Date of Degree
2024
Degree Name
Ed.D. (Doctor of Education)
Department
Department of Leadership, Educational Psychology, and Foundations (LEPF)
Director
Creed, Benjamin
Committee Members
Kelly Summers; Patrick Roberts; David Bein
Keywords
School Finance, Resource Allocation, Decision-Making, Illinois K-12 Funding
Abstract
UNDERSTANDING SCHOOL FINANCIAL ADMINISTRATOR’S SPHERE OF INFLUENCE AND PERCEPTION OF ROLE IN DECISION-MAKING
THROUGH A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF HISTORICAL,
LEGAL, PHILOSOPHICAL, AND PRACTICE PERSPECTIVES
ON LOCAL DECISION-MAKING AND RESOURCE
ALLOCATION
Jacquelyn Bogan, Ed.D.
Department of Educational Leadership, Educational Psychology and Foundations
Northern Illinois University, 2024
Benjamin Creed, Director
Public education in the United States is a multilayered endeavor with complex governance and oversight from federal, state, and local agencies. While there is involvement across all levels, local school districts have a significant degree of control in decision-making regarding resource allocation. Public education has undergone legal, economic, and philosophical changes since its inception. Simultaneously, public education has experienced an ever-growing number of requirements and responsibilities due to everything from new legislation to increased stakeholder input. This dissertation examines local decision-making and resource allocation within public school districts across Illinois. This dissertation focuses on the influence and role of School Financial Administrators (SFAs) across three distinct spheres: routinized, collaborative, and autonomous. The purpose of this work is to understand the influence and role of SFAs in respective districts across Illinois, given the potential immediate and long-term impacts on students, organizations, and the profession. SFAs, often as senior leaders in school districts, play a crucial role in the financial management of resources that can impact students in various ways, including addressing adequacy and equity. By identifying how an SFA may exert influence and understanding their role, we can ensure legal compliance by increasing transparency, accountability, and sound governance in decision-making practices. Furthering research on this topic can also develop best practices for school business administration and operations and inform future policy decisions.
The project comprises three distinct components. The literature review explores historical tensions in education, the importance of funding on student achievement, spheres of influence, decision-making models, and ethical frameworks. The literature review uses these focus areas to highlight the complex landscape in which SFA’s are situated. It also includes an empirical study investigating SFAs' perception of their influence on resource allocation and their role in decision-making. Finally, it culminates in an article for the Journal of School Management through the Illinois Association of School Business Officials to communicate the findings and implications for future practice to SFAs.
Publisher
Northern Illinois University
Rights Statement
In Copyright
Rights Statement 2
NIU theses and dissertations are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from Huskie Commons for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without the written permission of the authors, unless otherwise indicated.
Recommended Citation
Bogan, Jacquelyn M., "UNDERSTANDING SCHOOL FINANCIAL ADMINISTRATOR’S SPHERE OF INFLUENCE AND PERCEPTION OF ROLE IN DECISION-MAKING THROUGH A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF HISTORICAL, LEGAL, PHILOSOPHICAL, AND PRACTICE PERSPECTIVES ON LOCAL DECISION-MAKING AND RESOURCE ALLOCATION" (2024). Dissertations of Practice. 30.
https://huskiecommons.lib.niu.edu/allgraduate-disspractice/30
