A case study in rebuilding trust to solve the teacher pay crisis
Turning school board division into a unified force is possible and can be achieved through the rigorous work of radical transparency, writes contributor Ahnaf Tahmid. The CFO of Indiana’s South Bend Community School Corporation outlines the roadmap that allowed his district to achieve major cost savings and rebuild trust.
March 23, 2026
When I prepared to present the 2026 budget to the South Bend Community School Corporation Board of Trustees, the stakes could not have been higher.
The proposal was radical. It called for terminating a $20 million third-party contract, completely restructuring our employee health plan, and slashing administrative overhead to finance a historic $9,000 raise for every teacher.
In many districts, a proposal involving this much change would trigger a political firestorm. In our district, where budget votes had been split, contentious, or passed on thin margins for years, a battle seemed inevitable.
But on the night of the vote, something unprecedented happened. The board approved the budget with a unanimous 7-0 vote. It was the first time in five years that our general budget passed without a single dissenting vote.
This unity was not an accident. It was the result of a deliberate strategy to rebuild the relationship between the finance office and the board. We learned that in school governance, trust isn't built on charisma; it is built on the rigorous work of radical transparency.
Here are the three governance strategies we used to turn a divided dais into a unified force.
1. Operationalize Trust (Don't Just Ask for It)
When I stepped into the CFO role, trust in the district's financial reporting was fractured. We faced outstanding audit findings and the perception that decisions were made in a "black box."
We realized that you cannot simply ask a board to trust you; you have to build a system that compels trust.
We developed the district’s first comprehensive Internal Controls Manual. But we didn’t just publish it; we used it to voluntarily limit our own power. We instituted new rules requiring that every stipend request and every contract—no matter how small—be submitted to the board for approval before execution.
To some administrators, this seemed like bureaucratic overkill. To the board, it was a powerful signal. It showed that the administration was willing to "show its work" and seek permission rather than forgiveness. By voluntarily submitting to tighter oversight on the small things, we earned the political capital we needed for the big things.
2. The "No Surprises" Rule: Own the Bad News
The fastest way to lose a board’s trust is to let members read about a problem in the local newspaper before they hear it from you.
Early in my tenure, my team discovered a $3 million cost overrun on a past construction project that had bypassed proper bidding protocols. The temptation in the public sector is often to fix such issues quietly to avoid a scandal.
We took the opposite approach. We immediately self-reported the findings to the State Board of Accounts and brought the issue directly to our school board in a public session.
It was a painful admission, but it proved to the board that we prioritized integrity over optics. Because we were willing to deliver the bad news honestly, the board believed us when we later delivered the "good news" about our $15 million in efficiency savings. Members knew our numbers were real because they knew we wouldn’t hide the unflattering ones.
3. Connect the Math to the Mission
School board members are not accountants; they are community representatives. They often get bogged down in line items because they don't see the strategic "why."
During our budget workshops, we didn’t just present a spreadsheet of cuts. We presented a moral narrative.
When we proposed "insourcing" our custodial staff (terminating a vendor contract), we didn't just highlight the $3 million in savings. We framed it as a culture shift: bringing 200 employees back into the district family to improve pride of place.
When we proposed optimizing fund transfers, we didn't just talk about tax rates. We showed that this technical move was the direct funding source for a 13% teacher raise.
We gave the board a clear, binary choice: maintain the status quo of administrative bloat, or vote for a budget that prioritizes people. By framing the financial technicalities as mission-driven choices, we unified a diverse board around shared values.
The Governance Payoff
The impact of this strategy extended far beyond the budget vote. Because the board and administration were aligned, our position in labor negotiations changed. We were able to settle a new teacher contract—usually a months-long struggle—in just four days.
For school boards and superintendents, the lesson from South Bend is clear. If you want to make bold, transformative changes, you cannot view governance as a hurdle to be cleared. You must view the board as a partner to be empowered.
When you open the books, own your challenges, and connect every dollar to a student outcome, you don't just get a budget passed. You get a unified district.
Ahnaf Tahmid (atahmid@sbcsc.k12.in.us) is CFO of the South Bend Community School Corporation in Indiana.