Belton ISD Accepting Applications for New Financial Ambassador Program
A new program in Belton ISD is hoping to educate community members about the intricacies of school district finances.
Belton ISD is accepting applications through Aug. 6 for the Financial Ambassador program, a five-week learning series that will dive deep into school finance topics to help citizens become more informed. The information sessions will cover topics such as tax rates, the budgeting process, federal funding, purchasing and long-range planning.
“School finance in the state of Texas is about as complex as you get in any state,” said Superintendent Matt Smith. “Our goal is always to be open, honest and transparent with our stakeholders, so we wanted to create an opportunity to help our community feel comfortable in their knowledge on these topics. A more informed citizenry will help create a stronger, better Belton ISD which always benefits our kids.”
The initial cohort will consist of about 20 community members and meet at different Belton ISD schools on five Tuesdays from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Lunch will be provided. The dates and topics covered include:
- August 31 — Investing in Our Future: School Finance 101
- September 14 — Investing in the Why: Creating Exceptional Learning Experiences
- September 28 — Investing in the How: People/Human Capital
- October 12 — Investing in the Community: Maintaining Facilities & Infrastructure
- October 26 — Investing in the Community: The Business Side of Bonds
Jennifer Land, the district’s Chief Financial Officer, is excited to lead the program along with her team.
“It’s my hope that this program will allow us to form relationships with community members so that when they do have specific questions later, down the road, they will know us and feel comfortable reaching out to get answers,” Land said. “This school district belongs to our taxpayers. Ultimately, we want to make sure they understand its finances — which touch every aspect of the district — and can see we’re being good stewards of their dollars.”
Interested community members are encouraged to apply for the Financial Ambassador Program at https://bit.ly/2V3KoS8 by Aug. 6. For more information about the program, please contact Jennifer Land at (254) 215-2065.
Updated 8/5/21: The application deadline has been extended to Aug. 11.