | 79 |
| 13 | 31 | 165 |
| 14 | 58 | 40 |
| 15 | 12 | 80 |
| 16 | 15 | 83 |
| 17 | 59 | 58 |
| 18 | 32 | 84 |
| 19 | 28 | 162 |
| 20 | 61 | 43 |
| 21 | 14 | 82 |
| 22 | 11 | 123 |
| 23 | 64 | 61 |
| 24 | 29 | 81 |
The demand calls for at least $400 to be given to each student
in the special needs program, and $200 per student at risk. You have a budget
of $350,000 for special education, and $450,000 for students at risk.
Use
the above criteria to decide how much funding should be given to each school
for their respective programs, and whether or not you have the budget to support
these demands. There should be a comfortable surplus of at least $15,000 in
extra funds from each budget.