Why the Job of a Principal is Harder Today

The Basic Education Finance Joint Task Force met on Oct. 22 to examine the work done in the past to deal with a new funding structure for basic education in Washington. During the seven hours of meetings, some of the issues that directly impact principals were addressed.

Byron Moore of the Senate Ways and Means Committee reported that over the last 30 years, there have been increases in actual staffing ratios for all types of K-12 staff, except administrators. Since the ratio of staff to 1,000 students had increased from 43.2 teacher to 55.3 teachers, an increase of 27%. Classified staff have increased 60% from 23.5 to 37.7 staff members per 1,000 students. Educational staff associates, including counselors and librarians, has jumped from 6 per 1,000 students to 7.3 or an increase of 22%. On the other hand, the administrator ratio has declined from 4.8 per 1,000 students to 4.1.

In other words, the number of students has remained the same and the number of adults working with students has increased significantly, except for principals. As a result, the workload for principals has increased dramaticly without appropriate financial recognition of the important role they play in the success of students and the efficient operation of a school.

Moore also had a slide in his presentation noting that, "In the 2008-9 school year, 207 school districts will receive higher allocations for administrators than the other school districts. The highest allocation is to four school districts at $83,070. The lowest allocation is $57,097. The represents a 46 percent difference between highest and lowest. Prior to this biennium, the difference was 67 percent."

With that allocation difference in mind, David Stolier, assistant attorney general for the task force, reviewed the Northshore School District v. Kinnear case. It dealt in part with Article 9, section 2 of the Constitution which demands the "legislature shall provide for a general and uniform system of public schools." The courts decided in 1974 the a general and uniform system is one in which (a) Every child has free access to certain minimum and reasonably standardized educational and instruction facilities and opportunities; (b) A child could transfer from one district to another without substantial loss of credit or standing: Variation in size and taxable property among districts does not demonstrate that the system is neither general nor uniform. If the allocation for administrator salaries is nearly 50%, the funding structure required is clearly not uniform.

Jennifer Priddy of OSPI reviewed the Picus and Odden report of 2006 and that principals' salary allocations should have been $84,819 in 2004-5 to be adequate. During that time the administrative salary allocations were between $30,583 and $74, 541. In examining the report, Priddy felt that it lacked appropriate salary allocations for administrators.

Finally, Rep. Ross Hunter (D-48) provided an overview of the K-12 Advisory Committee's recommendations, which included the following language:

"This subgroup recommends to the funding subgroup that an administrator compensation system be created that reflects the actual needs of the districts, including achieving state and federal mandates."

The next task force meeting will be Nov. 19-20 in the Senate Conference Room in Olympia. Hopefully, the mismatch between what is expected of principals and the state's support of that work will be addressed then.