MCPS STAFF ALLOCATION PROCESS
III. MCPS STAFF ALLOCATION PROCESS
A. Introduction
MCPS staff in the Office of School Administration (OSA) and the Office of Instruction and Program Development (OEPD) allocate teacher and instructional assistant positions to individual schools based on the staffing guidelines adopted by the Board of Education. Principals then assign instructional staff and establish class sizes based on multiple factors, including the number of instructional staff allocated to the school, student enrollment, curriculum requirements, and student and teacher interests and abilities. This chapter reviews:
The Office of School Administration (OSA) allocates the majority of the MCPS school-based positions. Divisions in the Office of Instruction and Program Development and the Office of Supportive Services also determine some position allocations. Table 6 (page 26) lists the positions that each office or division allocates according to established guidelines. For reference, Appendix B contains a MCPS organization chart.
This chapter reviews the allocation of the following school-based instructional positions:
This report does not describe the allocation of special education staff. The Department of Special Education allocates those positions, based on a separate set of staffing guidelines. This report also does not describe the allocation of Principals/assistant principals, counselors, media specialists/assistants, and support staff other than instructional assistants.
MCPS staff base the staff allocations on the Board adopted staffing guidelines, which indicate how many positions should be distributed to each school. MCPS publishes the staffing guidelines annually in the operating budget. Appendix C contains a copy of
the staffing guidelines from the MCPS FY 98 approved budget. MCPS used these guidelines to allocate staff for the 1997-98 school year.
The MCPS staffing guidelines are not the same as the Board of Education's maximum class size guidelines. The staffing guidelines designate the basis for allocating staff positions to individual schools. The maximum class size guidelines indicate the Board's class size goals.
Table 6: Offices Responsible for Determining Staff Allocations
Office of School Divisions in the Office of Instruction Divisions in the Office of
Administration determines and Program Development Supportive Services
the allocation the following determines the allocation the determines the allocation
positions: following positions: the following positions:
classroom teachers Division of Aesthetic, Health, and Physical Division of School Plant
cluster magnet/special Education': Operations:
program support teachers elementary level art teachers building services
disadvantaged support/ elementary level music teachers employees
alternative teachers elementary level physical education
ESOL support teachers teachers Division of Food and
instructional support teachers Nutrition Services:
mainstrearning support Division of ESOL: food service employees
teachers ESOL teachers
QIE/Academic Support ESOL instructional assistants
teachers
special needs teachers Division of Early Childhood Services:
physical education, music, and Title I staff
art teachers Head Start staff
reading teachers Extended Elementary Education
instructional assistants' Program (EEEP) staff
media specialists
media services technicians Department of Special Education:
media assistants special education staff
principals Division of Career and Technology
assistant principals Education:
counselors vocational support positions
secretaries career prep teachers
career information assistants
1. Includes the following kinds of instructional assistants: regular, kindergarten, grade 1-2, Quality Integrated Education, Instructional System for Mathematics, English composition, computer lab, Success for Every Student. 2. Staff in the Division of Aesthetic, Health, and Physical Education work with the Office of School Administration staff to determine the allocation of elementary level physical education, music, and art teachers to individual schools. The Office of School Administration determines the allocation of secondary level physical education, music, and art teachers and includes those positions in the classroom teacher allocation.
B. Steps in the Staff Allocation Process
The remainder of this chapter describes the steps in the staff allocation process. The flow chart in Table 7 (page 28) illustrates these steps. The flow chart also describes the operating budget development process, which takes place in conjunction with the staff allocation process. To illustrate the staff allocation process, this chapter refers to the 1997-1998 school year allocation and FY 1998 budget development process.
Step 1. Staff in the Department of Educational Facilities Planning and Capital Programming develop enrollment projections for the 1997-1998 schoolyear
Enrollment is a key determinant of staff allocations. In fact, the staffing guidelines base the majority of the allocations on enrollment based formulas. The Superintendent completes his recommended budget in late November or early December, before actual student enrollment figures for the next school year are available. As a result, MCPS staff base the number of positions to include in the Superintendent's recommended budget on projected enrollment.
The MCPS Department of Educational Facilities Planning and Capital Programming forecasted projected enrollment for the 1997-98 school year during September and October 1996. Staff developed statistical forecasts of student enrollment in each of the next six school years, and for 10 and 15 years into the future. MCPS staff based the number of positions in the Superintendent's FY 1998 Recommended Operating Budget on this projected enrollment data.
