Financial Management Cohort

Build financial systems that create value for years to come.

Successful charter school finance management is about more than balancing today's budget. It is about building the systems, relationships, and decision-making tools that strengthen your school's financial future.

This cohort is built for beginning to mid-career charter school finance leaders. It combines practical instruction, customizable templates, and individualized coaching, so you leave with tools you can implement immediately to increase revenue, improve financial planning, navigate unexpected challenges, and build sustainable budgets year after year.

Your instructor brings more than 20 years as a Minnesota charter school finance leader and serves today as a Chief Financial Officer. The strategies shared here have generated new revenue and strengthened financial stability at real schools, and they reflect current Minnesota Department of Education requirements and the realities of leading school finances in Minnesota right now.

Enrollment at a Glance

• Cost: $2,750 per participant

• Format: Four live virtual workshops spaced across the school year, plus individual coaching between sessions to help you apply the learning to your specific school situation
  

• Built for: Beginning to mid-career charter school finance leaders

• Enrollment closes: September 18

Every participant completes a brief pre-course survey so coaching and discussion are tailored to your school's circumstances.

What You Will Cover

Session 1: Revenue Strategies - Finding Dollars You May Be Leaving on the Table

Strengthen your school's financial position by maximizing revenue through banking relationships, investment strategies, facility rentals, fundraising, and fee revenue. Learn how strategic banking partnerships can improve interest earnings and add financial expertise over time.

You will leave with an investment planning template and resource guide, revenue ideas you can evaluate immediately, and strategies that keep generating returns for years.

Session 2: Long-Range Financial Planning with a Five-Year Budget Model

Go beyond annual budgeting by building a five-year financial model that supports strategic decisions. Forecast enrollment, staffing, state and federal funding, lease costs, and operating expenses, then test multiple scenarios before you commit.

You will leave with a customizable five-year budget model, more confidence presenting projections to leadership and your board, and a planning tool you will use every budget season.

Session 3: When Circumstances Change - Revising Budgets with Confidence

Even well-planned budgets need adjusting. Learn a structured process for responding to enrollment changes, funding reductions, or unexpected expenses while maintaining stakeholder confidence and protecting your school's financial health.

You will leave with a budget revision framework, vendor negotiation and expense reduction strategies, and conversation guides for leadership and board discussions.

Session 4: Building a Budget That Works

Bring it all together by developing a practical budget for the coming school year using your school's actual financial reports, historical trends, enrollment projections, and operational priorities. We will also review Lease Aid Application best practices to help ensure a smooth approval process with MDE.

You will leave with a budget development checklist, a key MDE report guide, and budget templates ready to use next year and every year after.

What Makes This Program Different

• Four live virtual workshops spaced throughout the school year, so learning aligns with your budget cycle

• Individual coaching between sessions to apply concepts directly to your school's finances

• Ready-to-use templates and models, not just theory

• Practical strategies developed through 20 years of charter school financial leadership

• Resources that keep saving time and improving decisions long after the final session

The cohort runs once this year and enrollment closes September 18. If you want these templates in hand before budget season, now is the time.