Staffing Controls for Public Schools

1. Staffing Controls forPublic Schools January 15, 2010 TASBO Budget Academy Cindy Clegg – Director Sally Craycraft – Assistant Director TASB HR Services

2. Where the Money Goes Budgeted Expenditures Source: TEA

3. Where the Payroll Money Goes Source: TEA

4. Why Have Staffing Guidelines? • Establish objective standards • Eliminate staffing by negotiation • Empower principals • Forecast long-range personnel budgets

5. Three Steps to Staffing Control • Begin with an objective review of current staffing practices. • Develop staffing standards through formulas and guidelines. • Develop a long-range staffing budget plan and adjust annually.

6. Benefits of a Staffing Review • Cost saving opportunities • Cost avoidance opportunities • Operational improvements • Benchmarks and standards • Transparency and assurances • Long-range forecasting ability • Understanding effects of choices

7. Staffing Categories to Review • Elementary Teachers • Secondary Teachers • Special Ed. Teachers • Instruction/Admin. Support • Secretaries-Clerks • Aides • Food Service • Maintenance • Grounds • Custodial Services • Technology • Transportation • Health Services

8. Examine Internal Staffing Equity • Are campuses, at the same grade levels, staffed at the same ratio per student? • If differences exist, is there a rationale for the variation(s)? • Do principals and supervisors understand the rationale?

9. Examine External Staffing Equity • Who are your “Peer” districts? • Are your “Peers” your real competitors? • How do student loads and/or work loads compare with your actual competition? • Are you concerned about this issue?

10. Compare AEIS Data • Criteria (51 different criteria) Ex. – Teachers per 1,000 Students Number of Students Sec. English Class Size • Peer Districts • Your District • Peer Average • State Average

11. Develop Standards • Do you have a set of objective staffing guidelines? • Are you staffing by some combination of estimation and negotiation? • To what extent have you developed a mathematical staffing model?

12. Elementary Teachers • Class size in K-4 is capped at 22:1 • Students/Teachers = Class Size Ex. 500 students ÷ 25 teachers = 20 students per class • Students/Class Size = Teachers or FTEs Ex. 500 students ÷ 20 students per class = 25 teachers (FTEs)

13. Elementary Teachers • FTEs determined independently by grade • PE, Music, Computer, and/or Art Teachers added to basic FTEs to: • Meet TEA requirements (PE minutes) • Broaden the curriculum • Provide conference periods for grade level teachers

14. Secondary Teachers • Scheduled by course, rather than by grade. • All teachers used to provide conference period coverage for each other. • A student takes more courses than the average teacher instructs.

15. Secondary Mathematical Model • Consider a high school with 1800 students and 90 teachers • Apparent Class Size 1800 Students = 20.0 students per class 90 Teachers

16. Secondary Mathematical Model • Real Class Size depends on schedule • Suppose the high school is using an A-B block schedule 1. Students take 4 classes per day 2. Teachers instruct 3 classes per day

17. Secondary Mathematical Model • Courses Taken X Students = Class Size Courses Taught X Teachers • 4 X 1800 = 26.6 students per class 3 X 90

18. Secondary Mathematical Model 1800 Students & 90 Teachers (in each case) Schedule ModelClass Size 4/3 26.6 6/5 24.0 7/6 23.3 7/5 28.0

19. Secondary Mathematical Model Teachers needed for same class size (26.6/class) Schedule ModelClass SizeTeachers 4/3 26.6 90 6/5 26.6 81 7/6 26.6 79 7/5 26.6 95

20. Summary of Findings from a Staffing Review What’s Included? • Recommendations by Area – High School Teachers • Cost Savings – Absorb up to 9 teacher vacancies • Cost Avoidance – Convert 1 ISS position to core academics • Operational Suggestions – Consider use of interns • Total potential savings plus cost avoidance • $2,121,500

21. Budget Planning • Are you projecting staffing costs 3-5 years into the future? • Do you have a mathematical model for analyzing secondary schedule formats? • Does your staffing model allow for uniform staffing increases or decreases, as needed, to account for changes in student population and/or budget adjustments?

22. Develop a Five-Year Staffing Plan • Develop campus staffing standards for each level. • Compare standards to current practice to develop a needs analysis. • Develop five year projections for new campus openings. • Apply staffing standards to each new campus.

23. Develop a Five-Year Staffing Plan 5. Develop a phased-in priority schedule to achieve standards on existing campuses and timeline for hiring on new campuses. 6. Develop a multi-year financial plan based on priority staffing schedule (modify for internal transfers vs. new hires). 7. Forecast annual budget needs for each year of the plan and review/modify annually.

24. Recommendations for Staffing Control • Develop a five-year staffing budget, similar to facilities planning. • Move to mathematical models for internal and external equity. • Conduct or contract for an objective staffing analysis in your district.

25. Contacts Cindy Clegg, Director cindy.clegg@tasb.org Sally Craycraft, Assistant Director sally.craycraft@tasb.org TASB HR Services P.O. Box 400 Austin, TX 78767 800-580-7782 hrservices@tasb.org