Delaware School Administrator Funding Analysis

PROJECT SYNOPSIS

The following report has been prepared at the request of House Concurrent Resolution (HCR) 39 Task Force to Study School District Consolidation, which was established by the Delaware General Assembly in July 2017. The University of Delaware’s Institute for Public Administration (IPA) began work on this study in May 2018. The project team was tasked with conducting an analysis of the historical formulas and current placement of school district- and building-level administrators across Delaware by completing the following four items:

1. Examining the current funding formulas for district- and building-level administrators
2. Identifying the number and types of administrators by district and building, including how they are funded
3. Utilizing teacher-, paraprofessional-, student-, and task-related data at the building level to ascertain span of responsibility for districts
4. Identifying administrator funding formulas or guidance from neighboring states including Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Virginia and peer states including North Carolina and Tennessee

This report includes an overview of Delaware’s public education system and its funding structure, an examination of the responsibility areas that district-level and building-level administrations are required to oversee, an analysis of the current placement and funding sources of district office and school staff, an overview of funding formulas utilized by neighboring and peer states, and a summary of key findings. It is the project team’s hope that the information included in this report can help guide future conversations regarding education service delivery in Delaware.