Well said, Emporia Superintendent Theresa Davidson. We, too, share the goal of efficient and effective school spending but we are tired of the misuse of the terms “classroom” and “administrative” spending which are loosely defined, exclude/include many types of spending people think of as “classroom” spending and fail to acknowledge the important functions of the different types of spending.
“Indeed, the heart of our work in education is all about students and teachers in the classroom. Who can argue the challenge from state policymakers and politicians to ‘put more money into the classroom’? Nothing is more important than the lessons that prepare a student for the world outside that classroom. And yet, I struggle to identify anything or anyone in our schools that doesn’t end up ‘in the classroom.’
“The August 12 Tallman Education Report from the Kansas Association of School Boards contains an easy-to-understand explanation of what goes directly and indirectly into the classroom. Across the state, districts spend on average 51 percent of the budget for Instruction – teacher, aides and classroom materials. Yet, the remaining 49 percent of district expenditures support the classroom in some way.”
Read more here: http://www.emporiagazette.com/opinion/article_40d9459f-1a4a-52d5-91e1-9754e15ebc7a.html