Leading Education Reform in an Era of Limited Resources

Rethinking Resources for Student Success

Leading Education Reform in an Era of Limited ResourcesLEE Policy Leadership AcademyJuly 28, 2012

Education Resource Strategies 2

Education Resource Strategies: Who we are

ERS is a non-profit dedicated to helping school systems spend and organize time, talent and technology to create great schools at scale

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Public Ed budget gaps will continue

2012

-13

2013

-14

2014

-15

2015

-16

2016

-17

2017

-18

2018

-19

2019

-20

$500,000

$550,000

$600,000

$650,000

$700,000

$750,000

$800,000

$850,000

Budget Gap by 2017 is 9.1%

Current spending trajec-tory Likely revenues

Source: Marguerite Roza, Research Associate Professor at the University of Washington's College of Education and Senior Scholar at the Center on Reinventing Public Education. November 2011; Current spending trajectory assumes no incremental reforms and spending growth of 4%


Why?

Increasing:

• Teaching salaries

• Benefits

• Special Ed programs

• COLA (cost of living adjustments)

Declining:

• Tax revenue

• Enrollment

• Federal Funds


23%

21%

19%

10%

26%

Growth in Per Pupil Expenditure(1970-2005)

Increase # non-teachers (excl SPED)

Increase # of teachers (excl SPED)

Increase # SPED staff

Increase Benefits Rate

All Other

We have created a labor intensive public education system – salaries and benefits increase every year

Source: The Parthenon Group, 2007 from NCES; Educational Research Service; Parthenon Analysis

Almost 75% of growth in spending came from salaries and benefits

Salaries & Benefits


Public education jobs continued to grow through recessions

Source: Marguerite Roza


Typical responses preserve current structures and attempt to do less with less

Furlough days

Frozen salaries

Across the board cuts

Incremental staffing ratio adjustments


Identify new funding sources

Restructure & re-imagine

what is possible

Pray for economic recovery

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1 2 3

Where do you look to begin addressing the gap?


Why is restructuring difficult?

Input Discrete Subject

Requirements

Time Requirements

(Carnegie Units)

Teacher Certificatio

n

Class Size

Desired Outcome

College and Work ready HS graduate

Subject matter proficiency

High quality instruction

Individual Student Attention

Currently “Inputs” are dictated to schools……But schools are accountable for “outcomes”


Who is dictating the inputs?

School

Federal

State

Union

District

Com-munity


1. Restructure teaching job and compensation structure

2. Rethink standardized class size model

3. Shift special education spending

4. Optimize existing time and extend where needed

The four highest priorities for restructuring:


A typical district devotes 1% of teacher compensation spending to reward increased contribution

$500 Million

42%

7%

27%

24%

>1%

Benefits

Increased Contribution

Longevity

Education

Base

Source: ERS Analysis

1. Restructure teaching compensation

2. Rethink class size model 3. Shift special education

spending 4. Optimize use of time

$35M


How can teachers increase their contribution?




Individual and team-based

measurements of student growth

Innovate better ways to deliver instruction and improve student outcomes (academic,

behavioral)

Assume a leadership role in the school and/or

district

Take on larger class sizes or more

challenging classes

Take on a position in a high-priority

school

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Typical districts have opportunities to target class sizes to priority subjects and students

*Core class defined as ELA, Math, Science, Social Studies and Foreign Languages; Non-core defined as Art, Computer Literacy, Vocational, Source: District T and District P high school course data (internal – Resource Mapping presentation); District P 8th grade state standardized test scores




Avg Class Size by Subject AreaDistrict T

27

18

0

10

20

30

9th Grade Core ClassSize

12th Grade Non-CoreClass Size

Avg 9th Grade Math Class Size by Student Performance Group

District P

2624 25

27

0

10

20

30

Repeaters DoubleBasic

One Basic Proficient&

Advanced

Low Performers High Performers


Special Ed is often used as a catch-all program

Low In-

come

African Amer

Male LI AA Male0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

10%9% 9%

16%

4%5%

4%5%

Special Ed Enrollment in “Softer” Cat-egories as Percent of Subgroup

Example urban district

SubgroupOther

Source: Example district student database




“Softer” Special Ed categories include Emotional Disabilities, Mild Intellectual Disabilities and Specific Learning Disabilities.

“Harder” Special Ed categories include Deaf-Blindness, Developmental Delay, Hearing Impairment, Multiple Disabilities, Orthopedic Impairment, Intellectual Disabilities – Moderate and Severe, Traumatic Brain Injury (TB) and Visual Impairment

This is Expensive – Spending per pupil for Special Ed is typically 2X – 4X

compared to Gen Ed


Spending on Special Education has increased significantly

*Sources: “Rethinking Special Ed Spending” by Frederick Hess, Education Next, 6/16/2011; 2006 U.S. Budget, Historical Tables; “The Dropout Rate of Special Needs Students” by Finn Orfano 10/26/2010 in Bright Hub quoting statistics from the US Dept Of Education




Special Education spending has grown from 4% to 21% of

total school spending between

1970 and 2005

Federal Grants to States for Special Education

<$250M

>$11 Billion

Is the increased spending worthwhile?

