When I first heard about Louisiana’s effort to streamline state and federal funding programs, it immediately made sense to me. Why have districts submit separate budgets and plans for multiple different programs, each with their own priorities, timelines, and reporting requirements? Louisiana’s “Super App” simplified those processes and let districts write one coherent plan.
According to Kunjan Narechania, the former Assistant State Superintendent at the Louisiana Department of Education and now the CEO of Watershed Advisors, other states can set up Super App programs to eliminate redundancies and better focus on delivering an excellent education for kids. For more about how this can work, see this short policy brief on the Super App idea, check out my colleague Jocelyn Pickford’s interview on how Arkansas adopted the idea and made it their own, or keep reading for more insights from Kunjan.
Chad Aldeman: A “Super App” sounds either really fun or really sinister. What is it exactly?
Kunjan Narechania: You’re not wrong! If you’re nerdy like me, you will think Super App is really fun. The simplest way to explain it is that Super App streamlines state and federal funding for districts. Instead of requiring districts to submit multiple applications and multiple budgets on multiple timelines to compete for various federal and state grants (which is the norm in most states today), the Super App allows every school district to submit just one application that aligns with their top education priorities. It may sound obvious, but most federal and state education funding just is not set up to work this way.
Before we created the Super App for the Louisiana Department of Education, districts literally submitted 30 plans and 30 budgets to 30 different offices on 30 different timelines. There were three really big problems with this system: First, it’s a huge administrative burden on district staff. The applications were duplicative and sometimes even contradictory. Districts spent an inordinate amount of time and staff capacity just figuring out how to fill out all of these applications.
Second, it’s a wildly inefficient use of money. In one district, three different grant officers applied for money to buy new Chromebooks, and since the system was set up so that they never had to talk to each other, the district ended up with three Chromebooks for every student who needed one.
And third — and perhaps most importantly — it didn’t support a coherent vision for education in the state. Because all the grant applications happen on different timelines with very little guidance from the state, district leaders never know how much money they actually have. So they could never really build a unified plan with a single budget to support it.
When you really look at how the average school funding structure works, it’s no wonder we spend a third more than our peer countries on education but our students aren’t performing any better. A Super App simplifies this process for school districts so they can eliminate redundancies and focus on doing what works for kids.
Chad: Can you give me a specific example of what this would look like from a district’s perspective?
Kunjan: When it’s done right, the Super App makes life way, way easier for districts. Most districts right now designate different people within their district office to complete all of these applications. This means that each of these individuals is building a plan and budget for their specific pot of funds entirely separately from the others. In most cases this leads to competing priorities across grants and confusion for principals and teachers. With a SuperApp, all these district leads would work together to set priorities for the entire district and determine how to spend each pot of funds in service of those priorities.
Chad: Now, what does this look like from a state policymaker lens? And what are the biggest barriers to aligning multiple different planning and budgeting processes?
Kunjan: It might seem silly, but for most states the biggest barrier to building a Super App is deciding that it’s ok to focus districts on a handful of priorities. Every office that administers grants at the SEA knows that their work matters, but in order for districts to really make change they can’t take on all of those priorities at one time. States have to create focus for districts and the act of streamlining all grant applications into one is also an act of cutting back the number of things you want a district to spend time, money, and energy on.
Change is hard — and it’s notoriously hard for bureaucracies. Every state is different, and so the challenges that any state faces will be unique, too. But we have to ask ourselves what we want school districts to be doing more of: Pushing paperwork and managing money? Or teaching kids? High-functioning, effective organizations are clear about their goals and line up their resources accordingly. That’s exactly what a Super App allows states to do.
Chad: Here’s a wonky question: How can a state realize the potential of one giant Super App while still ensuring it is meeting various state and federal compliance requirements? Or what other risks would a state leader need to watch out for?
Kunjan: It is very important to remain compliant with all federal and state rules, and in Arkansas and Louisiana we made sure to incorporate all statutory and regulatory requirements into the grant. The other thing we’ve thought a lot about in building this kind of application is the support a district needs in order to make this shift. States need to be ready to provide support on both the technical, statutory, and programmatic pieces of the new application.
Chad: If a state wanted to create its own version of Super App in their state, how should they get started?
Kunjan: I would start by doing two things: 1. Do an inventory of all the grants your SEA administers. Map out the number of grants, the priorities for each grant, the timeline for application and approval. I bet for most states, this inventory will be really illuminating! 2. Run a focus group of district leaders, including superintendent and academic, talent, and federal programs leads, to learn about their experience with applying for grants in your state. These data points will help you get an understanding of the problem in your state.
