As a part of the Principal’s Advisory Council and intern, I worked with administrators and lead teachers to develop a balanced budget with minimal impact on student learning as our primary goal. As the administrative intern, I was given the duty of assessing the cost of supports (specific to technology) for student learning. Working with our technology coach, we identified the areas of need and the cost for repairs of current technology (laptops, smartboards, printers). Using the information collected, we determined which items were the highest and lowest priorities. Based on this assessment, we submitted our findings to administration for review. In our second meeting as a group, we addressed the concern of balancing our budget and provided suggestions for possible cuts.
Although this was a rewarding experience, it was difficult to manage several perspectives on what cuts need to made. Based on my observations, I believe administration could have collaborated more on their final decision, but ultimately, a decision needed to be made.
I believe the most valuable part of this experience was dealing with the dilemma of making budget cuts. When a situation like this occurs, it was noted that the school leader must look at the issue from all angles and perspectives. Although decisions may prove to be difficult, you must keep the impact on student learning your highest priority.
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