The drop out rate for students with disabilities is two times

that of general education students

--U.S. Dept of Education


Typical schools allocate time in rigid blocks that don’t change based on need or priority

Core class defined as ELA, Math, Science, Social Studies;, Foreign Languages ; Non-core defined as Art, Computer Literacy, Vocational Source: District P HS Course Schedule Data SY0910, ERS HS Resource Use Analysis

All 9th Graders Repeaters Double Basic 1 Basic Proficient/Advanced0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

70% 69% 75% 72% 67%

29% 28%24% 27% 32%

9th Grade Student Time by Student Performance Category

District P

Core Non-Core Support & Enrichment

9th Grade Student Performance Category

% o

f In

str

ucti

on

al

Tim

e1. Restructure teaching

compensation 2. Rethink class size model 3. Shift special education


Low Performers High Performers


How can schools transform how time is used?

vs.

Larger Class

Larger Class

Larger Class





What can districts and schools do to optimize use of resources?

1. Restructure Teacher Comp•Limit teacher compensation directed towards steps and lanes•Build new evaluation systems to accurately measure teacher effectiveness•Compensate for increased responsibilities & contribution

4. Optimize Use of Time• Longer blocks in key subjects for

struggling students• Regularly adjust time and staffing

according to student progress• Leverage technology to redefine

instruction

3. Shift Special Ed Spending•Reduce Special Ed spending on subscale programs•Move away from class size mandates•Invest in early intervention•Integrate special ed with gen ed as much as possible by employing dual certified and teacher teams

2. Rethink Class Size Model• Strategically raise class sizes

where appropriate• Highlight class size vs. teacher

quality trade-off


Trade-offs for Transformation

For the same cost a typical 25,000 student urban district can:

ERS’ District Reallocation Modeler (DREAM)

Reduce class sizes grades 4-12 by 2

Pay the top contributing 15% of teachers $10K more

OR

Give all teachers annual step increase

Allow benefits spending to increase

by 10%OR

Provide half-day pre-K for 50% of

incoming Kindergarten

students

Add 60 minutes to the school day in the

25% lowest performing schools

OR


Hold ‘Em Experience

Ga DOE + 5 districts

Rochester, NY

Duval County, FL

Prince George’s County,

MD

Memphis, TN

Cleveland, OH

Aspen CFO/CAO network

Council of Chief State

School Officers

PIE Network

Now it’s time to play …

School Budget Hold’em

An interactive game to help districts make thoughtful trade-offs as part of the budgeting process

Encourages transparency and accessibility


Why a card game?

Allows you to put on the hat of school district leaders and understand the tough choices they must make

Removes us from the traditional budget process of fighting for resources within silos

Focuses on investing in district priorities by freeing resources from low value- added “historic” uses

Enables teams to engage in open exploration of a range of options available to the district in a low stakes environment

Builds understanding of relative size of different options

Playing cards frees “non-spreadsheet” types to interact in new ways with the budgeting process


ERS Resources:School Budget Hold ‘Em is more than a game …

... it's an interactive exploration of the thoughtful trade-offs school administrators have to make in these challenging

budget times.

Description of savings or investment option

Explanation

FYI: Additional information

Class Size 2.0%Category Investment or Savings as % of

budget

What is a Hold ‘Em Card?

23


The Object of the Game Use the Hold’em cards provided to create a “hand” of investment and savings options to create a budget that moves toward improved district performance while still meeting a budget reduction target of 5%.

Instructions

How to play:

Step 1 Assign Roles and Review Process (score keeper, task master, speaker for share-out)

5 min

Step 2 Read: Quickly read through the sample deck and create piles for “yes,” “no,” or “maybe” for each option.

10 min

Step 3 Review priorities and select your investments: As a group review the scenario and priorities presented and then identify the top investments you would like to include in your hand.

15 min

Step 4 Finalize your hand: Identify new budget total and find savings to meet it.

10 min


Imagine you are the Superintendent of District X:Enrollment/Size: Mid-Large size district with recent enrollment declines

Budget: Current gap is 8%; in fourth year of budget cuts – already cut central office and other operations

Demographics: 45% F&R, 15% Special Ed, 6% ELL

Student Performance: Low in reading/avg in Math – low performers concentrated at 25% of schools

Teacher Comp: 90% of increases over base due to education/ experience

Teacher PD: 4 staff days/year; 75 min daily prep; 45 min collaborative planning

Teacher Evaluation: Not historically rigorous

Setting the Context


Select cards carefully – not all the choices are strategic; larger hands mean more initiatives in place

Consider inter-relationships – Not all choices are independent of each other. Some choices may reduce the value of other choices – you can choose one or the other or make a rough estimate of additional changes.

Accept approximation – The budget percentages are estimates built from averages and including high-level assumptions. They are meant to be directionally correct, but actual district results could vary widely.

Budget cutting in education means cutting staff positions – there will be pain, the question is whether there are ways to leverage it to accelerate the freeing of resources from unproductive structures

Things to consider…


1. What were the biggest insights and/or surprises regarding opportunities for district transformation during budget-cutting times?

2. What particular investments or savings would be feasible or challenging in your state?

3. What role can school boards, state legislators or other elected officials play to achieve desired investments and savings?

4. What action will you take?

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Discussion Questions


Play Hold’em: holdem.erstools.org– Encourage your network to consider a new conversation

around trade-offs

– Facilitators’ Guide allows groups to play independently

– Online version allows you to share your hand

Use your role to advance reform– Change the debate over how to navigate tough times

– Continue to advocate for changes in state laws that limit effective resource use

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Take Action


1. Play using the complete deck with 60 cards

2. Play online at holdem.erstools.org

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Want to play again?

Please return the “mini-decks” to us!

1

2



Please return the “mini-decks” to us!