Dear Monroe School District Community,

Recently, we invited you to participate in a Fiscal Transparency Survey to help us measure how clear and accessible our financial practices are. Transparency and accessibility are key parts of our district’s strategic plan, and we wanted to establish a baseline score to guide our efforts.

Thank you to the 455 individuals who took the time to share your feedback!

Here’s who participated (participants could select more than one role):

• 64% were parents/guardians of a current Monroe School District student
• 42% were Monroe School District staff members
• 17% were community members

The survey included four questions, each scored on a scale from 1 to 4, with 4 being the highest score. Here’s what we learned:

1. How easy is it for you to find Monroe School District’s budget information?
   Score: 1.66
    
2. If you have reviewed Monroe School District's budget information, how clear and understandable is it?
   Score: 1.65
    
3. How transparent do you think the Monroe School District is in sharing how financial decisions are made?
   Score: 1.64
    
4. How well do you think the district communicates its efforts to maintain a balanced budget?
   Score: 1.59

Overall Score: 1.63 (out of 4)

These results show us that we have important work ahead to make our financial information more transparent and easier to understand.

School budgets can be complex, with many rules about how funds are received and spent. To help explain this better, we’ve created a Community Guide to the Budget, which includes all our current budget information and breaks it down in a way we hope is easier to follow. 

We also plan to share more regular updates on financial decisions and information about our budget processes. In the meantime, we invite you to explore the budget information on our website, found here.

We’d like to thank the staff, parents, and community members on our Budget Advisory Committee for their essential contributions. This group helped develop the Fiscal Transparency Survey, analyzed the results, and provided feedback on our new Community Guide to the Budget. They also review the district’s budget, offer input on aligning budget priorities with our strategic plan, and help improve the clarity and accessibility of our financial practices. 

Thank you for your continued feedback and partnership as we work toward greater transparency. Together, we can build a stronger understanding of how our district operates to support students, staff, and families.

Sincerely,

Brenda Hunt, Chief Financial Officer
Shawn Woodward, Superintendent