Delaware School Administrator Funding Analysis
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Institute for Public Administration January 2019 Delaware School Administrator Funding Analysis Christopher G. Kelly, Assistant Policy Scientist Margaret Culpepper Chesser, Public Administration Fellow Delaware School Administrator Funding Analysis Submitted to House Concurrent Resolution 39 Task Force to Study School District Consolidation January 2019 Prepared by Christopher G. Kelly Margaret Culpepper Chesser Institute for Public Administration Biden School of Public Policy & Administration College of Arts & Sciences University of Delaware Delaware School Administrator Funding Analysis January 2019 Preface As the director of the Institute for Public Administration (IPA) at the University of Delaware, I am pleased to provide this report, Delaware School Administrator Funding Analysis. Funded by the Delaware Controller General’s Office at the request of House Concurrent Resolution 39 Task Force to Study School District Consolidation, this report analyzes the historical formulas and current placement of school district- and building-level administrators across the state. In addition, it also examines the scope of work of district- and building-level administrations in Delaware. The information included in this report is the result of extensive outreach and engagement with school district personnel and other stakeholders. IPA is committed to supporting public education in Delaware through the promotion of collaborative, practical research that can be utilized by leaders to help develop policy that will improve service delivery and benefit all students. An effective public education system that is supportive of all children is critical for the future of Delaware, and it is my hope that this report will help positively contribute to the conversation regarding education policy in the state. Jerome R. Lewis, Ph.D. Director, Institute for Public Administration i Delaware School Administrator Funding Analysis January 2019 Acknowledgements The authors of this report would like to thank Rep. Earl Jaques (Chair of the House Education Committee and Co-Chair of the House Concurrent Resolution (HCR) 39 Task Force to Study School District Consolidation) and the HCR 39 Task Force to Study School District Consolidation, the Delaware Controller General’s Office, and the Delaware Office of Management and Budget for supporting this work. In addition, the authors are extraordinarily grateful for the time and effort administrators and support staff from each school district in Delaware devoted to ensuring the project team had access to the necessary data to complete this report. An extensive amount of information was requested in a relatively short timeframe. All 19 districts cooperated with the project team in support of this study and graciously offered time when any follow up was needed. This report would not have been possible without their efforts. Many thanks also are due to Kevin Carson, Ed.D. (Chair of the Structure Sub-Committee, HCR 39 Task Force to Study School District Consolidation), Tammy Croce, Ed.D. (Executive Director, Delaware Association of School Administrators), Jerry Gallagher (President, Delaware Association of School Business Officers), Jason Hale, Ed.D. (President, Delaware Association of School Administrators), and Dusty Blakey, Ed.D. (Head, Delaware Chief School Officers Association), for their valuable insight and ability to help the project team pull together a significant amount of information in a short time frame. We are grateful to Mary Nash Wilson from the Delaware Office of Management and Budget for her assistance with data for this report. We would also like to thank civil servants and stakeholders from Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, and Virginia for their guidance and insight into their state’s school finance systems. Additionally, the project team would like to thank Sarah Pragg (Policy Specialist II), for editing and reviewing this report on an expedited schedule. Finally, the authors would like to thank the numerous educators and support staff, from early education through college, that they have learned from over the years. Without their valuable lessons and contributions none of this would have been possible. Christopher G. Kelly Margaret Culpepper Chesser ii Delaware School Administrator Funding Analysis January 2019 Contents List of Terms .................................................................................................................................................................................................v Executive Summary ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 5 Delaware Context ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 6 Overview..................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 6 Funding ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 9 State Funding ......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 9 Local Funding ....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 13 Federal Funding.................................................................................................................................................................................................... 14 School District- and Building-Level Administrations in Delaware ............................................................................................................ 15 Overview................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 15 Key Functions of District Administrations ................................................................................................................................................................ 15 Summary of Key Functions of District Administrations ....................................................................................................................................... 15 Evaluations Conducted by District Office Administrators ................................................................................................................................... 17 Facilities ................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 19 Nutritional Services .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 20 Transportation ..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 22 Key Functions of School Building-Level Administrations ......................................................................................................................................... 23 Summary of Key Functions of School Building-Level Administrations ................................................................................................................ 23 Evaluations ........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 25 Delaware Data........................................................................................................................................................................................... 28 Overview................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 28 District Office Administrators ................................................................................................................................................................................... 28 Building-Level Administrators .................................................................................................................................................................................. 31 Non-Administrative Staff Entitlements Earned ........................................................................................................................................................ 33 iii Delaware School Administrator Funding Analysis January