SPB Coordinator:
The steering committee learns about the SPB process, decides on its committee name, develops process goals, parameters for ideas, and plans to engage the broader student body in each phase of the process. The steering committee shares the SPB budget with the rest of their school and helps fellow students discuss school needs and brainstorm ideas for projects. Sometimes schools collect ideas in large assemblies, classroom discussions, at tables during lunch, through social media or online surveys, by walking around campus and asking, and/or in other creative ways!
Send Resources to SPB Sponsors
Before hosting the SPB Kickoff, SPB Coordinators share resources, which might include the SPB Playbook and link to the Online Resource Hub, to support SPB sponsors and steering committees throughout the process. SPB Coordinators might share these via email or create a shared location to store resources like Google Drive or Microsoft SharePoint.
Support SPB Kickoff(s)
At this initial meeting, students will be guided through a mock SPB process at lightning speed! This kickoff activity might be led by SPB Sponsors or Coordinators, school or district leaders, and/or SPB Advisors. Students will:
- Learn about the history of PB and the pioneering work of SPB in Arizona
- Understand and practice each phase of the SPB process
- Discover their important role in leading the SPB process on their campus
- Learn about their school or district’s specific process guidelines and parameters
Review Collected Ideas
Encouraging steering committees to submit ideas to the SPB Coordinator is a great way to garner a deeper understanding of students’ needs across the district. Although some ideas will not move forward in the SPB process due to eligibility and feasibility, some ideas might spark action from the district outside of the SPB process.
For example, when students across several schools proposed ideas around bathroom improvements in PXU and Chandler Unified School District (CUSD), district leaders decided to make upgrades to student bathrooms across the districts outside of the SPB process.
Visit Steering Committee Meetings
SPB Coordinators are highly encouraged to attend steering committee meetings, when possible, to provide additional support to SPB Sponsors and build relationships with students.
Tips for SPB Kickoff & Idea Collection:
- Use existing communications platforms to share resources and reminders with SPB Sponsors
- Provide resources (if available) to SPB Sponsors and steering committees for food/snacks during meetings.
- Communicate submitted ideas to district leaders, especially ideas that serve an urgent or unique student need and might not be eligible for funding through the SPB process.
For facilitating steering committee meetings:
Understanding SPB
› Intro to School Participatory Budgeting Lesson Plan.pdf
Worksheet 1 School Budgets.pdf
› SPB Vocab Words Lesson Plan.pdf
SPB Vocabulary Words Definitions.pdf
SPB Vocabulary Words Poster.pdf
SPB Vocabulary Word Sheets.pptx
› Budget Representation Lesson Plan 1.pdf
Worksheet 1 School Budgets.pdf
› Budget Representation Lesson Plan 2.pdf
Worksheet 2 Budgeting Areas.pdf
› Participatory Democracy 101 Classroom Discussion & Activity
SPB Kickoff
› Intro to SPB $20 Decision Making Lesson Plan.pdf
› Intro to SPB Space Shuttle Lesson Plan.pdf
› Epic Space Shuttle Mock Proposal Development Form.pdf
› Name Your SPB Process Lesson Plan.pdf
For collecting ideas from the student body:
› Classroom Idea Collection Middle Secondary SPB Activity.pdf
Outreach Blurb and Idea Collection Survey.pdf
› Classroom Idea Collection Elementary SPB Activity.pdf
Elementary Idea Collection Survey.pdf
Social Studies lessons and activities to support learning during the SPB process:
› SPB Kickoff-Political Symbolism (3-6).pdf
› SPB Kick Off Political Symbolism (7-12).pdf
› SPB Brainstorm Ideas-How do Political Parties Generate Platforms (9-12).pdf
› Kids Voting AZ Access Instructions.pdf