Part 1: School Administrator Interview

Conduct an interview with a school administrator who works in the area of school finance.

Ask about the specific financial management responsibilities of the position, the impact of outside influences on the district's financial situation, and what he or she predicts will happen regarding the financing of education in the next 10 years.

Use the following questions for the interview and add 2 additional questions of your own:

• As an administrator, what influence do you have in developing the district budget?
• What is the most difficult task in your job that relates to school finance? If given the opportunity, what changes would you make to improve school finance?
• Would you describe the present state funding formulas as adequate? Why or why not?
• How have legal issues such as school equity and federal mandates affected your school's finances?
• How does federal aid affect public school programs? What are some pros and cons of receiving federal aid to support public school programs?
• What do you feel is the return on educational investment, with respect to student achievement and societal benefits?
• What do you think will be the future impact of school finance on education?
• How does a strategic school intervention plan meet the needs of the school population and/or community?

Part 2: Interview Reflection

Research and choose a court case that you believe is connected to something discussed in your administrator interview. Some court cases that may be related are:

• McInnis v. Shapiro (Illinois, 1969)
• San Antonio School District v. Rodriguez (Texas, 1971)
• Serrano v. Priest I (California, 1971)
• Van Dusartz v. Hatfield (Minnesota, 1971)
• Robinson v. Cahill (New Jersey, 1972)
• Spano v. the Board of Education (New York, 1972)
• Serrano v. Priest II (California, 1977)
• Rose v. Council for Better Education (Kentucky, 1989)
• Edgewood Independent School District v. Kirby (Texas, 1989)
• Coalition for Equitable School Funding v. State (Oregon, 1991)

Write a reflection that includes the following:

• Summarize the interview and your takeaways.
• Discuss how the court case you selected is connected to a topic(s) you discussed with the administrator. Evaluate the impact the court case had on the topic(s).
• Analyze the current state of education funding in your state (e.g., what your state is doing well, what it needs to change, how you see that change coming about).