Where do those differentiated staffing numbers come from?
The Budget Formulas for 2002-2003
The key numbers that determine what each school will
receive in the budget for regular education teaching positions are: 1)
enrollment; 2) County baseline class size targets; and
3) the percentage of students on free/reduced lunch. Below is a
simplified example.
In the budget, a Principal is also given minimum
allocations that must be adhered to in each of the non-classroom
teacher staffing categories (tech, media, guidance, gifted, art,
music, PE, nurses, K-1 TA time). A Principal can make the most
adjustments in the area of teacher time as he or she moves FTEs and
TAs around to staff classes. Any hours of teacher time remaining can
be applied to other categories that are deemed priorities.
Full Time
Equivalency (FTE)
= one teacher (1 FTE) or the equivalent number of teaching assistants
(1 fulltime TA = .33 FTE). Principals fund part-time teachers,
teaching assistants or “buy back” planning periods based upon FTE’s.
EXAMPLE #1—A small elementary
school with few free and reduced lunch students
 | Enrollment at elementary school =
270 (sometimes original projected
enrollment used) |
| Baseline class size target = 20.95 to 1
(Set in budget)
(Note: This number is not entirely accurate but allows for quick
approximation. The actual class size target varies with the grade
and 20.95 is the K-5 average) |
| Baseline differentiated class size target =
11.90 to 1 |
| % students on free/reduced lunch = 4.2% or
11.34 students |
Note: These are actual enrollment numbers for
Murray Elementary in 2002-2003.
It would receive a budget allocation for staffing
calculated as follows:
| Regular Base teacher
FTEs -> 270
¸
20.95 = 12.89 FTEs |
| Differentiated teacher FTEs -> 258.66 (#
of students NOT on free reduced lunch)
¸
20.95 (Baseline class size target) =
12.35 FTEs |
| 11.34 (# of students ON free reduced
lunch) ¸
11.90 (Baseline
differentiated class size target) = .95 FTEs |
| ADD BOTH NUMBERS (12.35 + .95) TO GET 13.3
FTEs (Total staffing factoring in differentiation or
Differentiated Base) |
| SUBTRACT Regular Base from Differentiated Base
13.3 - 12.89 = .41 (total differentiated staff FTEs to add) |
| TOTAL for regular education teaching positions ->
12.89 + .41 = 13.3 FTEs |
| ADD K-1 TA time (about .23% x 84, the projected #
of K-1 students) = .19 FTEs |
| FINAL STAFFING (regular teaching positions + K-1
TA time) = 13.49 FTEs |
Again, this is over simplified as it applies an
average class size target to all grades, but it makes it easier to see
how the County calculates the staffing targets for the budget and how
free/reduced lunch populations impact the resources available. The
actual formulas also rely on August projected enrollment numbers in
some places. The actual number of regular education positions for
Murray Elementary in the 2002-2003 staffing allocation was 13.25.
EXAMPLE #2—A larger elementary
school with a greater percentage of free and reduced lunch students.
| Enrollment at elementary school =
424 (sometimes original
projected enrollment used) |
| Baseline class size target = 20.95 to 1
(Set in budget)
(Note: This number is not entirely accurate but allows for quick
approximation. The actual class size target varies with the grade
and 20.95 is the K-5 average) |
| Baseline differentiated class size target =
11.90 to 1 (Set in budget) |
| % students on free/reduced lunch = 28.06% or
118.97 students |
Note: These are actual enrollment numbers for
Agnor-Hurt Elementary in 2002-2003.
It would receive a budget allocation for staffing
calculated as follows:
| Regular Base teacher
FTEs -> 424 ¸
20.95 = 20.24
FTEs |
| Differentiated teacher FTEs -> 305.03 (#
of students NOT on free reduced lunch)
¸
20.95 (Baseline class size target) =
14.56 FTEs |
| 118.97 (# of students ON free reduced
lunch) ¸
11.90 (Baseline
differentiated class size target) = 10.00 FTEs |
| ADD BOTH NUMBERS (14.56 + 10) TO GET 24.56
FTEs (Total staffing factoring in differentiation or
Differentiated Base) |
| SUBTRACT Regular Base from Differentiated Base
24.56 - 20.24 = 4.32 (total differentiated staff FTEs to add) |
| TOTAL for regular education teaching positions ->
20.24 + 4.32 = 24.56 FTEs |
| ADD K-1 TA time (about .23% x 137, the projected
# of K-1 students) = .31 FTEs |
| FINAL STAFFING (regular teaching positions + K-1
TA time) = 24.87 FTEs |
Again, this is over simplified as it applies an
average class size target to all grades, but it makes it easier to see
how the County calculates the staffing targets for the budget and how
free/reduced lunch populations impact the resources available. The
actual formulas also rely on August projected enrollment numbers in
some places. The actual number of regular education positions for
Agnor-Hurt Elementary in the 2002-2003 staffing allocation was
24.84. |
