Here's the link to a goodly list of information and data on the Department of Education, Office of School Financial Management website : www.doe.in.gov/finance
The particular information I will post below came from this document "General Fund Summary of Expenditures by Program and Per Pupil Costs" .
The document defines "General Administration" as "expenditures in support services-general administration programs/legal services, community relations, and superintendent's office (all accounts 23110-23290)". This would be Central Office administrators and expenses, and would not include building administrators, like Principals.
I have used the figures for the size of the general fund and the number of students in each district to calculate percentage of general fund expenditures and per pupil costs for the General Administration (GA) expenses in each school district in Marion County. These are the results:
MSD Decatur Township -- spent $4.1 million on GA,
which amounted to 10.7% of the general fund expenditures
and $674.35 per pupil.
Franklin Township Community School Corporation -- [edited on 4/16/10 to correct FTCSC numbers - these are the corrected figures] spent $1.1 million on GA,
which amounted to 2.1% of the general fund expenditures
and $126.84 per pupil.
MSD Lawrence Township -- spent $1.5 million on GA,
which amounted to 1.6% of the general fund expenditures
and $101.10 per pupil.
MSD Perry Township -- spent $0.9 million on GA,
which amounted to $1.0% of the general fund expenditures
and $65.29 per pupil.
MSD Pike Township -- spent $1.2 million on GA,
which amounted to 1.8% of the general fund expenditures
and $113.62 per pupil.
MSD Warren Township -- spent $1.4 million on GA,
which amounted to 1.8% of the general fund expenditures
and $123.24 per pupil.
MSD Washington Township -- spent $1.7 million on GA,
which amounted to 2.8% of the general fund expenditures
and $172.66 per pupil.
MSD Wayne Township -- spent $1.5 million on GA,
which amounted to 1.6% of the general fund expenditures
and $107.23 per pupil.
Beech Grove City Schools -- spent $0.9 million on GA,
which amounted to 6.1% of the general fund expenditures
and $389.32 per pupil.
IPS -- spent $8.1 million on GA,
which amounted to 2.7% of the general fund expenditures
and $236.56 per pupil.
School Town of Speedway spent $0.3 million on GA,
which amounted to 3.0% of the general fund expenditures
and $207.35 per pupil.
At this point, if you aren't outraged by the fiscal irresponsibility of the MSD Decatur Township Administration and School Board, you simply have not been paying attention.
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28 comments:
O M G !!!
I am beyond disgusted at the way that these "leaders" have decided that it is ok for them to keep raking in the large paychecks while we are losing valuable teachers and staff. Seriously Stinson is willing to take a paycut...to 250k a year!!! this just tells me even more that he has no concept of how the people in this township really live on a day to day basis. obviously other twnshps have no problem finding supers who are willing to make less. My daughter had a kindergarten teacher last year (Erin Whitfield) who is one of the few people who can really get through to her. She was and is still an incredible teacher, even if it was only her first year teaching. Erin continues to help with my child, even now. The teacher that she has this year can barely handle her. There is a serious lack of communication when problems do arise, and, while she is a very sweet and caring woman, she lacks a real authoritative presence in her classroom and has real issues with organization. Yet because Erin is only in her 2nd year, she is on the chopping block. How is it right for the administrators to make such insane amounts of money while cutting the teachers who will truly bring this township into 21st century??? You want real solutions? They should take the average household income for the township and the Super should make that amount. I know for sure that the average in Decatur isnt 250 - 300k. That should save about 5 or 6 teachers at least. Lower the pay of the rest of the admin to follow suit and it should save 10 more. Sell the concentra building and you have enough to save some more. Add in the retirees, and fire the teachers who are KNOWN to be lacking the skills needed to really do what it takes to get the test scores up, and viola! no layoffs. I only wish that I could have gone to bat for Erin's job when they had the meeting over that. Unfortunately we had a death in the family and were unable to attend.
