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Home > Blogs > Get on the Bus > Archives > 2008 > May > 02 > Entry
Give the people what they want?
I always liked that album.
Here’s the criticism of management consultants a school administrator once told me — you hire them, tell them what you want to hear and then they tell you what you want to hear.
I’ve even heard stories of consultants flat out telling school boards that during interviews, asking them directly if they wanted a report that builds a case for ousting the superintendent, or keeping the superintendent or passing a levy or whatever.
Evergreen Solutions consultant Linda Recio’s report on Dayton schools was pretty upbeat overall, and has some GOTB readers wondering if she just told the school board what it wanted to hear.
Here’s some additional background to help you make up your own mind:
—The situation here is not typical, in that the consultant was not hired by the school district but by a committee heavily influenced by business leaders and chaired by a businessman (Premier Health Partners President Tom Breitenbach). Dayton schools only contributed $10,000 of the $75,000 fee for Evergreen. So the report is not the completely the district’s own.
—If the district were scripting a report such as this for the public, what would school leaders want it to look like? Maybe not too much different. They might want it to outline some genuine cost savings opportunities but include lots of compliments and support for the management and no bombshells. And strong endorsements of the size and effort of the central office had to be satisfying for Superitendent Percy Mack and the board.
—Even so, some of the report certainly had to make school officials squirm. The heavy indictment of the bus system was certainly embarassing. And some of the weaknesses in food service and finance harkened to the bad old days of a decade ago when the district’s processes and controls were barely functional.
—The report also brought up some uncomfortable issues. Its recommendation that the district consider privatizing transportation and eliminate high school busing completely may not be discussions the district wants to have right now with a levy on the horizon.
—Recio’s report often recalled a 2002 study of the district by the Council of Great City Schools, which was deeply critical of the school district’s management, operations and educational program. That report was commissioned and paid for entirely by the school board (just elected Littlejohn & Co.), which at the time said it wanted straight talk about what needed to be fixed. So the board does have some track record with unfettered outside criticism.
—Recio’s report did gather some useful and interesting data. It looked at how Dayton compared with state averages and with a peer group of Akron, Canton, Columbus, Southwestern and Youngstown (I wonder why not Toledo?). Consider:
The number of students per staff in Dayton was 14.7, higher than the peer average of 14.3.
The number of students per school (510.5) also is higher than the peer average (465.2).
Using state figures, Dayton has a higher percentage of kids in poverty (17.91) and disabled kids (15.89) than peer districts (14.77 and 15.23) or the state average (5.25 and 13.48). (Note: the poverty figure is an state education department number that uses a higher standard than the common “free or reduced lunch” eligibility percentage.)
The student-teacher ratio (25.76 to 1) is higher in Dayton than any peer district and above the peer (21.62 to 1) or state (19.48 to 1) averages.
Average teacher salary ($49,346) and starting teacher pay ($30,381) are below the peer averages ($53,170 and $31,798). The state average is $52,595, and $28,191 for starting pay.
Dayton also has a large number of inexperienced teachers, with 43.7 percent having 0 to 4 years experience compared with the peer average of 23.93 percent and state average of 21.11 percent.
The ratio of administrators to students in Dayton is 200.82 to 1, compared to 167.96 to 1 for the peer group and 155.72 to 1 for the state.
Dayton gets 44.85 percent of its revenue from the state, compared to 47.85 percent for the peer group and 41.92 percent as a state average. Dayton gets less revenue per student from the state than peer districts or the state average.
Permalink | Comments (5) | Post your comment | Categories: Dayton Public Schools
Comments
By lou
May 3, 2008 7:10 PM | Link to this
Old prof, I just changed the factors around. I am saying the same as you. Yes, I also think the ratio of Admin/teachers would show that we have a more admin/teacher than other districts. Only makes sense looking at the other numbers.By Oldprof
May 3, 2008 9:07 AM | Link to this
Lou, I think you’re seeing the stats backwards. Dayton has MORE administrators per student, according to this report, and LESS teachers per student. That means that the administrator-teacher ration is going to be even higher. Looks like, despite the cuts in administration, there still is some surplus to be trimmed there, if we accept these figures.By School Supporter
May 3, 2008 12:45 AM | Link to this
“Dayton also has a large number of inexperienced teachers, with 43.7 percent having 0 to 4 years experience…” What was the number before the levy failure and RIF? Isn’t this number incredibly high? My concerns had been whether experienced teachers were getting the best available professional development. How can new teachers possible be prepared?By Mary
May 2, 2008 6:40 PM | Link to this
Isn’t Tom Brietenbach from the group that thinks the main way to contribute to local schools is to finance artificial turf? Should we take his inputs on needed education improvements seriously?By lou
May 2, 2008 3:25 PM | Link to this
Interesting. One question Scott, is the ratio of teacher/ administrator avaliable? Seems Dayton has a higher student/teacher ratio, but lower student/admin.ratio. Seems to me the only way you can get these stats is you have a big admin./teacher ratio.