By the time a student has walked into a classroom, sat down at their desk and opened a textbook or logged in to a Chromebook, they have already been affected by countless financial and purchasing decisions made behind the scenes.

Someone has determined what types of furnishings and materials will be available in the classroom. Someone else has reviewed the service contracts that keep the school clean, comfortable and running smoothly. And district staff have analyzed funding requirements, negotiated pricing, ensured compliance and asked a deceptively simple question: How will this support students?

These decisions rarely draw attention. Rather, when finance and purchasing teams operate as intended, schools simply experience the result – receiving the right tools and services at the right time to equip students and teachers for learning.

“We do all the behind-the-scenes things so teachers and instructors can focus on teaching and learning and not have to worry about the support systems, because those take place automatically,” says Hitesh Haria, associate superintendent of business services for Pittsburg Unified School District.

For school business professionals working in purchasing and finance, supporting students means protecting public resources so districts can maximize every
dollar. It means balancing innovation with accountability and finding ways to say “yes,” while maintaining standards and processes that protect students, staff
and communities.

This work may be invisible, but the impact is apparent in the classroom every day. “What drives me is that even if we’re behind the scenes and not on campus or
in the classroom, what we do every day helps our students and our community,” says Jennifer Bickley, business services manager for Shasta Union High School District.

Designing the Student Experience

A district’s purchasing decisions don’t simply determine what schools buy. They shape how students learn. “Purchasing has a really crucial role,” says Nick Brizeno, director of purchasing for San Marcos Unified School District.

“We could really impair or really enhance the learning experience for students with the way we’re able to get things and services in the hands of teachers.”

He describes the purchasing department as a partner that helps districts move ideas from concept to implementation.

“We don’t want to be a department known for saying ‘no,’” he says. “We want to help you get to yes, but do it in a way that benefits the district and budget.” That requires much more than processing orders. Purchasing professionals evaluate contracts, review vendors, consider safety requirements and ensure district decisions align with long-term goals.

For Bickley, getting to a “yes” means first asking why. Her team reviews purchases not only for compliance, but for purpose. She recalls reviewing an order for a skateboard and initially wondering about the potential liability. Instead of immediately rejecting the purchase, her team asked for context.

The answer? The skateboard was part of a curriculum activity. Once the purpose was clear, the purchase could move forward.

“That’s what we’re trying to verify,” Bickley says. “Give me a why you need something. If you can explain that, we can let it go through.”

That mindset requires collaboration across departments. A teacher may identify a promising classroom resource, but purchasing professionals ask additional questions: Can this scale across multiple sites? Does it protect student data? Does it align with district systems? Is there a more sustainable way to accomplish the same goal?

Brizeno points to classroom fur-nishings as an increasingly important example of how purchasing can directly impact the student experience.

Rather than viewing furniture as a simple purchase of desks and chairs, his district evaluated how classroom environments support teaching and learning. The district’s furniture selection process considered design, flexibility, professional development and how spaces could adapt to changing instructional approaches.

The goal was to move away from traditional rows of desks toward environments that support collaboration, student agency and different learning styles.

“We looked at it as, wouldn’t it be great if the furniture we provide matched the way we’re asking teachers to teach the subject matter?” he says.

Those choices reflect a broader shift in school business leadership as operational decisions are increasingly connected to educational outcomes.
Purchasing teams are also helping districts rethink accessibility and inclusion. Flexible furniture can allow students to move, adjust their environment and remain engaged in classrooms rather than being separated from peers when they need additional support.

That’s why Brizeno emphasizes the importance of getting outside the office and seeing how resources are actually used. “I’m a huge proponent of proximity,”
he says. “It’s easy to sit here and not know what’s going on. It’s much more impactful to get out into classrooms and see – this is what we do, we had a hand in this.”

Balancing Innovation and Accountability

In today’s rapidly changing technology landscape, districts are frequently approached with new software products and services promising to transform education. Purchasing teams work alongside technology departments to test, evaluate and determine whether those tools truly fit the district’s needs.

“Everyone likes to sell you on something,” he says. “Everyone thinks their thing is the next best thing. Having the ability to try and test out without financial burden is really valuable to us, to make sure it would work in our ecosystem.”

That balance between supporting innovation and maintaining accountability is central to purchasing work. The goal is not simply to find the cheapest option – it is to find the right solution.

