They don t have to stockpile because they know they can get something within 24 hours. So they are able to buy what they need in a just in time environment, either from Class Max or from one of the other 700 commodity term supply vendors we have set up. The result is that schools don t end up with a closet full of stuff at the end of the year that it turned out they didn t need. The money they have can be used for what they do need when they need it. The whole decentralization process not just supplies and materials, but all aspects of site-based management must allow schools to operate more freely in fulfilling the direct needs they see for the communities they serve.
Every school does serve a different population that has different needs.
Even the children s needs are different. The budgeting process has changed significantly in the last two and a half years. I put in what I call requirements-based budgeting, using resource allocation methodologies that are formula driven. Every year we reset the formulas. Now, everybody knows why they got theirs because it is driven off formulas, based on student loads and different needs.