Keisha Addison, director of Shared Accountability, presented the concept of academic return on investment (ROI) and proposed a phased use of program evaluations to help align district spending with student outcomes.
Addison said academic ROI reframes ROI from financial profit to student learning: for each dollar invested, the district should ask what improvement in student learning or well‑being results. "Academic return on investment allows us to ask for every dollar we invest in a program, service, or initiative, what improvement in student learning are we seeing?" she said. The approach compares program costs (including staff time and training) with measured outcomes such as achievement, attendance, behavior and student well‑being.
She recommended starting with completed evaluation reports to provide immediate insights and then engaging with in‑progress studies so the district can align methods with current priorities. Addison suggested creating an academic ROI reporting structure to the Fiscal Management Committee and embedding ROI language in a forthcoming program‑evaluation policy, allowing fiscal considerations to be systematically evaluated alongside academic impact.
Board members discussed examples and timing. Members suggested prioritizing completed evaluations where results can inform budget decisions — for example, two‑way immersion and restorative practices, where prior evaluations had mixed findings or implementation variability. One board member emphasized that evaluations should focus on programs that touch large student populations and be returned quickly enough to inform budget choices. Addison said turnaround times have improved but staffing shortages had slowed some recent reports; she proposed building fiscal context into the evaluation process so recommendations can feed budget planning.
The committee did not take formal action; members asked staff to identify completed evaluations that should be discussed in depth during the next meetings to inform FY27 budget planning.