According to MCPS staff, the statistical forecasts are based on a variety of information. MCPS compile a history of each school's enrollment and analyze patterns in the aging of students from one grade to the next. Identifying these patterns enables staff to forecast the number of students that will be in each grade in the future. The forecast also incorporates the demographics of the communities (e.g., births, migration, new housing developments), characteristics of the schools and the neighborhoods (e.g., the special programs offered at the schools), and economic activity at the local, regional and national levels (e.g., residential construction and sales activity).
The Department of Educational Facilities Planning and Capital Programming publishes the results of the enrollment forecast in a memorandum to the Board of Education each October. The memorandum lists the projected enrollment for the next school year for each grade level in each County school.
TABLE 7 NOT INCLUDED HERE: "1997-98 School Year Staff Allocatin Process and FY 98 Operating Budget Development Process"
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Table 8: FY 98 Classroom Teacher Staffing Guidelines
Position Staffing Guideline Formula
Kindergarten Classroom Teachers 21.4:1 a
Elementary School Classroom Teachers 24.6:1 b
Middle School Classroom Teachers Regular Enrollment x 7 Periods/Day
Average Class Size of 28.9 x 5 Periods/Day
High School Classroom Teachers Repular Enrollment x 6.8 Periods/Day
Average Class Size of 31.1 x 5 Periods/Day
a MCPS staffing guidelines indicate that Kindergarten teachers are allocated at a ratio of 21.4: 1. For the 1997-98 school year, OSA allocated Kindergarten teachers a ratio of 25:1 to generate a teacher reserve. b MCPS staffing guidelines indicate that elementary classroom teachers are allocated at a ratio of 24.6: 1. For the 1997-98 school year, OSA allocated elementary classroom teachers at a ratio of 25.3:1 to generate a teacher reserve.
Each year OSA establishes a teacher reserve by distributing the budgeted classroom teacher positions at a slightly higher ratio than indicated in the staffing guidelines. OSA uses the teacher reserve to later supplement the initial school staff in schools with higher than anticipated enrollment. The staffing guidelines explain the teacher reserve established for that school year.
In FY 98, MCPS budgeted kindergarten classroom teachers at a ratio of 21.4 student per teacher. OSA staff generated a kindergarten classroom teacher reserve for the 1997-98 school year by actually allocating classroom teachers at a ratio of 25 students per teacher. MCPS budgeted elementary school classroom teachers at a ratio of 24.6 students per teacher. OSA generated a small elementary school classroom teacher reserve by allocating positions at a ratio of 25.3 to 1.
The middle and high school teacher allocation formulas in the staffing guidelines take into account enrollment, number of class periods in the day, and an average class size of 28.9 in the middle schools and 3 1.1 in the high schools. The formulas essentially calculate how many classes the school needs if each middle school class contains 28.9 students and each high school class contains 3 1. I students.
These middle and high school formulas determined how many FTE (full time equivalent) classroom teacher positions were included in the Superintendent's FY 98 budget. OSA did not initially allocate all of the budgeted middle and high school positions, in order to create a middle and high school classroom teacher reserve. OSA allocates the reserved teachers after schools determine their actual enrollment, when it is clear which schools experienced higher than anticipated enrollment and need additional staff.
While MCPS budgeted and allocated staff based on the formulas described here, the actual class sizes vary from these ratios. Steps taken later in the staff allocation process determine the sizes of individual classes in each school.
Special Support Teachers
MCPS hires teachers to provide specialized instruction, assist classroom teachers, and support special school programs and student needs. These special support teachers also impact class size, Each principal decides how to use these teachers in the school. Table 9 (page 33) lists the role of each special support teacher and the basis for allocating the teachers, as described in the staffing guidelines. The staffing guidelines base special support teacher allocations on one or more of the following factors:
Measures of academic achievement include MCPS Criterion Reference Test results, Maryland School Performance Assessment Program results, and the number of students who complete Algebra I by the end of grade 9. MCPS measures poverty in terms of Educational Load data. For the 1997-98 school the Educational Load calculation is the percentage of students who currently or ever participated in the Free or Reduced-price Meals System.
Instructional Assistants
Like special support teachers, instructional assistants usually review and reinforce instruction with students in the classroom or with individuals and groups of students outside of the classroom. In some cases the instructional assistants help teachers with administrative tasks, grading, and lesson planning.
