While there are increasing calls for principals to be held accountable for producing results, in few places are principals given much power over staffing their schools or spending school budgets. In Houston, under a new funding system, dollars are allocated to schools on a per-pupil basis (with adjustments made for children with special needs) and principals are given substantial autonomy over budgeting and staffing. The district provides ongoing training to principals, who have been released from central office rules that used to dictate staffing ratios and spell out how nearly every dollar must be spent. Schools with declining enrollments face shrinking budgets, but some schools are finding creative ways to boost enrollment, such as opening a career academy for kids interested in business, health science, and technology. For more see "HISD moves closer to funding equity," by Melanie Markley, Houston Chronicle, October 30, 2001.
