The “Fruits” and the Future of Centralization in Public Schools
 | Benjamin Scafidi, Ph.D. Posted: January 20, 2014 |
Dr. Scafidi is the director of the Economics of Education Policy Center and professor of Economics at Georgia College & State University.
School district consolidation was pitched as a way to save administrative costs in American public schools. Instead, public school administration has mirrored the trend of virtually every other government input: growth. Such centralization has contributed to a decrease in the ability of parents to “vote with their feet” for better and/or more appropriate schools for their children.
From the 1949-50 school year until the 2010-11 school year, the number of American school districts declined by about 84 percent, while the American population increased by just over 100 percent. However, during that same period, the number of school district and administrative staff and school principals and assistant principals increased about three times as fast as the increase in students. “Support staff”—which includes school district administrative support staff, school and library support staff, student support staff, and other support services staff—increased more than five times as fast as the increase in students.
Changes in the Number of K-12 Public School Students, Administrators, Administrative Support Staff, and School Districts in America, 1949-50 to 2010-11
Changes in the Number of K-12 Public School Students, Administrators, Administrative Support Staff, and School Districts in America, 1949-50 to 2010-11
Source: Tables 35, 36, and 92 of the 2012 Digest of Education Statistics, National Center for Education Statistics at the U.S. Department of Education.
I am not suggesting school district consolidation caused the massive increases in school and district administration and administrative support. But any savings that might accrue from