Harvard Education PR A Better Way to Budget: Building Support for Bold, Student-Centered Change in Public Schools

A Better Way to Budget provides practical, innovative advice on how to overcome the political and social pushback that often prevents district and school leaders from shifting scarce resources to the most student-centered uses. Nathan Levenson shows how school leaders can uncover the sources of potential conflicts and create a budgeting process that normalizes change, minimizes pushback, and builds public buy-in for needed reforms.A Better Way to Budget:focuses on a strategic and process-oriented approach that anticipates roadblocks and challengesintroduces eight effective strategies for shifting funds and winning supportprovides real-life examples of mistakes and successesincludes joint fact-finding, simulations, and other exercises to help stakeholders agree on goals and identify the budgetary changes needed to reach those objectives.Filled with advice gathered over decades of work in schools, A Better Way to Budget provides timely insights and tools for leaders who are exploring ways to make their districts more inclusive and student-centered. From the Back Cover <div><i>A Better Way to Budget</i> provides practical, innovative advice on how to overcome political obstacles that prevent district and school leaders from shifting scarce resources to the most student-centered uses. Nathan Levenson shows how school leaders can uncover the sources of potential conflicts and create a budgeting process that normalizes change, minimizes pushback, and builds public buy-in for needed reforms.<br><br> &#8220;<i>A Better Way to Budget</i> is filled with insightful and practical guidance gleaned from decades of real-world experience. Nathan Levenson has crafted a go-to guide for building support for school system leadership priorities, providing guidance on every step in the process, from building relationships with stakeholders to changing the culture from within.&#8221;<br><b>&#8212;Renee A. Foose</b>, superintendent, Howard County Public School System, Maryland<br><br> &#8220;Plans and budgets made in the superintendent&#8217;s office often crash up against the hard reality of politics and implementation in school buildings. Nathan Levenson&#8217;s new book is chock-full of hard-won, practical advice for building plans and budgets that find support among parents, teachers, principals, and board members, and that can successfully be put into practice.&#8221;<br><b>&#8212;Shayne C. Kavanagh</b>, senior manager of research, Government Finance Officers Association<br><br> &#8220;<i>A Better Way to Budget</i> is an invaluable resource for educational leaders committed to doing right by their students while demonstrating value for their taxpayers. On every page, Levenson demonstrates that &#8216;doing more with less&#8217; isn&#8217;t about saving money&#8212;it&#8217;s about doing more for our children.&#8221;<br><b>&#8212;Michael J. Petrilli</b>, president, Thomas B. Fordham Institute<br><br> &#8220;Levenson provides school leaders with a resource they can begin using immediately to create a school district culture that is change-adept and built on principles and processes that strategically align fiscal resources&#8212;and the work of staff&#8212;around improving student learning.&#8221;<br><b>&#8212;Jeff Ronneberg</b>, superintendent, Spring Lake Park Schools, Minnesota<br><br><b>Nathan Levenson</b>, a former school board member and superintendent, is president of the District Management Council.</div> About the Author Nathan Levenson, a former school board member and superintendent, is president of the District Management Council.