A descriptive study of the influence of political pressures on the budget development and adoption process in selected California public school districts

Purpose. The purpose of the study was to determine how political pressures affect: (a) the selection and use of specific budget decision criteria, (b) the methods for budget decision making, and (c) the strategies selected California superintendents and other budget actors in their organizations and communities use to develop and adopt budgets in times of scarce resources.Methodology. This descriptive study used face-to-face interviews to collect data. Twenty budget actors in five public school districts in California were interviewed. Interviews were analyzed through qualitative analysis.Findings. All five sample school districts used a Strategic Plan, District Mission and Goals, or both as the basis for developing specific budget criteria. Twenty-one strategies were used by budget actors during the budget development process. These strategies were grouped into three general categories: interpersonal, conceptual, and political. Information power was the most frequently identified interpersonal strategy used by budget actors. Reference to a superordinate goal was the most frequently identified conceptual strategy. Building trust was the most frequently identified political strategy.Conclusions and recommendations. The five districts in this study: (1) were led by superintendents who involved the community in developing the Strategic Plan or District Mission and Goals, which kept stakeholders focused on student and program outcomes, rather than on dollars during the budget development process (2) encountered fewer internal and external individuals and stakeholder groups who were highly critical of budget decisions because they used Strategic Plans or District Mission and Goals as a basis for developing specific criteria for budget development.Recommendations for future research. Replicate this study with a larger sample of elementary, unified, and high school districts to determine whether the findings and conclusions are similar to those in the five districts in this study.Implications for action. Use technology to provide information and expand communication about budget projections and the budget development process. The addition of technology, perhaps on the district website, can reach and inform even more stakeholders and interested public citizens.