A Question for the School Board (and Taxpayers)
Ron Bolin: March 19, 2015
‘The average per-pupil funding in the K-12 sector will increase to $8,603 in 2013-14, the highest ever.” from: http://www.newsroom.gov.bc.ca/2013/03/operating-grants-maintained-per-pupil-funding-highest-ever.html
Teachers salaries in B.C. for the 60 school districts range from an average starting salary of $47,461 to an average maximum of $75,083. Estimated average Salary ($47,461+$75,083/2=$61,272). from:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/crosscheck-how-bc-teachers-rank-in-canada/article549616/
The average number of students in a class in SD68 is:
CLASS SIZE GRANT CLASS AVG.SAL Diff. RATIO
K… 19.8 $8,603 $170,339 – $61,272 $100,464 1.64 times
1-3 …21.6 $8,603 $185,825 – $61,272 $115,950 1.89 times
4-7 …26.9 $8,603 $231,421 – $61,272 $161,546 2.64 times
8-12…26.1 $8,603 $224,538 – $61,272 $154,663 2.52 times
Question:
It has been said that the ideal education is a good teacher sitting at one end of a log and a student at the other. Teachers are the productive providers of education. All the rest is, in one way or another, overhead.
How is it that the log has become so expensive?
I have been told that wages and salaries account for 90% of the school district’s budget. Are there so many jobs which are not teaching jobs? And if so, how do they assist teachers in meeting their educational responsibilities?
While I recognize that the figures shown above are quite general, they were the best I could find and I suspect that overall they are not too far off. I have to question the ration of salaries to overhead which seems to be portrayed by these figures. Can someone please help me to understand how it comes about that our overhead costs are so high?
Posts and Comments on Nanaimo Governance 
Could the high overhead costs be attributed to the salaries and wages of too many highly paid school district office staff, TA’s and maintenance and cleaning workers?
Just a guess.
Ron there is a pie chart that was created for the Your Voice process which outlines the breakdown of salary expenditures. I`ll see if I can get it for you. May have to be after Spring Break now.
I can’t speak to the staffing levels at the district office .
However; the staffing levels for maintenance staff is less than it was 20 years ago.
TA’s are filling a need as we insist upon teaching those with special needs within classes of ‘normal’ students.
When staffing costs became a problem at hospitals we outsourced to the private sector then the cleanliness problems started.
Do you suggest we do the same with our schools?
Or are you just anti union?
Here is a letter of mine which was published in the Nanaimo Daily News last October –
Education is NOT a business
Today’s children should benefit from the best education we can provide them – but, instead, they are cheated out of what they deserve. Here is the problem with school funding – bean-counters, beware.
Imagine a town with 10,000 tax payers and 100 students. Each taxpayer is assessed $10 for education = $100,000. This means that $1,000 goes to the education of every student. This pays for buildings, teachers, administrators, everything. It all works and the children get a good education.
Demographics change. Wealthy retired people move in, replacing families with children who have moved elsewhere – the population remains the same, but there are now only 50 students. The same amount of taxes are raised and now there is $2,000 to spend on each student.
Instead of improving the education system with better facilities and smaller classes, the government lays off teachers, closes schools and increases the size of classes. What happens to the $$ of surplus? Isn’t this simply wrong?
Education is an investment not a business. Schools of all kinds are not profit making corporations, they are cultural institutions.
Please, bean-counters, I defy you to find fault with my logic and intent –