As students of San Luis Obispo High School, Expressions wondered how the school’s money is spent and where the school gets the money to buy all of the things we have.  Expressions spoke to Principal Leslie O’Connor and asked him specifics on where the school gets our money, what has been purchased with it, and what the school plans to do now that Measure D (read more about Measure D) has passed.

Expressions: What new things has the school recently purchased for the students?

Leslie O’Connor: Last spring we invested over $100,000 in new computers across the campus. If you’re in the science department right now you have 35 brand new laptops with access points on wireless carts. The lab 110 has been refurbished with 18 brand new computers with monitors. The 506 lab was refurbished completely. The library now has new computers with monitors. We went through an extensive overhaul of our computer system. We have scientific graphing calculators for the math department. Last year we invested over $20,000 to buy calculators, and we bought in excess of 130 calculators. Everything we purchase, I think, is for students.

Expressions: Who decides how the school spends its money?

O’Connor: The majority of the funds that are given to the school site are given to the principal in what’s called his ‘unrestricted budget.’ That’s at the purview of the principal to be able to use. Obviously, I work with each teacher within that department and ask them to submit purchase requests. Then I endorse or sign off on those purchase requests and then we process those purchase requests. Ultimately, it’s a joint decision with administration making the final decision. But there is a process that you have to work through.

Expressions: Has the new Common Core program cost the school any money?

O’Connor: Any time you buy curriculum, it costs money. The common core isn’t necessarily something new, per se, but there are some inherent costs. One of the costs that is associated with it is professional development: making time available for teachers to be trained and to be more aware of what common core means, and what it means for their instruction, and what it means for their classroom. So when a teacher is absent for professional development that costs money, either to send them to the training or to pay for their substitute to cover them going to the training.

Expressions: Will the students get to vote or have any say on what the school purchases now that Measure D has passed?

O’Connor: When Measure D was passed we were given an allotment of money to the school district over a number of years. It is not like now we just have a check. But we will sit down in the coming months, and we will form a committee of stake holders, staff, parents, some students, and we’re looking for input and insight as we move forward.