01/15/2001

Cut Costs, Improve Educational Quality!

Q: Public education seems to have a never-ending need for ever larger amounts of money. Every year in the town that I live in, the superintendent of schools proposes to increase spending by more than $1,000,000. Needs of every kind are cited as the reason for the increases. But promises of "moving the community forward" never seem to materialize. The truth is that there has never been a cut to the education budget -- only smaller increases than were desired. Is the only solution to every problem in education to increase funding? Many towns cannot adequately fund basic repairs to streets or other services because education takes so much of the revenue. How can educational leaders decrease spending and improve educational quality at the same time?

A: There are many steps that school districts can take to decrease costs and increase quality. In fact, many districts take these steps and the bottom line still increases, because there are so many mandated services and negotiated contract increases that go up every year. Nevertheless, if a community wants or needs to cut back, here are some cost reductions to consider that could improve educational quality at the same time.

Replace retiring teachers with less expensive ones. When I say less expensive I do not mean inexperienced. Hire teachers with a few years of experience, who have a track record of excellent performance. I strongly suggest that the persons doing the hiring (usually principals, superintendents or personnel directors) take the time to observe candidates in the classroom, because impressive resumes do not always guarantee successful teaching. Greater care when hiring not only saves money then, but also helps avoid costly legal fees later in order to correct bad hiring decisions.

Hire a coordinator of volunteers to find and train volunteers from the community. This will cost one salary that will pay for itself and then some, because of the improvements in student learning that trained volunteers can facilitate. Mentorship programs, for example, which pair corporate professionals with needy youngsters have been highly successful in many communities. If someone will take on the coordinator's job as a volunteer herself or himself, so much the better, but experience has shown that the effort requires full-time attention.

Consider eleven-month contracts rather than twelve-month contracts for some building administrators, thus reducing administrative overhead. The non-contract month would only take place when the schools are closed. The impact of such a decision should be evaluated, of course, in a systematic way. This may not improve the quality of education, but if it doesn't lessen it either, the cost savings could be significant.

Create a few full-time, salaried positions for certified substitute teachers in order to improve the overall quality of substitute teaching district-wide. This might be accomplished in conjunction with teacher-training institutions that place interns in school districts at modest rates of compensation. These are motivated professionals in training who provide services far beyond covering the classes of absent faculty members. Educators-in-training can provide a variety of services to schools at little or no cost.

Rent out school property to the town or private organizations -- nights, weekends, vacations, summers and other times when such property is not needed for the regular public school programs. Where school districts own their own buses, these valuable resources, which sit idle for long periods of time, could be used to offset operating budgets and improve the quality of life for many people in the community, thus bringing money into school coffers while easing transportation problems for others.

Turn to local and national companies for donations of software, hardware and training in technology. It is nearly impossible for any individual to stay current with all the improvements in technology, let alone entire schools and school districts. Enlisting the help of technology companies in your state or region is not only a cost-effective practice, but is also a useful way for the schools to stay in touch with what business is looking for in the students it hires from local schools. Don't forget the training component for students as well as teachers. I can't tell you how many schools I've visited with state-of-the-art equipment that is still in the boxes, because there aren't enough people trained to use it!

There are about 165 school districts in Connecticut, many of them quite small. There would be significant cost savings if towns paired up to create somewhat larger school districts with one set of administrators (superintendent and central office staff). The savings from having about 80 school districts in the state instead of over 160 could be used for program improvements that benefit students directly. Some of that money could also be used for other town services that have gone wanting, as the original questioner mentioned.

Pull a committee together - educators, community leaders and students -- to brainstorm other practical ways to improve education and save dollars at the same time. What is your community doing along these lines?

Links:

Role of technology in quality education

Creative ways to reduce energy costs in schools

Please send questions or comments to bbruno@snet.net.