Fundamentos para una arquitectura del goce

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Chapter 4 - Completed Handbook

KANSAS SCHOOL DISTRICT LEADERS’ HANDBOOK FOR MAXIMIZING NONTRADITIONAL DONATIONS AND GRANT FUNDING

By

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Copyright

BRIAN D. PEKAREK 2013

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Table of Contents

List of Figures ... 126 List of Tables ... 127 Preface... 128 Chapter 1 - The Uncertain Future of Traditional Kansas School Funding ... 131 The Purpose of the Handbook ... 132 A Brief History of Educational Nontraditional Funding ... 136 Kansas School Finance Reductions ... 145 Reflective Questions to Consider ... 150 Further Recommended Reading ... 151 Chapter 2 - The Need for Change in Kansas School Districts ... 153 Impacts Felt by Kansas’ Recent Funding Reductions ... 153 The Effects on Academics: A Need for Change ... 157 The Effects on the Kansas Economy: A Need for Change ... 162 The Need to See the World Differently ... 165 The Superintendent’s Role in the Process ... 168 Seeing the World Differently: Entrepreneurial Leadership ... 170 Reflective Questions to Consider ... 174 Further Recommended Reading ... 175 Chapter 3 - Evaluating Nontraditional Funding for Kansas School Districts ... 176 Disproving Myths regarding Nontraditional Funding in Education ... 178 Myth#1: “The Mathew Effect” ... 178

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Myth #2: There is No Money Available for School Districts ... 180 Myth #3: Acquiring Educational Nontraditional Funding is too Difficult ... 180 Kansas Success Stories: Nontraditional Educational Funding ... 182 Examples of Schools Maximizing Nontraditional Funding in Kansas ... 183 Kansas Example #1: Maximizing Large Federal Grants in Schools ... 183 Kansas Example #2: Maximizing Nontraditional Donations for Kansas Schools ... 185 Kansas Example #3: Maximizing Staff Grant Writing for Schools ... 186 Kansas Example #4: Maximizing State-Wide Grants for Schools ... 189 Kansas Example #5: Maximizing School Endowment Associations ... 191 Kansas Example #6: Maximizing Support of Education-Friendly Corporations ... 192 Kansas Example #7: Grant Writing Educational Leaders in Kansas ... 193 Opportunities with Nontraditional Funding in Kansas ... 195 Overcoming Resistance to Change in Education ... 197 Reflective Questions to Consider ... 204 How does the Acquisition of Nontraditional Funding change Education? ... 204 Further Recommended Reading ... 205 Chapter 4 - Analytical Research on Maximizing Nontraditional Funding in Schools ... 206 What does the Traditional Research Say? ... 207 Reflective Questions to Consider ... 215 Further Recommended Reading ... 216

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List of Figures

Figure 2.1 School Finance Funding in Kansas for the BSAPP... 157 Figure 3.1 Bifurcation of School Programs ... 201

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List of Tables

Table 2.1 Drop in Expenditures for Instruction and Support Staff in Kansas Districts: Between FY 2009 to FY 2010 for 10 School Districts ... 160 Table 2.2 Decrease in Expenditures for Salaries in USD 257 Iola: FY 2009-FY 2012 ... 163 Table 2.3 Decrease in USD 257 Expenditures to Local Businesses: FY 2009-FY 2012 ... 163 Table 4.1 Acquisition of External Funds: Assumed Variables and Causal Relationships ... 209 Table 4.2 Necessary and Promoting Conditions of Fund Acquisition... 211

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Preface

The purpose for this book was to research, develop, and validate a handbook of effective strategies that Kansas school district leaders can implement that can increase the likelihood for school district leaders to maximize their school districts’ nontraditional funding. Kansas School District Leaders’ Handbook for Maximizing Nontraditional Donations and Grant Funding was developed using the research and development methodology as recommended by Gall, Borg, and Gall (2007) through a seven-step development cycle. This cycle included:

1. A literature review

2. A needs assessment and a proof of concept stage 3. The development of the prototype

4. The preliminary field test and evaluation of the prototype 5. The initial revision of the handbook

6. The main field testing of the handbook

7. The final revision and improvement of the handbook (Gall, Borg & Gall, 2007). This seven-step development cycle allowed the author to research, develop, and validate concepts for a comprehensive handbook.

Throughout the text, the author referenced data from various steps of this process. As comments were shared from the practitioner interviewees as part of this process, their comments were listed as “Superintendents”, and as “Reviewers.” However, the complete listing of these stages can be found in Chapter 3 of the completed dissertation.

Although there is always an uncertainty with nontraditional funding for Kansas school districts, there is currently a need in Kansas to see the world from a different perspective in regards to school funding. Not only do Kansas school district leaders need to come to terms with

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the damages in funding cuts that they have sustained from 2008-2012, but they must also address the need to see the world from an entrepreneurial leadership aspect and understand that there are additional funds available for schools in Kansas.

This handbook provides not only success stories regarding the successful acquisition of nontraditional funding, but it dispels myths regarding this sometimes-elusive funding approach. The handbook provides step-by-step methods of fund acquisition for schools from Laudel (2006), and provides effective and strategic methods through which to secure this funding. In addition, the handbook describes the needed tactics in the areas of public relations, educational grant funding, maximizing endowment associations, and creating links with corporate and foundational givers in Kansas. Finally, the handbook describes the top corporate and

foundational givers in Kansas who have given the most to education-related causes in the past. A criterion sampling process recommended by Creswell (2007) was used to review multiple existing resources about nontraditional funding strategies. This process was used to identify the most commonly referenced strategies mentioned in these resources. The intent was to showcase the most referenced myths and the most referenced proactive strategies believed to be the most effective for the acquisition of nontraditional funding for school districts, based on Laudel’s (2006) analytical framework.

The author discovered common themes among eight proactive school endowment associations in Kansas as well. Creswell’s (2007) convenience sampling method was used in this process.

The author discovered the most philanthropic and educational-friendly foundations in Kansas by using the Cross-Sectional Research Model referenced in Creswell (2007). This method allowed the researcher to collect data on foundations and corporations at the same time,

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and at only one interval. The most overall Kansas philanthropic corporations and foundations were identified, and then cross-referenced to select only the organizations that gave the most overall money to Kansas educational causes within a one-year period (The Grantsmanship Center, 2011).

Additional research regarding each section of the handbook can be seen throughout the text. Reflective questions and further recommended reading sections are located at the end of each chapter. At the end of the completed handbook, a thorough reference list was included, and additional appendices were included.

It is the author’s hope that the information provided in the handbook, will be a catalyst for starting a wave of change in both perception and in action in Kansas. Not only do Kansas school district leaders need to be empowered with a new way of thinking about nontraditional fund acquisition drawing from the research of Laudel (2006), but they need to identify

themselves as indicated in Breugst’s (2011) research as entrepreneurial leaders in the state. As entrepreneurial leaders who focus on innovative practices regarding nontraditional funding, they need to allow their staff and community the ability to have an entrepreneurial-mindset with the acquisition of funds as well (Breugst, 2011). If this happens, the author believed that a new direction might be forged for Kansas. Not only will there be a new direction in the possible acquisition of funding for schools, but schools might also be able to be open to new strategies, programs, and projects in which to reach students across the state.

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Chapter 1 - The Uncertain Future of Traditional Kansas