School participation council gets agreement right on budget.

School participation council gets agreement right on budget.

From 2021 the school participation council gets approval rights on the main points of the school budget. That was announced by Minister Slob. Parents and teachers get more say in how money is spent at school. A good development! But how do you as a school participation council member ask the right questions?

Approval right on the budget

At this moment the school participation council can only give advice on the main points of the multi-year policy. Minister Slob finds this not enough. Input from parents, teachers and students helps improve education quality. Especially through talks about finances. Therefore, he gives the school participation council approval rights on the main points of the annual budget. What exactly falls under these main points still needs more work. Ouders & Onderwijs joins the discussion. The change starts on January 1, 2021.

Money flows through the school

Approval on the school budget sounds good. But to use this right well you must know what to watch for. It starts with insight into the money flows through the school. Marije van den Berg, parent and initiator of Money flows through the school, researched with her children’s school what all is involved in school finances. A broad search that Ouders & Onderwijs turned into an animation about how the school gets money and what you can watch for when it comes to finances:

Tips from Marije

‘Start at the basics’

To join the talk well it is important to ask some questions. Where does the money go now? Has that been the same for years? And why do we do it that way? Also, it is good to clearly see how much money you can actually use to make choices. How much money comes in? What are the fixed costs? What choices are made within these fixed costs? And why? Only when these questions are answered can you talk more about spending the money.

‘Choose two important subjects’

Every school has different plans, goals and needs. So it is important to decide together what the priorities of your school are. Ask yourself what is important enough to go for and choose two subjects to focus on. Then the talk about money gets more content. For example, set a goal: a year to invest in developing a new language method. Or ask about a specific topic: how much money do we spend on Tailored Education? Can we support students needing care at school like we want? How do the money flows of the Partnership Tailored Education run? Also look at the reserves of the school governing body: Is money saved in reserves and can we free that money for our education goals?

‘You have influence even without approval rights’

Even now you can have influence on the money flows in the school. If the school participation council focuses on one subject and keeps a close watch in meetings, that automatically makes the school leaders more alert. And even without approval rights you can always ask questions.

‘You can join the talk anytime’

It is important to influence the content. Put on the agenda the topics you find important and make sure money follows the decisions. If the budget is the only moment to check the finances, the moment to decide is already gone. But you can ask questions then and during the school year have talks about education goals related to money. For example, now money is free for lowering workload. Put that on the agenda and ask the school leader how that money is used for that goal. For example, with a support worker in class, an administrative helper or a subject teacher.

‘School leaders: look for balance with parents’

School leaders and managers must explain why some choices are made. It is important they involve the school participation council in making content choices. Look for balance with parents, that helps everyone.