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Growth in Non-Teachers

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School districts employ a lot of people for different jobs related to the functioning of the public education system.  In addition to classroom teachers, there are employees who work in the cafeteria, perform janitorial services, staff school libraries, help with the learning process, serve as guidance counselors, answer phone calls, etc.  This has been true in years past, in the present, and will be true in the future.

But there has been a stunning development in the growth of what we called in a 2010 Policy Brief “non-teachers” when we looked at the Pittsburgh Public Schools, a term that has been used by the Thomas Fordham Institute in a more recent report on the growth in non-teachers nationwide.  In Pittsburgh we found that from 2000-2009 as enrollment fell the student to teacher ratio stayed roughly the same (11.4 to 12) but the student to non-teacher ratio fell from 20 to 10.

Here’s what the Fordham report found: since 1970, total public school headcount rose 84% (3.3 million to 6.1 million); in 1970, teachers represented 60% of the total, by 2010 they represented 50%; Teacher aides rose from 1.7% to 11.8%; support staff and other staff have essentially remained unchanged.  Note that from 1970 enrollment grew 8% while non-teachers grew 130% and teachers grew 53%.

The report also shows a non-teaching employee headcount per 1,000 students; the 50 state average plus DC was 67 in 2010.  Pennsylvania’s ratio was 76.  Three states (VA, VT, WY) had over 100 per 1,000 students.  Nevada was the lowest with 26 per 1,000.

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Allegheny Institute
Allegheny Institute

The Allegheny Institute is a non-profit research and education organization. Our mission is to defend the interests of taxpayers, citizens and businesses against an increasingly burdensome and intrusive government.

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