Anon 11:10
You can still go to bat for Erin's job. The board will be discussing RIFs tonight. Go - tell the facts.
Decatur Township Kids are the most Over Administered and Under Educated Kids in the Metropolitan Area!!!!!!!!!
It will be so funny to see 30-40 people at the School Board meeting tonight. All you people that hide behind a computer should be ashamed of yourselves. Stinson is right; you're all a bunch of Jerry Springer wannabes! Typical Decatur Township mentality. You're letting them get away with all this!
I, for one, will be there. Even if I have to drag my kids with me. I talked to someone from the township and they informed me that the meeting was from 6 to 830 in the board room. I saw on here that it was supposed to be at 7 at the DILC so I went on the schools site to try and find a time and it took me a good 15 minutes just to locate it. the meeting isnt even listed on the township calendar on the website. They definetely do not try to get the word out about dates and times do they? Most parents have no idea what is really going on. They are focused on their kids, not the district as a whole. Well, now I know whats going down and I refuse to stand idly by and watch the trainwreck. It may not have much of an impact, but I will at least throw my 2 cents in.
Hey "concerned parent"....if you're so "concerned" get out from behind the computer and go to the school board meeting. What? An excuse? Shame shame shame...
hey anon 340:
Can you not read? I am pretty sure that the meeting doesn't start until 7. I said that I will be there, kids in tow if need be. If all your looking for is a fight, then what's the point? That's not very constructive. Will YOU be there? hmmm
Anon 3:33.
Thank you. You are important and you have nothing to be ashamed of or to apologize for. Stinson, his assistants, and the Board should be ashamed and apologetic but they are not. No matter how many come tonight, the facts are the facts. They took advantage of the community. They were less than open and honest and they try to continue to hide their problems. THE BOARD CAN CHANGE THEIR MINDS TONIGHT BUT THAT WOULD TAKE COURAGE AND WOULD MEAN THAT THEY ARE FINALLY LOOKING AT THE FACTS --Doubt that will happen but you and all the others who have studied the facts can be at peace with yourself. No one desires to see a Jerry Springer put down. No one has opened up the door to Peyton Place. People just want the best education possible for their kids - not an unreasonable request. People just want to spend a fair price for administrators - everyone in this country knows that the administrator salaries/benefits are out of line and they will not go hungry on less pay.
anon 3:26-3:40 -- what exactly are you doing to improve things? All I hear is carping when others try to say they are going to the school board meeting. You've made whatever point you have to make. Why not try to pull the wagon with us instead?
anon 3:33 - the website specifically says that tonight's meeting begins at 7:00 in the DILC. Perhaps you heard about the start time for the executive session, which is not a public meeting.
Good for you for stepping up - kids in tow if need be.
Thanks, I found the info after looking for it for a while on the website. The point I was trying to make was that it wasnt something that they really advertised....You kind of have to look for it...its not even listed on the calendar of events. Things like this should be advertised openly, put on the home page of the districts website for all to see, rather than having to dig for the information, thats all. I will be there, at 7 at the DILC. I have everything that I want to say written down (I dont handle speaking in large crowds well) and I hope that it is met with open hearts and minds.
Concerned Parent:
Just a reminder to sign up to speak. So glad you are speaking.
Just drove by the DILC...looks like lots of media is setting up...and LOTS OF SECURITY! Cops all over the place......looks like someone is expecting trouble?
http://www.in.gov/omb/dollarsToClassroom/06-07/M_S_D_Decatur_Township_(5300).pdf
Ten year increase from 1997-2007
this is even worse
Anon 8:04
Could not get to this info. Please tell us again. Thanks.
April 14th....try to copy paste into your address area....I went right to it
check this out http://www.theindychannel.com/news/23164985/detail.html
It's scary that when you look at the the expenditures on this report that the major increases that are between 100-500% are all in the areas of the offices, land, other (love that one) and yet negative or a decreases happen in areas of education such as vocational, business, so on and so on.
