It seems we often like to compare ourselves to Parkland so I visited their web site to see what kind of administrative staff they have compared to Nazareth.
Now Parkland has an enrollment of 9112 compared to Nazareth's 4732. Their budget is $104,367,640 compared to Nazareth's $52,902,000. Parkland has 10 buildings (7 elementary, 2 MS, 1 HS), Nazareth 5.
Parkland has a staff of 1309 including 44 administrators. Four of those positions are a result of owning their own buses (Transportation Dispatcher, Garage Foreman, 2 asst. directors).
Nazareth has a staff of 536 including 26 administrators (including the new administrative position).
Parkland spends $11,454 and Nazareth $11,180 per student.
Parkland though, has 1 staff member for every 7 students and Nazareth has 1 for every 9.
And Parkland has either 1 admin for every 207 students (using 44 admin) or 228 (less the four for busing) compared to Nazareth who has 1 admin for every 182 students.
Based on these comparisons, it seems while both spend roughly the same amount per student (or pretty close to it), Parkland puts its money in staff and Nazareth in admin.
15 comments:
The number 44 seemed high for Parkland so I checked their website and only counted 39 or 40. This includes the 4 extra transportation people you mentioned because they own their own busses.
I think our numbers are differnt because Parkland lists psychologists under administration on website. Maybe they have offices with administration but psychologists fall under teacher contract, not the administrators. Psychologists are NOT administrators unless one heads the department as a supervisor or director. Then he or she would have a different title.
Please recount, Ross. To keep "apples to apples" do not count Parkland's psychologists as administrators, if that is where our difference in numbers is. This lowers Parkland's number and makes difference between the school districts even higher, and more outrageous.
I hope this makes sense. - G.
As you say, it is tough to gauge what is and isn't included. I left the psychologists out as I didn't include Nazareth's.
From the count you saw on that list, I did add the assistant principals on the MS level (2 per building, 4 total), but now that you mention it the link to the HS was broken so I'm missing them (let's say 4, one per grade) and we're up to 44 or 48.
The 40 listed on the page (including transportation, not including psychologists) plus 4 MS is the 44 I had AND need to add estimate 4 HS vice principals.
Having done that the significant change is at 44 Admin (without the 4 for owning buses) at 1 faculty per 207 students compared to Nazareth's 182, but at 48 they are at 190, much closer.
Let me know if I missed anything this time around;-)
what parkland doesn't have that we DO is a 2nd asst superintendent (as of last october) and her salary could buy us 2-3 entry level teachers---
parkland also has approx 10% higher pssa scores
parkland also pays their teachers approx 10% more
but we have higher median home values---138.7K to their 125.9K
guess you just can't have it all!
...and why are you comparing to Parkland?
I selected Parkland simply because every time a comparison comes up it seems people pick Parkland to compare us to.
ross..
with all due respect, take a ride over to parkland when school lets out and see the type of kids they have attending there schools (dress/behavior/grades). to compare nazareth to parkland is an absolute insult to parkland high school in my opinion..
and sadly--i live in nazareth..
And then take a ride over to NAMS or NAHS at dismissal time ain't see the Columbine Clones getting out of those schools.
But lets build the degenerates a skate Park. Great use of our recreation dollar$.
I know Parkland and Nazareth ain't no Parkland.
Anon, I can't think of many who would talk about schoolchildren that way. It's also hard to understand why you bring a proposed skate park, a borough matter, into a school district discussion.
Anon, sorry can't say that I follow your point as it relates to the number of administrators a school district needs.
Considering the average home sale price in the Nazareth area is near the top of both Northampton and Lehigh Counties, I'd hardly think we have nothing but derelicts in this district. And the experience I've had with the kids is the opposite of your own.
I've found the kids today are much more affluent then they were when I attended school here. I'd also say that Parkland is much bigger and has affluent families, but it also has families who have more rural lifestyles as well as those from near/in Allentown.
As a result, I'd have to disagree with your perspective of the students in both districts. They each have their good and bad, and in this case I'll chalk it up to the grass being greener on the other side of the fence.
Having said all that, I wouldn't doubt with the tax base (much more business there than here) that Parkland probably does have the number of administrators it feels it needs to meet the demands of its student's parents.
If we have a better ratio then they do - I'd say we're top-heavy.
You say we spend roughly the same. Parkland spends $300 more per stiudent. Multply that by the number of students adn it is not a small number,
I was responding to Anon 10:57 who I strongly agree with. The parents and schools are educating students and community members. Unforunately, we are failing miserably on the latter and I am not so sure we are doing as well as we think we are on the educational side, either.
To Bernie, I would be happy to meet and discuss this with you. Shall we say any school day at 2:45 p.m. on the northeast corner of Center and Liberty?
Anon, Calling schoolchildren "degenerates" or "Columbine clones" is wrong on so many levels. I know many of these kids. I know what teenagers are like, too. But they are mostly very good kids, especially if you take the time to talk with them. I like to talk to the skaters when I see them in town. They're very nice and not "degenerates" by any stretch of the imagination. I'm sorry you feel the way you do. I'd be happy to meet you, and I'd start talking to these kids so you could see for yourself how wrong you are. Look beyond the clothes.
I do think it would be more appropriate to compare similar size districts. I think that the adm to student ratio gets skewed otherwise. To take it to an extreme what if there were a 100 child district, you still need at least 1 administrator. Then if a similar initial size district started at 100 children and grew to 150 without the need for more administration, their ratio would be better.
The other thing to consider even when comparing similar size districts, is what future growth is forecast. What looks like an administration heavy district may in reality be a district that is smartly planning to avoid problems in the future, rather than reacting to problems as they occur.
So its a good thing new classrooms were added to the high school over the summer.
You can always find a reason to have something. If money were no object, I'd absolutely say let them have what they think they need to get the job done.
Unfortunately, money is an issue. What we have as 'discretionary' spending is becoming much more restricted with the new MS building (strongly endorsed by the Board and Admin). Our debt service will increase, so too will our building staff, maintenance etc.
All of these 'fixed' costs make it so much more important to spend wisely so we can keep the focus on the classroom.
The increased enrollment rates are not as significant as the increase in either expenditures or administration.
In 2005-06 our expenditures were $49.3M and the first projection for next year was $59.4M - a $10.1M increase in two years (20% increase), whereas the student enrollment increased 5% (from 4582 to 4796).
According to the budget numbers we had 22.5 administrators in 04-05 and with the approval of this position we will be up to 26 in 06-07 - a two year gain of 3.5 or 16%.
Further, in the 1998-99 school year (the earliest I have numbers for) we had 18 administrators compared to the 26 we will have with this position. That is one new administrator per year for eight years.
When you consider need, you have to wonder if these positions are needed. And if they are, how did we function before (at the time we were getting the reputation for having good schools)?
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