Portraits of Leaders

Abstract

This case study uses real events and hypothetical elements associated with the struggle for school finance equity in Texas. It involves a superintendent faced with difficult choices brought about by a convergence of events and issues, namely, by a national and state economic crisis, the demographic realities of his district, a historically contentious political landscape of his state, a tradition of leadership for social justice established in his school system, and by his own career aspirations. This work is particularly significant because it prompts specific questions related to elements of social justice leadership that are not often specifically addressed in professional preparation programs, namely, the chosen means of advocacy and the resulting consequences to the actor. It also directly addresses a critical domain of social justice action, school finance equity.

Administrators in Action—Managing Public Monies and Processing Emotion in School Activities

“…Of the numerous case studies listed in the table, two titles indicated content relating to public school finance (Castagno, 2008; Houck, 2008). JCEL has published additional case studies related to school budgeting (Dryden, 2013; Schulte & Hong, 2011) since Bass et al’s (2011) publication. The present case study for managing public monies at the school level complements and expands the existing JCEL literature.…”

“…As an example of emotion involved in an equity and adequacy school finance case, Dryden (2013) presented a series of events situated in a Texas school district as school leaders dealt with dilemmas of allocating resources in an era of economic downturn and financial shortages. An additional case study based partially on actual events (Schulte & Hong, 2011) described a superintendent’s arduous struggle for financial equity in Texas schools: “After five long years of court battles, the state’s highest court unanimously agreed with the property-poor districts and found the system to be indeed unconstitutional” (Schulte & Hong, p. 33). This level of commitment to equity in the statewide school district funding model did not come without a price; the superintendent suffered a major heart attack during the process, and for the remainder of his tenure as superintendent, he endured lingering health issues and a hostile board of trustees.…”

Examining the lived experiences of Vermont superintendents developing budgets for newly restructured districts

“…Four themes emerged as being necessary for preparing a school budget in the state of Vermont. These elements are: understanding the political landscape , issues of equity (Darden & Cavendish, 2011), following a sound decision-making process (Bird, 2011), and finally the recognition of personal values and ethics (Schulte & Hong, 2011). The literature review is organized according to the main themes above and preceded by definitions of key terms.…”