How One School District Drills into Peer Comparison Data for Better Decision Making and Communication

The Challenge:

On the west coast, one large school district serves over 40,000 students, across more than 50 schools. The district takes pride in their ability to provide staff and students an empowering educational experience. For the Budget Manager at the district, it was difficult to communicate and present the district’s student and financial information to stakeholders. It was a challenge to create visualizations and only have Excel to leverage. She was determined to find a tool that allowed her team to conduct peer district analyses, build monthly and annual budgets, forecast financial positions, and enhance transparency initiatives.

The Results:

Using Comparative Analytics, the school district drilled into their data and discovered they were reporting selected staff information differently than other districts in the state. They were able to identify this problem, which initiated discussions on how to go about fixing it. Beyond this project, the team is using the tools to produce School Summary and Benchmark Data pages in their Annual Budget presentation. The district used Financial Planning Analytics for their 2019–2020 zero-based budgeting process and to execute monthly and multi-year forecasts. Comparative Analytics is regularly being used to compare financial data to similar districts in the state. Analytics and reports have enhanced communication and understanding.

“Our data reports are very well received from our board, budget committee, and district administration. We have raised the level of transparency and understanding.”