MCPS hires different kinds of instructional assistants, allocates instructional assistant positions based on different guidelines, and uses them for different purposes in the schools. Table 1O (page 34) summarizes the purposes of the different instructional assistants and the guidelines used to allocate the positions. Principals decide exactly how to use the positions in the school.
Other Teachers
This report includes the following teachers in a category referred to as "Other Teachers."
The Office of School Administration allocates all reading teachers and includes the secondary level physical education, art, and music teachers in the classroom teacher allocation. The Office of Instruction and Program Development allocates ESOL, Title 1, Head Start, and Extended Elementary Education Program (EEEP) teachers, as well as career preparation and vocational support teachers. OSA and OIPD staff work together to determine the allocations of elementary level physical education, art, and music teachers. The Board adopted staffing guidelines designate the basis for allocating the "other teachers." Table I I (page 35) summarizes the staffing guidelines for these positions.
Step 3. Staff in the Office of School Administration and Deputy Superintendent's Office determine how many of the total positions in the FY 98 budget to allocate to each County school
a. Budget Process
The Superintendent completed his FY 98 recommended operating budget in December 1996. The Board of Education held a series of public hearings and worksessions on the Superintendent's Recommended Operating Budget in January 1997, The Board then submitted its final budget request for FY 1998 to the County Executive and County Council.
By March 15,1997, the County Executive submitted the Executive's FY 1998 Recommended Operating Budget to the County Council. It included the Executive's recommendation on the Board of Education's budget request. During April and May 1997, the Council's Education Committee held worksessions to discuss the Board's requested budget and the County Executive's recommendations on the Board's request. The full Council takes final appropriation action on the operating budget request by May 31 of each year.
Table 9: FY 98 Special Support Teacher Staffing Guidelines
Teacher Purpose Staffing Guideline
Cluster Magnet/Special Support magnet and other special Based on the special programs in
Program Support programs in elementary, middle, the school
and high schools
Disadvantaged Support Success for Every Student Based on Educational Load and
Support/Alternative outcomes and the success of low allocated to special programs and
to average achieving students in centers at the high school level
the elementary, middle, and high (Tahoma, Gateway, Journey,
schools Karma, The Other Way, Lynbrook,
Kingsley, New School)
ESOL Support Provide instructional support and Based on percentage of ESOL
reduce class sizes in elementary students in the school
and high schools with a high
percentage of ESOL students
Instructional Support Provide direct and indirect services Schools with no assistant principal
to students in large elementary and between 464 and 600 students
schools with no assistant principal receive .5 FTE; schools with more
than 800 students receive .5 FTE;
schools with more than 900
students receive 1.0 FTE
Mainstreaming Support efforts to mainstream Based on the number of
Support students receiving intensity 4 mainstreamed students receiving
special education services in intensity 4 special education
regular middle school classrooms services
Quality Integrated Support academic achievement in Based on Educational Load
Education schools with high Educational
(QIE)/Academic Load and low academic
Support achievement levels. Thirteen of the
QIE teachers budgeted for the
1997-98 school year are used to
support all day kindergarten
Special Needs Support Create smaller classes to support Based on special student
middle school students with behavioral/motivational needs
behavioral and/or motivational
problems that interfere with
learning
Table 10: FY 98 Instructional Assistant Staffing Guidelines
Instructional Assistant Purpose Staffing Guidelines
Career Information Support high school career information 1.0 FFE per high school
programs
Computer lab Provide computer lab assistance in middle .75 FIE per middle and high school
and high schools
English Composition Assist high school English teachers Based on the number of sections of
Language Writing Workshops and
Practical Writing courses
ESOL Support ESOL classes, the elementary and Based on the number of ESOL students
middle school METS program and high and METS program students in the
school Intensive English Language Centers school
Grades I and 2 Provide additional instructional support in Based on enrollment, number of
schools with large grade I and 2 classes teachers, and special needs
Head Start Provide support in Head Start classes Four or five hour instructional assistant
(elementary schools only) per Head Start class of 17 to 20 students
Instructional System for Assist with implementation of a program of Based on enrollment at elementary
Mathematics (ISM) mathematics instruction, assessment, data level.
