Baltimore County schools appear on the front cover of The Baltimore Sun today because 196 teacher positions have been cut for the upcoming school year. Liz Bowie of The Baltimore Sun writes that the school system hired administrators, curriculum supervisors, accountants, and others, amounting to $1.9 million in annual salaries (1). The Baltimore Sun finds that with a budget of $1.9 million Baltimore County Public Schools could have hired 42 teachers at an annual pay of $45,000 or 37 teachers for at an annual pay of $50,000 (1).
Cutting teachers is a challenging side to defend when placing student needs first. The article offers alternative measures to cutting teacher positions like freezing teacher salaries for a year or reducing health benefits. These appear to be good alternatives to reducing teaching positions, but it makes me question how unions would respond to this type of arrangement.
This article directly relates to two new hiring updates that were provided today by Balitmore City CEO, Dr. Alonso. Two new leadership positions have been created and filled according to the press release to better meet the needs of students and families. These Baltimore City new cabinet appointments make me question whether these types of new positions created by Alonso are a good use of funding. As the weight of education continues to fall on the shoulders of teachers and reform emphasizes the need for highly qualified teachers, why are funds being allocated to fill new positions in administrative roles? Could these administrative roles be better organized with fewer people and still be run efficiently? It would be interesting to see research on how the funding of different school districts (in particular looking at the funding for teachers verses administration/ operations) plays into student achievement.
Baltimore City Press Release: http://www.baltimorecityschools.org/cms/lib/MD01001351/Centricity/Domain/1/%20pdf/BricePerkinsPressRelease.pdf
Baltimore Sun Article: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-county/bs-md-co-schools-hiring-20110726,0,4016054.story
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2 comments:
This is reflective of what I see as an alarming trend here in Baltimore City, as well. My school cut teaching staff while expanding administration and the student rosters. Next year we'll have more kids, more administrators, and way fewer teachers. I personally see this as a gross misappropriation of funds. The expansion of bureaucracy to better evaluate the dwindling number of people left actually educating students is not going to benefit the kids. It's going to benefit the appearance of adults in charge. If you want to lay it all on the teachers, (as most people do), at least send in some backup. When a battle starts going south, you don't send in more generals - you send in "the surge". If we are going to wage war on educational inequity, we need more boots on the ground, not more cabinet positions.
I'm complete with you Uncle Wrexy.
I read the article when it came out and I believe one of the positions added was an accountant. I had to laugh. Maybe the accountant can figure out how to crunch some numbers to appropriately staff classrooms, or at least provide teachers with appropriate supplies. (Anyone else that didn't love hauling packs of paper to school or haunting north ave before the supply room crackdown?)
It's absolutely a poor use of funds. Without a doubt, 42 more classroom teachers can effect more change than a handful of adnimistrators.
PS I also loved the battle analogy. They get me every time.
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