Throughout the Listen and Learn Tour, the Agency heard requests for training to promote a greater understanding of school budgeting within the context of Vermont’s complex system. To support these conversations, the Agency has partnered with New Solutions K-12 to host a series of professional development trainings focusing on school and district budgeting. The Agency released the full training schedule on November 26, 2024, additional resources will be updated regularly.
Budget Professional Development Series
December 2, 2024: Staffing Precisely: Elementary Classroom Teachers YouTube Link - Learn best practices for staffing elementary classrooms. Recommended staffing ratios, example staffing scenarios, and planning tools will be shared.
December 9, 2024: Staffing Precisely: Elementary Specials/Unified Arts Teachers YouTube Link - Learn best practices for staffing elementary specials/unified arts classes. Example staffing scenarios, and planning tools will be shared.
December 11, 2024: Staffing Precisely: Middle and High School Teachers YouTube link - Learn best practices for staffing middle and high school courses, including ways to provide more enrichment and intervention opportunities to students. Example staffing scenarios and planning tools will be shared.
December 11, 2024: Staffing Precisely: Special Ed Teachers YouTube Link - Special Educators and student support staff provide important services to students. Learn best practices for staffing special educators to maximize their reach and impact. Recommendations will be shared around suggested group size, example staffing scenarios, and maximizing the time of special education teachers.
December 12, 2024: Reading teachers and other intervention staff provide important services to students. Learn best practices for staffing reading teachers to maximize their reach and impact. Recommendations will be shared regarding suggested group size figures, example staffing scenarios, and other guidance.
December 12, 2024: Instructional coaches provide important services to teachers. Learn staffing best practices for instructional coaches and how to maximize their reach and impact. Recommendations will be shared regarding staffing ratios, example staffing scenarios, and other guidance.
December 16, 2024: Learn how to expand mental health and behavior support services for students without breaking the budget. Strategies for how to help staff best manage time, suggested group sizes, telehealth options, and practices related to insurance-funded services will be shared.
December 17, 2024: Learn best practices around communicating budgets and developing effective communication strategies for your budgetary shifts.
December 18, 2024: Learn how to build support from principals and help school boards make tough budgeting decisions.
December 18, 2024: The budget presentation is one of the most important documents district leaders prepare each year. Learn how to best structure a budget presentation to share budget details in a comprehensive but accessible way. A sample budget PowerPoint presentation template will be shared.
Additional Budget Information and Resources
December 12, 2024: Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Information Webinar - This joint presentation from Agency of Education and Department of Tax staff provided additional clarification and context for key data used by Business Managers in the development of their FY26 budgets, including long term weighted ADM (LTWADM) and the common level of appraisal (CLA).