collection, and reporting in elementary and .75 FTE per middle school
middle schools
Kindergarten Provide additional instructional support in Allocated to kindergarten classes with
large kindergarten classes more than 25 students
Qualitv Integrated Support the Quality Integrated Education Based on Educational Load, enrollment,
Education (QIE) policy and educational needs in the school
Regular Provide additional instructional support in Based on enrollment, number of
elementary and middle schools with large teachers, and special programs and
classes and special student and program needs
needs
Success for Every Student Support Success for Everv Student Based on functional test scores
outcomes on functional tests at the middle
and high school level
Teacher assistant Assigned to comply with Americans with Based on ADA requirements and/or
Disabilities Act accommodations for staff enrollment and special school needs
members and/or to support special school
needs
Title I Provide additional instruction assistance in Based on a formula that weights the
elementary schools eligible for Title I staff percentage of students approved for the
Free and Reduced-price Meals System,
actual number of students enrolled in
the free and/or reduced priced lunch program, percentage of students receiving ESOL services, and mobility rate
Table 11: FY 98 Staffing Guidelines for Other Teachers
Teacher Staffing Guideline
Career Preparation Based on schools' special career and technology
education programs and county wide career/intern
programs
ESOL OIPD allocates elementary school ESOL teachers at a
ratio of 4 1: 1, middle school at a ratio of 3 2: 1, and high
school at a ratio of 30: 1. The Multidisciplinary
Educational, Training, and Support program' staff are
allocated at ratios of 15: 1.
Extended Elementary Based on a student teacher ratio of 20 to I
Education Program (EEEP) 2
Head Start .6 FTE teacher per Head Start class of 17 to 20 students
Physical Education, Art, Based on a ratio of 557 students per teacher at the
Music elementary level, with consideration of the number of
Head Start, special education, and preschool classes in
the school. The middle and high school level physical
education, art, and music teachers are allocated based on
the classroom teacher allocation formula (see Table 8).
Reading Elementary schools with fewer than 400 students receive
.5 FTE and schools with 400+ students receive 1.0 FTE.
Each middle school receives 1.0 FTE. In some cases,
OSA allocates reading teachers based on immediate
reading needs at individual schools.
Title I Based on a formula that weights the following factors in
eligible schools:
1. percentage of students approved for the Free and
Reduced-price Meals System;
2. actual number of students enrolled in the Free and
Reduced-Price Meals System as of October 3 1;
3. percentage of students receiving ESOL services;
4. mobility rate of the student population.
Vocational Support Based on the schools' career development programs,
including cooperative work experience and internships
The goal of the METS program is to prepare ESOL students with interrupted education for the regular
classroom. At the elementary level, students remain in the METS classroom for the entire school day. At
the middle and high school level, students take mathematics, reading, and social studies in MFTS classes
and the remainder of their courses in regular education classes.
2EEEP is a state supported program providing half day pre-Kindergarten education for four-year-old
children. The goal of the program is to help children develop skills necessary for future successful school
performance.
b. Allocation Process
With assistance from the Deputy Superintendent's Office, the Office of School Administration, Office of Instruction and Program Development, and Office of Supportive Services determine how many and which budgeted positions to allocate to each school. Since the budget has not been approved yet, these allocations are tentative. The MCPS final staff allocation must reflect any changes to the Board's budget request after the Council takes final budget action.
While the budget is being developed, MCPS staff begin allocating positions to individual schools, based on the number of positions included in the recommended operating budget and the staffing guidelines. Staff also consider the Board's maximum class size guidelines and the specific needs of individual schools. According to OSA staff, MCPS uses a zero based allocation system. This means that they base each year's staff allocation on annual enrollment figures and school needs, not on the school's previous year allocation.
The Associate Superintendent for School Administration, the Associate Superintendent's assistant and the seven Directors of School Administration meet weekly between January and May to discuss how to allocate staff positions to the individual schools. OSA and OIPD work collaboratively to assign staff from the OIPD allocations to schools.
In May, the Office of School Administration completes a staffing grid for each school. The staffing grid shows which positions (FTES) are allocated to the school, including the staff allocated by the Office of Instruction and Program Development and the Office of Supportive Services. This grid does not include the special education staff allocation to the school, determined by the MCPS Department of Special Education.
Principals received the staffing grids for the 1997-98 school year during the first week of May 1997. Each principal also received a memo from OSA explaining the process used to allocate the staff.
