Pinching Pennies with Good Results - school districts' achievement of low-cost academic success

School Administrator, March, 1996 by Priscilla Pardini

Lokensgard also benefits from not having to negotiate teachers' salaries. In the last four or five years, for example, teachers haven't gotten much in the way of raises.

Another district that doesn't have to negotiate wages is the Decatur, Ala., City School District. Still, Superintendent B.L. Davis describes his district's salary schedule as "competitive for the area." Cagno, in Valley Grove, says his teachers are "not a demanding group of people ... very cooperative--not militant whatsoever." They also earn less than their peers teaching, in two adjacent districts. But Cagno says teachers in his district were more interested in talking about educational goals than steps on the salary schedule. He believes that because teachers are given a say in the development of those goals, "they're willing to give a little more and ask a little less."

The Tradeoffs

To be sure, tradeoffs exist when running a school district on a shoestring. "There's a downside to being cheap" is how Rock Island's Mitchell puts it. In his district, years of low capital costs have taken a toll: deteriorating school buildings and a minimum of technology in the classrooms.

In Solanco, officials have been able to maximize the district's transportation reimbursement, which is based on the number of students per bus, by extending bus routes. But that means students spend more time each day riding buses. In Rock Island, a compact 33-square mile district with 12 elementary schools, Mitchell says the district saves money--and headaches--by exercising a 120-yearold provision in its state charter that exempts it from having to bus students. The downside is that parents must provide for their children's transportation, typically by using local public transit or contracting with a private bus company.

Gussner, of Webster Groves, may save money when his district's early retirement program prompts some of his most expensive teachers to leave the district. In the same breath, he admits, "Some of your most experienced teachers are some of your best teachers." As a result, he is extra diligent when hiring new teachers.

Joseph Murphy, chairman of the Department of Educational Leadership at Vanderbilt University, finds value in identifying school districts that educate students well at a low cost. "We'd be foolish not to try to learn from those districts," he says. However, he cautioned: "Let's not jump to the conclusion that money does not matter. Particularly in central cities, where for a variety of reasons the job is harder, more resources are helpful."

Guiding Principles

If the nine districts differ in how and why they've come to be "cheap," their superintendents attribute the "great" part to a set of similar beliefs and practices. They all talk about hiring excellent administrators and teachers and giving them the freedom they need to do their jobs. Building principals are expected to be educational leaders. Teachers are considered the single most important component of the district's operation.

In addition, the superintendents endorse the view that all students can learn and meet high expectations. They constantly review and evaluate the curriculum, making changes carefully. And when it comes to spending, they plow every penny they've saved back into the classroom. Often that means finding ways to reward -- and retain -- good teachers.