Committee reviews proposed 2025–26 staffing formula changes; debate centers on admin growth versus classroom investment

District staff presented proposed 2025–26 changes to the staffing formula to the Finance Committee on March 12, outlining reallocations and formula adjustments affecting assistant principals, counselors, secretaries, media clerks and other subject specialists.

The presentation, delivered during a committee meeting of the Savannah‑Chatham County Board of Education, described several specific formula changes and the district’s approach to pay for them from current‑year savings rather than new recurring funds. Staff said the proposal would reduce fractional (0.5) allocations and convert many to whole positions to improve continuity at schools, and that some central-office positions budgeted in prior years would move to school-level assignments.

Why it matters: The changes would affect how administrative, counseling and support resources are distributed across schools. Board members debated whether adding administrative positions is the most effective use of limited resources, pressing staff for measurable outcomes tied to added roles and for a differentiation mechanism to reflect school complexity (free/reduced lunch, special education, discipline referral rates).

Key proposed changes explained by staff

- Assistant principals: Staff proposed rounding fractional allocations and adjusting the student‑to‑assistant‑principal formula so that, for example, schools in a particular high‑school enrollment band would receive two assistant principals rather than 1.5; staff said the change responds to very large K–8 and high schools that need more onsite administrative support. - Counselors: Staff said many counselor positions budgeted in central administration would be reassigned to schools; staff emphasized the net increase across the district would be one full‑time equivalent, with the goal of aligning staffing with American School Counselor Association standards and high‑school college-and-career advising needs. - Secretaries and attendance: The baseline allocation would be adjusted so that shared 0.5 secretarial positions are rounded to full positions and secretaries would also carry attendance responsibilities to reduce backlog and improve recordkeeping. - Media clerks and technology: The role of the media clerk would expand to include broader technology management for 1:1 device environments and to relieve certified library/media technology specialists of clerical device-management duties. Staff said moving point‑five media positions to whole positions would provide consistency rather than alternating shared schedules across schools. - Other subject specialists: Staff proposed adding elective/subject specialist positions at middle and K–8 levels (band, chorus, world language, arts) so feeder patterns support high‑school course offerings.

Board discussion and points of contest

Board members broadly welcomed the effort to consult principals and to respond to school needs, but several asked for stronger, data‑driven evidence that added administrative staff produces measurable improvements. Members raised alternative priorities such as reducing class size and shifting resources toward direct classroom instruction and asked for metrics (discipline incident reductions, counseling outcomes, attendance improvements) that would justify keeping new positions.

Notable remarks included Dr. Barnes, the presenting administrator, who said, “the first and primary thing that we want administrators to do is be instructional leaders in the buildings that they're serving in,” and a board member who said, “I would much rather hire more teachers than more administrators,” expressing a preference for classroom investment over administrative expansion. Several members asked staff to develop a differentiation model that weights allocations by school complexity (student needs, free‑and‑reduced percentage, special education and discipline load).

Budget and implementation notes

Staff told the committee the proposed adjustments would be funded from current budget savings and that the district expects to return refined materials and corrected slides (staff acknowledged at least one typographical inconsistency between slide colors and values). Staff also said final allocation rules and job descriptions for assistant principals, deans of students and other roles would remain a local implementation decision for principals, with district guidance on expectations.

Ending

The committee did not vote on the staffing formula. Staff were asked to provide clearer documentation, corrected presentation materials, a plan for differentiation by need, role descriptions for assistant principals and media/library personnel, and suggested metrics to measure position effectiveness before the board considers final adoption in the budget process.