Step 4. Staff in the Office of Planning and Capital Programming update the enrollment projections for the 1997-1998 school year
Student enrollment changes between September and April as students move into and out of the County and within the County. Every April, the Office of Planning and Capital Programming updates the projected enrollment forecast produced in October. They produced an updated enrollment projections report for the 1997-98 school year in April 1997. The report shows the projected enrollment for each grade in each school for the 1997-98 school year.
Step 5. Staff in the Office of School Administration adjust the staff allocation to accommodate the Council approved FY 98 budget and enrollment changes, and the principals determine how to use the staff allocated to their school for the 1997-1998 school year
Staff Allocation Adjustments MCPS staffing is dependent on the approved budget. The County Council takes final action on the Board of Education's operating budget by May 31 of each year. The Board takes final action in June. If the number of positions in the Board's adopted budget differs from the number proposed in the recommended budget, MCPS' staffing must reflect the changes.
The updated enrollment projections provide a more accurate picture of what the enrollment will be in the upcoming school year. OSA bases the remainder of its staff allocation decisions on the updated enrollment projections and adjusts previous allocations, if necessary, to account for the new enrollment projections.
Principals' Decisions
The last step in the staff allocation process involves the principals deciding how to use the staff allocated to their school. Principals assign the staff in ways that best suit the students' needs. This discretion partially explains why class sizes vary from school to school and why most schools' class sizes do not mirror the ratios established in the MCPS staffing guidelines. The case studies in Chapter V of this report examine how principals in six schools use their discretion to allocate staff within the school building and the affect that has on class sizes.
The principals begin deciding how many classes to establish in each grade level or subject area as early as January. They also initially decide how many students to assign to each class or teacher. Principals adjust the staff assignments and class sizes after they receive their staff allocation. The principal also decides how to assign the special support teachers and instructional assistants in the school building. Principals have less discretion in assigning physical education, music, art, reading, Head Start, and ESOL teachers. In these cases, MCPS already established what the teachers will teach and the principals only decide how to schedule the classes.
High school principals have more decisions to make than elementary or middle school principals because of the number of classes offered and the number of staff. Principals must handle the inherent conflict between offering more classes and reducing class sizes, given a set number of staff. As schools offer more classes to increase students' options, the sizes of other classes increase because the additional classes essentially take a teacher away from another place.
MCPS requires that elementary school principals submit an organizational plan to OSA on June 1, July 1, August 1, August 15, and September 6. The plan indicates which
classroom teachers the principal assigned to each grade level and how many students he or she assigned to each class. Secondary level principals also submit reports on the number of oversized and undersized classes in their schools on July 18 and August 1. OSA uses this information, in conjunction with school master schedules and data from the class scheduling system, to track secondary level class sizes throughout the County.
OSA requires that all principals describe how they will use the Quality Integrated Education (QIE)/academic support, disadvantaged support/alternative, and special needs teachers in the school. The principals must report this information to their Director of School Administration during the summer.
According to MCPS, principals often work with their Directors of School Administration to establish their staffing plans and to devise strategies to reduce class sizes and the number of classes larger than the Board's maximum class size guidelines. Principals have a lot of discretion in how staff are assigned, but MCPS requires that secondary classes contain at least 16.
A principal's staffing plan changes throughout the summer in response to:
Principals and central staff collect actual enrollment data throughout the summer and fall. Differences between projected enrollment and actual enrollment may require changes to the staff allocation. Principals request additional staff from OSA, if actual enrollment is higher than expected. The request must indicate why the additional staff is necessary and how the principal plans to use the additional positions. OSA may remove staff from a school's allocation if actual enrollment is lower than expected.
The Associate Superintendent for School Administration, the Associate Superintendent's assistant and the Directors of School Administration review the requests for additional staff In some cases, the Directors work with the principals to attempt to devise a staffing plan that keeps class sizes down without requiring additional staff. In other cases, the Director chooses to "hold and monitor" the situation, or wait for more information or enrollment data before making a final decision.
If OSA approves the principal's request for additional staff, MCPS may move a position from the teacher reserve into the school. In other cases, OSA shifts staff from schools with lower than expected enrollment to schools with unexpectedly high enrollment. The Deputy Superintendent's Office, OSA, and principals coordinate these changes.
MCPS staff may also adjust allocations in response to changes made to the budget adopted by the Board of Education.