Board demands numeric ROI, earlier draft as OKCPS staff map FY27 priorities

During the budget work session, multiple trustees pressed district staff to replace qualitative program descriptions with numeric, trackable measures of return on investment and to present a draft budget earlier in the cycle.

Trustee Jessica Suentes and others asked for "year-zero" spending that ties past expenditures to current initiatives so the board can judge whether to continue, expand or abandon programs. Staff said they have identified hundreds of initiatives districtwide and are using a four-part rubric (adapt, adopt, abandon, align) to reduce and re-align efforts toward measurable student outcomes.

Tony Childers discussed emerging procurement approaches such as outcomes-based contracting and data-sharing agreements that would require vendors to demonstrate student impact; staff described plans to start adding performance requirements to RFPs and contracts.

On scheduling, CFO Sydney Ward said staff will work toward a draft budget presentation by the end of March (pending audit completion) and will present monitoring-report metrics and initiative cost-breakdowns in spring work sessions so trustees can review and provide direction before final budget adoption in late spring/early summer.

The board unanimously adjourned the meeting without taking action on the draft budget.

Next steps: staff will supply detailed initiative dollar allocations, proposed ROI operational definitions, and a draft budget timeline for trustee review.