Channel 6 had a report on this general administration expense in Marion County. Bobby Hire was interviewed and Jeff Zaring from the Indiana Department of Education. Stinson was out of the office! The media is finally reporting some of this.
Yes, I saw that. I'll post a link as soon as the video is up on the WRTV website. Kara Kenney has done a great job, two nights in a row ! We hardly ever get a light shone onto the Decatur school district problems and now we got two nights in a row !!! It helps if the WRTV website gets hits on these items - then they know there is enough interest to warrant their time and effort.
Maybe other news outlets will begin to pay attention, too.
And now that exact info was on WRTV at 7...how much more are we going to take? What can we do? Is electing 2 new school board members enough?
My children are receiving an excellent education in Decatur Township. I know how hard the administration works in Decatur Township and I will continue to support this administration over a cruel wanna be that has nothing better to do than set behind a computer and stir up community members with half baked facts.
Anon 10;08
Half baked facts? Maybe you should read all of the facts and links to verified facts from D.O.E and Dept. of Gov. Finance that Pat has provided on this blog. Pat always checks her facts and provides the truth.. It is the administration in this Twp. that hides the truth and refuses to provide public imfo. when asked for.
I have too much respect for the educators in Decatur Township to access this site, however, the information is becoming slanderous. Ignorance is not illegal but at the very least it should be ignored. The information on this blog led to a reporter at Channel 6 publicly reporting false information about the district. She accused Decatur Township of spending 11% of its general fund on central office administration. I am appalled that Channel 6 would air such an erroneous report. With a little rudimentary investigating, which included calling and asking administration, I was able to uncover the true story. Ms. Kenney's ignorance of educational matters and her inexperience at investigative reporting has resulted in district anxiety over financial matters that do not exist. Anyone with minimal problem solving skills could have foreseen and concluded that paying 8 central office administrators from general fund would not calculate to over 4 million dollars. The 4 million dollars reported was for ALL Decatur administration including: a high school, an alternative education high school, a middle school, 2 intermidiate schools, 4 elementary schools, an early childhood center and 8 central office administrators. I would encourage anyone reading this correction to the record to call Channel 6 and demand a retraction and a public apology to the district. I would also encourage them to replace Ms. Kenney with someone who has a working knowledge of educational matters and the experience to report responsibly and accurately. I am also encouraging you to quit reading what is posted on this site. It is mean spirited and untruthful, and we in Decatur Township deserve more.
anon 9:51 - its too bad that you didn't at least read the DOE report, linked to from this blog entry. The data are supplied to the DOE from the districts themselves. In addition, the DOE definitions clearly separate central office expenses from school building expenses in the General Fund - which is the primary operating fund.
General Administration is defined as "Expenditures in support services-general administration programs/legal services, community relations, and superintendent’s office (all accounts 23110-23290)".
School Administration is defined as "Expenditures in support services-school administration programs/principal’s office (all accounts 24100-24900)".
Looking at other financial reports with more detail and these very account numbers listed, Decatur reported to the DOE the following amounts spent in the last school year (2008-2009) as:
23110 Service Area Direction - Board of Education = $13,216.75
23150 Legal Services = $ 17,173.70
23190 Other Governing Body Services = $13,153.98
23210 Office of the Superintendent = $4,063,087.60
23290 Other Executive Administration Services = $20,724.44
All of those would be General Administration accounts.
24100 Office of the Principal = $1,859,532.03
This is the only account listed under School Administration.
Seems pretty clearly divided - the categories even say "Office of the Superintendent" and "Office of the Principal". And at the end of the day, that is how businesses and government alike track revenues and expenses, but accounts within specific funds.
YOU GO GIRL!!!
Anon9;51
We are waiting for a retraction from you and a public apology to Ms. Kenney from Channel 6.
Thank God ignorance is not illegal or you would be in jail doing life without parole.
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