Local school decisions

A proposal by House Speaker Catherine Hanaway could put a cap on the amount Missouri schools spend on administrative costs. Hanaway has suggested limiting administrative costs to 10 percent of what a school district receives in state and local funding, but she offers no definition of what's included in administrative costs.

Hanaway acknowledges that a cap likely would require some school districts to make cutbacks at a time when most already are under financial strain. But school districts in our area spend about half as much on administrative costs -- based on salaries only -- as Hanaway's proposal would allow. Her concept would include administrators' pay, secretarial pay and record-keeping costs.

Missouri schools have to compile data about their districts each year for annual report cards that are sent to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and are available to district residents. Those report cards include standard data about average teacher and administrator salaries, as well as attendance figures, finances and percentages of district budgets from state, federal and local sources.

Cape Girardeau schools spent 4.3 percent of a $32 million budget to pay for 23 administrators. The Jackson district spent around 5 percent of its $25 million budget on 20 administrators. At Scott City, the district spent less than 4 percent of a $6 million budget on administrative costs.

Local officials are wary of any proposal that would limit how they spend money. Most schools already have limited requirements for how entitlement funds and grant awards can be spent. And putting a cap on salaries would further limit how school boards could recruit administrators.

Hanaway has said she wants to hear from educators and school boards about her idea. No legislation limiting administrative expenses for school districts has been filed yet.

While Hanaway says her proposal would make sure every possible dollar is going back into the classroom, it would seem that local districts could best make those decisions. Annual report cards about district expenses, salaries and other critical data are made available to parents, voters and legislators. A bill to limit administrative costs would only serve to add another layer of bureaucracy that's not necessary.

While Hanaway's objective to make sure school districts are spending revenue appropriately, it would be best to let local voters to make those judgments, not the legislature.