That’s why effective operations depend on trust between district teams and school sites, Bickley says.

“We have to have strong relationships with people on the ground at all of our sites,” she says. “There has to be an element of trust and understanding.”

That trust allows purchasing professionals to have difficult conversations, while still working toward shared goals. A request may need to be modified. A funding source may not allow a particular expense. A new technology tool may require additional review. But those conversations are not about creating barriers. They are about protecting the district’s ability to serve students.

With increased public attention on how districts spend money, accurate coding and documentation are more important than ever. Audits may require districts to demonstrate how funds were spent and whether purchases complied with restrictions. “When auditors pull books, they go through it with a fine-tooth comb,” Bickley says.

Strong purchasing and finance systems help districts avoid costly mistakes and ensure resources remain available for students.

Funding Student Success

The work of school finance professionals isn’t just about reducing expenses. It’s about creating opportunities – finding ways to stretch limited dollars further so districts can continue investing in students. Haria describes this as a constant exercise in evaluating value. Before allocating funds, district leaders must consider whether a budget item is truly necessary, whether it will have a meaningful impact on students and whether there is a more efficient way to accomplish the same goal.

“Before we open the wallet, let’s ask, ‘Can I do it any other way?’” Haria says. Those conversations can be challenging, but they help districts preserve resources for the investments that matter most.

For district finance professionals, saving money is not an end in itself. Every dollar preserved represents another dollar that can be invested elsewhere.

To that end, finance and purchasing teams are increasingly looking for strategic opportunities to leverage the size and collective buying power of school districts.
By standardizing purchases, negotiating contracts and collaborating with other districts, school business leaders can often secure better pricing and redirect savings back into classrooms.

Haria points to technology purchases as one example. Rather than allowing schools to purchase a wide variety of devices independently, districts can establish common standards and negotiate based on larger quantities. A consistent approach not only simplifies support and maintenance, but also strengthens the district’s position when working with vendors.

“When you’re spending a lot of money on computers every year, you should get better pricing,” Haria says. “If you’re scattered and buying different things, you’re not getting the value of your spend.”

Strategic purchasing can also include partnering with other agencies or districts to increase buying power. A single district may have limited leverage when purchasing a product or service, but multiple districts combining their needs can create a larger opportunity for savings.

The goal is not simply to find the lowest price. School business leaders emphasize the importance of finding the best value – balancing cost, quality, durability and long-term impact. Purchasing teams bear the heavy load of vetting vendors and products so teachers and principals don’t have to.

“A cheap product that breaks every two seconds doesn’t help,” Haria says. “It’s wasted money.”

Turning Opportunities into Resources

Maximizing district resources also means looking beyond traditional funding sources.

Finance leaders regularly search for grants, partnerships and alternative funding opportunities that allow districts to expand programs without relying solely on general fund dollars.

In Bickley’s district, finance professionals actively share information about available grants with departments that may benefit, helping staff identify opportunities to support student programs and services.

“We have to put guidelines on how we spend district dollars,” she says, “but we also look for community support, grants and different resources we can tap into.”
Those opportunities can make a significant difference for students. Districts may use grants or partnerships to support career technical education programs, student support initiatives, classroom resources or specialized equipment.

Haria describes this approach as finding ways to use resources strategically – sometimes even allowing one funding opportunity to free up dollars for another need.
For example, if a district receives grant funding for a purchase it had planned to make using general fund dollars, those original dollars can then be redirected toward another priority.

“Sometimes you can use the dollar twice,” Haria says. That kind of creative thinking requires finance leaders to understand not only budgets, but also district priorities and student needs. They must know where resources can have the greatest impact and where additional opportunities may exist.

Creative financial management does not happen by accident. It requires long-term planning, collaboration and a deep understanding of how operational decisions connect to student outcomes.

Haria emphasizes that successful districts define what they are trying to accomplish first, then determine what resources are needed to make that vision a reality. He views every purchasing decision through the lens of student impact.

“What does success look like for us?” he says. “How do we know when we achieve it?”

That question shapes everything from textbook adoption cycles to technology investments and facility improvements.

“Preplanning is very important,” he says. “Understanding what the needs of the school district are, planning accordingly and making sure students get what they need when they need it.”

School Business Impact is an ongoing series focused on how CASBO disciplines impact the student experience.
Nicole Krueger is a freelance writer based in Eugene, Oregon.