Leadership magazine Sept/Oct 2014 V 44 No 1 | Page 16

Raising
the Bar
on stakeholder
engagement
LCFF ushered in the idea
that school funding
decisions should start
with students and their
families. Here’s a look at
how school districts are
fulfilling this promise.

16

Leadership

M

ost 15-year-olds wouldn’t
look forward to meeting
with school staff, much less
their district’s superintendent. But thanks to the increased role of students and other stakeholders in California’s
new Local Control Funding Formula, 15
year-old Tony Bui, who served on San Jose’s
East Side Union High School District Budget Committee, now describes Superintendent Chris Funk as someone he “can strike
up a conversation with.” Tony feels that
“together, we’re making sure no students
are left behind in the fast changing world of
education.”
The idea of approaching school decisions
together is a rising trend in California public education. Under LCFF, districts get increased flexibility from the state in deciding
how to spend state money. In turn, districts
must seek input and incorporate feedback
from parents, students and other stakeholders in developing their Local Control and
Accountability Plans. In short, LCFF ushers

in the revolutionary idea that school funding
decisions should start with those most local
to education: students and their parents.
School administrators have the unenviable role of balancing a seemingly infinite
number of competing demands for resources and meeting the needs of an increasingly diverse student population. Although
the budget may never stretch far enough to
keep everyone happy, meaningfully engaging students and parents in the LCAP process can make administrators’ jobs easier.
Here is how:
1. Broader participation ensures administrators’ final decisions are inclusive and have
buy-in from the entire school community.
Bringing the voices of students and parents
into the conversation can add support to administrator’s decisions and act as a counterbalance to school politics and pressure from
interest groups.

By Nicole Gelsomini and Taryn Ishida