Dr. Kaveous K. Preston is DeKalb Schools’ Director of Allotments Scheduling & Budgets, and Office of Federal Programs and has generated tens of millions of dollars through QBE optimization. He has 18 years of experience as an educator serving as a Math Teacher, Special Ed Teacher, Assistant Principal/Curriculum Director, Principal, and in the Central Office Administration.
Dr. Preston discusses How the District Funds the School House.
Question: Can you explain the point system and how school houses are funded?
Answer:
1. Enrollment: Please see the DeKalb Allotment-Master [DeKalb Allotment-Master.xls] to see how positions are earned.
2. FTE – The school will earn FTE (Full Time Equivalent which is reported in October and March for each student) from the different FTE categories. Once the report comes out from the GDOE in October, the Staffing Formula 2012-2013 [Staffing Formula 2012-2013.xls] for DCSD is used to calculate the number of teachers earned for the next fiscal year. (Please be advised that the teachers are not earned off the maximum that can be in each class, but the minimum that has to be in each class)
These two areas calculate the number of instructional allotments for each school. The two areas are FTE earned and Enrollment.
Clerical Allotments (Clerical Allotments.xls) is for clerical which is based on enrollment also.
Question: What other staff, like kitchen and janitorial, does the point system not cover?
Answer: This allotment earning system does not cover nutrition, security, special education (it is calculated for special education; however the IEP drives the final staffing).
Question: Is the point system strictly the allocation of staffing funded by the General Operating Funds?
Answer: Yes.
Question: Can you explain how Title 1 funds/drives staffing at the school house?
Answer: DCSD ensures that all schools are staffed with general education funds before Title I funds are considered. Title I staff is above and beyond the general funded staff required per enrollment.
Question: Can you explain how various QBE designations, IEP, EIP, etc… affect staffing?
Answer: The special education category (IEP as listed above in your question) is driven by the student’s IEP and staffed accordingly. Within the regular education categories, they are funded at a higher number per FTE earned as you can see in the attachment. EIP, Gifted, ESOL, etc.., are all funded at a lower number per FTE earned. This philosophy is in line with the state’s philosophy.
Question: We discussed that the minimum class funding size is the basis here. Can we get the minimum class funding size for Fy14, FY15 and FY16?
Answer: The minimum class funding size is the “INSTRUCTIONAL ALLOTMENT STAFFING FORMULA 2014-2015” in the 14-15 Class Size Chart. It has not changed within any of these years.
Dr. Preston gives a QBE Budget Analysis FY 2008-2016
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qy-E7SuE_Sg]
Thank you, Dr. Preston, for taking the time to go through this. Helping people understand how we fund the school house will build a great deal of trust in our communities. People trust what they understand.
“Extremism in defense of liberty is no vice. Moderation in pursuit of justice is no virtue.”
Thank you Stan! This is the kind of information I have been asking to be presented on the district’s web page for three years now.
Nothing will change until the BOE votes for a class size waiver which actually reduces class sizes. I am disappointed the administration waited until after the budget was passed before bringing it to the BOE.
What is Thurmond talking about? He claims that the increased revenue is ONLY due to their doing a better job of calculating FTE credit and has nothing to do with the increase in property tax revenue due to increased property values? Come on! Stan – can you clarify the increases? How much has the property tax revenue increased vs how much more have they been able to capture by focusing on FTE. Surely it’s at least a combination of the two.