The principles of stewardship and submission run throughout Scripture. In Genesis, Adam is given stewardship over the Garden of Eden and he was to be faithful in tending the garden. Throughout Scripture, Christians are given stewardship over the resources God has graciously given. Along with stewardship, other important biblical principles such as integrity, faithfulness, resourcefulness, strategic planning, etc. play an important part in how administrators must handle school finances. In your thread for this Discussion, discuss one of the following:
How do these principles shape your philosophy of handling tax payer funds in support of teaching and learning in a school setting?
How do these principles determine how funds are raised and distributed to better the entire school community?
Please review the Discussion Assignment Instructions downloadand Discussion Grading Rubric downloadprior to posting. You may also click the three dots in the upper corner to Show Rubric.
After consulting the Learn material in Module 6: Week 6 and information from your own research, reply to at least 2 of your classmates threads from Module 5: Week 5. Include information pertaining to school finance that has a direct impact on you, your school, district, or local municipality. You must include support from the Module 6: Week 6 Watch item to strengthen your reply. You may also use outside sources.
Reply to the following:
Being a good steward of the resources that have been given, means that one must operate out of integrity, faithfulness, resourcefulness, and strategic planning, among many other qualities when handling tax payer funds. For me, this means also understanding two characteristics: prayer-driven, long-range planning and goal-oriented decisions.
According to Blackaby and Blackaby (2011), planning is an essential role of leaders, and planning is what sets one organization apart from another organization. Being a good steward of your resources means utilizing your resources in such a way that you can appropriately allot resources for the needs of your student population and school at a specific moment in time, but also reserve and anticipate needed resources and funds that you may have need of in the future. In terms of teaching and learning, this is knowing your school’s demographics, current data, whether the current curriculum is efficient for your population, etc. Anticipating how to not only allot these resources, but to appropriately use them, is imperative for student success and handling tax payer funds. Finding ways to use current resources and funds differently with a collaborative approach can also save funds in the future. This creates a sustainable budget for the school setting and may possibly relieve future tax payer burden.
While a school may be locked in by funding regulations in their district and state, determining where those funds are distributed should be a transparent process that is data-driven based on the collaborative goals that have been designed and implemented by stakeholders. Operating out of transparency holds one accountable to stakeholders and the community, and this developed trust will be a major component of those relationships. As trust between the two grow, so does their trust in the allotted vision for the school and funds that may be required.
References
Blackaby, H. T., & Blackaby, R. (2011). Spiritual leadership: Moving people on to God’s agenda. Nashville, TN: B & H Pub. Group.
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