Balancing the Budget – Part 2 (2012-13)
When analyzing “Phase II of the Plan to Balance the 2012-2013 Budget,” the plan appears to be fairly innocuous. The Class Size Limits (CSL) and the Pupil Teacher Ratios (PTR) are very student and teacher friendly.
A CSL of 18:1 in grades K-3 and a CSL of 21:1 in fourth grade, as well as a PTR of 21:1 in core area classes in grades 5-12 and 18:1 in academic electives are very effective numbers.
Most districts across the State as well as the Nation would love to be able to maintain small class sizes like these. Small class sizes have shown to improve the overall education of students (A,B,C, and D’s).
Class Sizes and PTR are a balancing act. If classes get too large, academics and classroom management suffers. If classes get too small, the costs outweigh the educational benefits. So, one must remember that there is a point of diminishing returns when it comes to smaller classes.
The WISD Board of Trustees took these things into account as they set the current CSL and PTR. The adopted numbers are good for students, and they are financially prudent.
So, if these are good numbers, what is the problem?
The problem for the District is obtaining the proper CSL and PTR. For instance, if the District has 180 First Grade students, only 10 First Grade teachers would be required (180 students / 18 CSL = 10 Teachers).
Pretty simple… right?
But, what if the District is overstaffed and there are 12 First Grade teachers? How does the District handle these two extra teachers?
On the other hand, what if the District only had 9 First Grade teachers? The District would be understaffed and would need to hire (or reassign) a teacher to First Grade to maintain the proper CSL.
By using the established CSL and PTR, the District can quickly tell if they are overstaffed or understaffed… And, for the District to maintain a balanced budget, they need to be “properly staffed” based on the adopted CSL and PTR.
In Part I of this series, I included ways that TASB recommends to reduce staff in the case a district is overstaffed.
Without a doubt, attrition is the easiest and kindest way to reduce the number of personnel within a District. Every other scenario carries with it varying degrees of pain.
For contract employees, there is a “Day of Reckoning.” Every year, contract renewals are held in the Spring (traditionally March). At that meeting, measures will be taken that will help ensure that the District will meet the adopted staffing protocols.
Hopefully, those employees who know that they are going to resign/retire at the end of the school year, will (officially) do so early enough, that more judicious decisions can be made before the March board meeting.
