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INDIANA PUBLIC SCHOOLS
ARE ADDING EMPLOYEES FASTER THAN
STUDENTS.
INDIANA SCHOOL CORPORATIONS HAVE
ADDED TEACHERS AT
FIVE TIMES THE RATE OF STUDENTS.
NEWS 10'S PATSY KELLY CHECKED
OUT HOW VIGO COUNTY STACKS
UP.
"INDIANA PUBLIC SCHOOLS NOW ARE
ADDING MORE TEACHERS AND
ADMINISTRATORS THAN THEY HAVE IN
THE PAST DECADE.
THE STUDY CLAIMS SCHOOLS SYSTEMS
HAVE GROWN MORE
COMPLEX AND SCHOOLS HAD TO ADD
STAFF TO KEEP UP.
THE INFORMATION IS FOUND IN THE
"SCHOOL
STAFFING SURGE" BY THE FRIEDMAN
FOUNDATION.
BUT MICK NEWPORT SAYS THAT'S NOT
THE CASE IN VIGO
COUNTY. "THE ADMINISTRATORS IN
OUR SCHOOLS ARE THE SAME AS
THEY WERE." IN FACT, NEWPORT
SAYS
THE SCHOOL CORPORATION EMPLOYED
25 LESS TEACHERS
SINCE 2010. AND IT HAS 97 LESS
TOTAL
EMPLOYEES. STUDENT ENROLLMENT
DECREASED DURING THIS TIME AS
WELL, RESULTING IN
LESS HIRES, PARTLY DUE TO NEW
SCHOOL VOUCHERS.
NEWPORT EXPLAINED THE SCHOOL
CORPORATION
HAS A CERTAIN CRITERIA IT HAS TO
MEET IN ORDER TO ADD NEW
STAFF OR ADMINISTRATIVE MEMBERS.
THE CORPORATION REVIEWS REQUESTS
TO ADD
AN EMPLOYEE VERY CAREFULLY TO
MAKE SURE THE POSITION IS
NEEDED. "WE DECIDE WHETHER WE
CAN SPLIT A STAFF MEMBER
BETWEEN ANOTHER BUILDING OR GIVE
THEM WHAT THEY
NEED. WE'VE DONE ALL THIS
WITHOUT NOT LETTING UP WHAT THE
EXPECTATIONS ARE IN THE
CLASSROOOMS. "
NEWPORT FEELS HAVING LESS
TEACHERS THAN THE INDIANA
TREND IS NOT A BAD THING. "SO WE
FEEL LIKE EVEN THOUGH WE
HAVE LESS STAFF MEMBERS, AND
LESS OVERALL TEACHERS, THAN
WE DID TWO YEARS AGO, WE ALSO
HAVE LESS STUDENTS. BUT
WE ALSO FEEL THAT THEY'RE STILL
GETTING THE EDUCATION
THAT THEY DESERVE." IN VIGO
COUNTY, WITH
PHOTOJOURNALIST JOHN TIMM, PATSY
KELLY, NEWS 10. "
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE STUDY,
LOOK FOR THIS STORY ON
OUR WEBSITE WTHI T-V DOT COM.