Polk expands site-based budgeting districtwide; board seeks clearer safeguards for small and 'red' schools

District finance leaders told the board that site-based budgeting — now districtwide after phased expansion over three years — gives principals more autonomy over staffing and spending and provides an app for scenario planning. JD Felout and Heather Jenkins described outcomes: 100 percent adoption across traditional schools, an app replacing spreadsheets, expanded training and coaching, and a drop in schools flagged as budget‑red from 42 to 22 this past year.

Board members sought specifics on how the district protects vulnerable student services and ensures equity. Board member Miss Miller raised concerns for schools that will always show a deficit because of programmatic needs or small enrollment; staff said some schools will require ongoing supplements and those are identified for board comfort. Staff described a multi-layered approval process: principals build scenarios in the app, regional staff and departments (ELL, Title I, HR, staffing) review and coach, and a formal approval path includes department-level checks to prevent supplanting.

Superintendent Hyde and Miss Collins described multiple safety nets: holdbacks (an amount retained pending final FTE), appeals, and district oversight triggered when scheduling or staffing decisions appear to risk academic outcomes. The superintendent said the district will intervene early on ‘‘glaring’’ misallocations and that persistent misprioritization could be reflected in administrator evaluations. The app can present recommended staffing plans, let principals build multiple scenarios and save them, and includes historical trend data for schools where available; the district is developing more reporting to show multi‑year impacts.

Board members asked for more transparency on supplemental funding (how district supplements are shown in the app for a school that starts in the red) and for pilot logins so trustees can test the tool. Staff agreed to provide sample logins and demonstrations (elementary, K–8, high school) and to assemble reports showing how supplements are recorded, historical trends, and scenario outcomes. Members also asked for an explicit list of schools that will likely remain supplemented year‑to‑year and why.

Staff said continued training, regional coaching, and an appeals procedure are core parts of the rollout. They also noted the board will see follow‑up reporting on programmatic protections (special programs, ESE, Title I) and longer-term effects of budget decisions on staffing and student outcomes. The district framed the change as increasing local autonomy while strengthening district-level accountability.