NC%20is%20unique%20from%20other%20states%20in%20the%20percentage%20of%20funds%20contributed%20by%20the%20State,%20for%20Public%20Education.

1
Financial Flexibility with State Funds North
Carolina is Unique

• NC is unique from other states in the percentage
  of funds contributed by the State, for Public
  Education.
• Most other state school systems are primarily
  funded by locally driven initiatives such as
  property taxes and local bond issues.

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What State Money Is Available To Local Education
Agencies?
3
Types of State Funding

• Position Allotments
• LEAs receive a position (or month of employment),
  and no matter where the person falls on a salary
  schedule, the state picks up the tab for the
  salary and benefits.
• So a state paid teacher with 5 years experience
  costs the same to an LEA as a state paid teacher
  with 25 years experience, they both 1 position.

4
Types of State Funding

• Dollar Allotments
• These funding streams are allocated as dollars
  and the LEA must live within the total s
  provided.

5
Types of State Funding

• Categorical Allotments
• These supplemental appropriations are allocated
  to address specific disparity issues or specific
  populations. The LEA must live within the total
  s provided but can determine how to utilize
  the funding to meet their specific needs.

6
Types of State Funding

• Guaranteed Allotments (Other Funding Areas)
• Several cost areas are not allotted or are
  allotted for the specific amount of the cost.
  Examples include ABCs incentive awards,
  longevity, annual leave, mentor pay, and workers
  compensation.

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Financial Flexibility

• Know What You Want To Do!
• Do a data-driven problem analysis to determine
  how to focus on school reform.
• The local board and central office must be the
  school's biggest supporters.
• Finance Personnel areas MUST work together to
  ensure your LEA is maximizing your 1 Resource.

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How Can an LEA Maximize Its Resources?

• Currently, the key to State funding flexibility
  is to determine ways to utilize State funding to
  free-up local funding. For example, you could
  convert one teacher month of employment and
  transfer 4,400 to instructional supplies. You
  could then code local expenditures previously
  expended for instructional supplies to the State
  and free-up 4,400 of local funds for any
  purpose.

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Financial Flexibility Ideas

• Position Allotments
• CONVERT POSITIONS TO DOLLARS
• Teachers
• If the school can organize so that the State
  mandated class size maximums are not exceeded,
  the teacher positions can be used for any needed
  program or population without a waiver.

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Financial Flexibility Ideas

• Position Allotments
• Teachers
• A guaranteed teaching position can be used for
  one teacher for 10 months, 10 teachers for 1
  month, 200 teachers for 1 day, or 400 teachers
  for ½ of a day.

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Financial Flexibility Ideas

• Position Allotments
• Instructional Support
• You can use Instructional Support positions as
  teachers
• To reduce class sizes
• Create a permanent substitute position
• Add additional teachers to a school to free-up an
  additional period a day for your teachers.

12
Financial Flexibility Ideas

• Position Allotments
• Assistant Principals
• For every month a school has a vacant Assistant
  Principal position, an LEA has access to
• Approximately 5,500 for a teacher or supplies or
  staff development.

Note Each year the actual conversion will
change as the average salary changes.
13
Financial Flexibility Ideas

• Position Allotments
• Principals
• For every month a school does not have a
  Principal, an LEA has access to
• Approximately 6,300 for clerical support for
  teachers, tutors, or telephones.

Note Each year the actual conversion will
change as the average salary changes.
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Financial Flexibility Ideas

• Dollar Allotments
• Funds can be transferred easily between Textbooks
  and Classroom Supplies and Material or
  vice-versa. The Textbook fund carries over on
  June 30th.

• Use a teacher assistant in a K-5 school as an
  assistant in the computer lab at that school or
  have 2 classrooms share a teacher assistant and
  use the money to employ another teacher.

15
Financial Flexibility Ideas

• Dollar Allotments
• A school could include in its school improvement
  plan the transfer of staff development funds to
  Classroom Materials/Instructional Supplies and
  Equipment for the purpose of upgrading and
  enhancing computer technology in the school.

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Financial Flexibility Ideas

• Categorical Allotments
• If your LEA employs Retired Teachers (where the
  teacher will not lose their retirement benefits),
  employ them in categorical allotments. This will
  save you matching benefit cost for retirement and
  hospitalization thus increasing your spending
  power.

17
Financial Flexibility Ideas

• Categorical Allotments
• An elementary school uses At-Risk funding to
  employ a half-time computer technologist to work
  with students in the classroom four afternoons a
  week. Every Tuesday, teachers attend workshops
  and/or receive instruction from the computer
  technologist.

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Financial Flexibility Ideas

• Categorical Allotments
• Use your At-Risk funding or Improving Student
  Accountability Funding to
• Employ teachers to work in after-school tutoring.
• Employ a teacher to work on Saturdays with
  students that need extra help.

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Financial Flexibility Ideas

• Categorical Allotments
• Low Wealth Supplemental Funding can be used for
  any instructional activity, staff development,
  and to pay local supplements.
• Plan on using any increase in funding in a new
  and innovative way.

20
Financial Flexibility Ideas

• Categorical Allotments
• Small County Supplemental Funding can be used
  for any activity which includes local
  supplements.
• Plan on using any increase in funding in a new
  and innovative way.

21
Limitations of Flexibility

• Local priorities and local funding availability
  also dictate how much state flexibility can be
  employed.

Primary use of State Funds is for Salaries and
inherently recurring costs (95).
Legislation within each of the funding programs
limits the use and potential for funds
flexibility.
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A Few More Thoughts

• Work With Finance Officer, Personnel
  Administrator and School Improvement Team to
  Develop a Budget and Plan
• Dont ask or pursue without thinking about where
  the train will take you. Does flexibility/consoli
  dation lead to reductions? it has. Does
  consolidation lead to a loss of identity?
  remember community colleges. And Finally
  remember steel tariffs!