Kial Watts

Dr. Johnson
Edu 200-02
Leading, Governing, and Funding Schools
Schools across the United States rely on certain people and funding to have the systems
run smoothly. There are many people who play a role in contributing to the success in educating
children. It all begins at the state school board where budgets are deliberated and established,
moving along through the system ending with the teachers. The funding comes into the
governing board who sets the rules and regulations for the leaders to make productive school
systems.
Funding can come from four different sources. These sources include federal, state, local,
and others such as grants. In one year America can spend about 500 billion dollars on public
elementary and secondary education. According to page 162 of the textbook, localities make up
49.2 percent of funding while the federal government makes up 7.9 percent and 42.9 percent
comes from the state. Funding that comes in from the state is determined by factors based on the
students. This includes the number of students with disabilities, the number of students in
poverty and the number of students who speak English as a second language. Schools require
money for certain staff for ESL and disabled students. In this case a schools will receive more
funding to support their students. Sometimes a school will not receive the funding they need and
take legal action. From 1989 to 2010, plaintiffs won 26 education adequacy cases and there are
a number of cases still pending in courts across the nation (Atlas.NewAmerica). It is not

uncommon that schools are not properly funded. Handling these funds is also another important
aspect. This is a responsibility for the governing board.
To continue, those who govern a school are responsible for the distribution of the funds.
They are also needed to make sure all resources are used effectively. Governing boards have
many responsibilities like adjusting the annual budget and making informed decisions for the
school system just to name a few. There are members of a board who act as a sort of congress
for the public schooling district. Because public schools are governmentally funded, part of the
board's responsibility is to manage the funds and ensure that federal and state laws are
maintained within each school. (Essential Blog) The members on the board are required to work
together and make improvements to the school. If the board does not do their job effectively then
school systems could find themselves unorganized. The decisions made by the governing board
are then handed down to the leaders of each individual school.
Effective leaders are needed to have schools run smoothly. A good leader takes
responsibility, develops relationships, establishes goals, and encourages innovation, according to
the textbook. A leader, such as a principal, is who the children look up to in the school. Leaders
guide the staff to ensure that everyone in the school is doing their job. The leaders of the school
are the ones who describe and lay out the rules for the rest of the staff to follow. School leaders
are needed to ensure that everything necessary for a successful school is done correctly.
In conclusion, it takes many different people to run a school successfully. School funding
is where it all begins. The funding is controlled by the governing boards to develop policies and
distribute funds. School leaders are then needed to make each school run smoothly by following
the rules set by the school board.

Works Cited
K-12 Financing. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Feb. 2016.
McNergney, Robert F., and Joanne M. McNergney. Education: The Practice and Profession of
Teaching. Columbus: Pearson, n.d. Print.
"Public School Governance." Public School Governance. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2016.