HomeMy WebLinkAboutSchool District Size coo district size:
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By LORI LERSTAD
Florida's largest
and ELLYN BOODANOFF,
LWV Broward County school districts
In May 1995, the LWVF Conven- District Students
tion adopted the following State Dade 341,120
Program Item: "Study whether the Broward 218,576
Florida Constitution should be Hillsborough 147,788
Palm Beach 137,600
amended to allow for counties to Orange 128,941
form more than one school Duval 126,100
district." Lori Lerstad and Ellyn Pinellas 107,051
Bogdanof were asked by the Polk 74,800
LWVF Board to develop some Brevard 66,679
introductory background informa- Volusia 58,004
tion on the issue because of their Seminole 55
experience and awareness of the Lee 52,302
problems in Broward and other Escambia 45,692
southeast Florida counties. If the Florida's smallest
z. LWVF Convention votes to school districts
continue this study for the next District Students
two years, additional study Lafayette 1,109
materials and information will be Glades 1,149
provided to members. Liberty 1,247
Franklin 1,575
tudy of school district size Jefferson 2,127
is not new 'to the League. Calhoun 2,288
In 1947, when the state of D 2,317
Florida abolished small school H Ham a 2,323
Hamilton 2,336
districts and established new Gulf 2,346
countywide districts, the League Gilchrist 2,651
took a position in support of Washington 3,249
countywide funding for school Madison 3,479
districts. A subsequent League
Holmes 3,820
study in 1970 r esulted in Sup Baylor 4,
Y P Bradford 4,192
port for the consolidation of Wakulla 4,444
small school districts to provide DeSoto 4,616
efficient educational services. At Baker 4,630
that time, the focus was on Hardee 4,974
achieving economies of scale for Source: Florida Department of Education,
small districts. Few envisioned Public School Membership Fall 1996.
that school district enrollments History of Florida's school
would someday swell to more
than 340,000 students, the cur district boundary decisions
rent size of Florida's Dade In 1945 a post-World War II
County School District. committee called Florida Citi-
zens Committee on Education
Current statistics in Florida w commissioned by the
In total, the state of Florida Gov. Millard F. Caldwell. The
has 67 school districts one committee's recommendation
per county. Districts range in was to abolish all small school
size from 1,109 students ,,in districts, and to establish new
Lafayette .County to 341,120 in countywide districts. In 1947 the
Dade County. The disparity in Florida Constitution was
the size of Florida's school dis- amended to create countywide
tricts is best exemplified by one' 'school districts throughout the
high school in Dade County: state. Legislators revisited the
Braddock High. With its enroll issue of school district size in
ment of nearly 5,000 students, the early 1980s, however dis-
this one school is larger than 20 putes over allocation of funds
of Florida's school districts.'; killed the measure. The issue
Following is a list of Florida's. resurfaced again during the 1995
largest (more than 45,000 stu- legislative session and has con
dents) and smallest school Adis sistently gained momentum
tricts (fewer than 5,000; stu- since then, with bills introduced
dents). The remaining 28 school in 1996 and again in 1997 that
`districts fall in the range from would allow for the division of
5,459 to 43,461 students. larger school districts.
y Tm FLORIDA VOTER
SPRING`,-. 997 H:
I s bigger alwa b etter?
1 Recent efforts. to` divide h; St A. Melnick (1 co
Organization of scho �:t, 987)
Florida's 'larger countywide districts across te U S
r h Pares test scores and class of #er
school districts have been fu- ings in Connecticut ssmall
tion growth experienced
Of the 50 states in the United
eled by the explosive; popula- schools •with larger, non=city
States, there are seven that`are counterparts. The study
throughout the state, and pro- predominantly (90 to 100 per- eludes there is no difference be-
jectionsforitscontinuationinto' cent) organized `by` county keen large and small 'school the next decade. school distracts:' Florida,. Geor- districts' achievement scores:
gia (Atlantais divided into three 4 b
Florida's population growth districts), Louisiana, Maryland, Arguments for dividing
Year Population Nevada,' South Carolina and large school districts,° r
1950 2,771,305 West Virginia: Hawaii has a The effort to break up large
1970 6 ,786,443 single, all- encompassing `state school districts (also referred to l
1994 13, 878,905 structure. ".x34> li as subdistricting•') lYl Hoed
2000* 15,865,100 A review of the top t en lay
2010* 18,923,600 P largest
g b egan as a grass -roots effort by
school districts' in the United are n ts frustrated b .the bu
2020 22,198;000 P by ,b
Source: Florida In the 21st Century States shows that the majority reaucracy and perceived unre- l
Bouvier, Leon F. And Weller, Bob. Center of those districts have' city s onsiveness' of their ra idl •-a
for Immigration Studies, Washington, C.C. P P Y
1994 l boundaries, as opposed,', to grow la rge co k
countyw or sing state Their: lobbying efforts' have
Y�
Florida's population has doubled boundaries gained them the support and
in the last 25 years! attention of their stat legisla
Youn families are moving to La rgest U S :school district
Young g to and local officials Recently,
Florida in record numbers; In 1996-97 Student', the Broward County T eague ,o t f
School District Enrollment
1990, 2.1- million students were New York; N.Y.'" 1,075,605 Cities voted to support subdis
enrolled in Florida's lorida' re- kinder- tnctin
P Los Angeles, Calif. 667,305
g arten through 12th g rades. Chicago, In 421,334 Accordin g to Florida Sera Ron
Based on growth projections, Dade Cou Fia 341,621 Klem,(D- Boca Raton) whospori
that number should reach 2.7- Broward County, Fla. 2 cored a :1997' bill to a llow ;for
million by the year: 2000, and Philadelphia, Pa. 212,407; subdistricts, "Many of Florida's
surpass 3.5- million students b Houston Texas 20 9610 c
urp Y
school districtshavebecom to
te
s o
the year 2020.. Hawaii (entire state) 188,485
Detroit, Mich. 183,447,. large and 'too burea
The ten fastest- growing coup
Clark County Nev. 106 S maller sc di ca rt be
y
ties in Honda also rank among v 179 more .'.financi efficient "°and
•In 1995, the California Legislature passed
the lay est school `districts in t
a bill to break up. the Los Angeles unified allow fOr local OVer3lght y
Flo District. The State Board of l O Broward County legisla'
Education has the authority to decide how r
Fastest growing co t he co act ion will be voted on (i.e.. by county tor, Rep.` 'Debbie' Wasserman
g g mmissioners, Los Angeles residents only
in Florida beat board of educatbn) Schultz (I?- Da utes the
l arge si ze o B rowar d s s chool
Pop. Increase 1996 dist rict to its inability to achieve
Stud on academic
County Since 1990 Population .ifs.'.-.'' a 195
9
achievemen a n I
PP
coo ><de 'support' for a'
Broward 136,721 1,392,252 a move
Palm Beach :118,290 981,793. SChopl distriet size h xa lr eferendumtora�se y
Dade .106,122 2,043,316
forschoolconstructionwhenshe f.'
Many studies have been con comrriented, "One of therea
Orange 1 00,065 777,556 ducted regarding; the effect of s ons the enn sales taz failed i
Hillsborough ..76,801 910,855 p Y
Duval 55,466 728,437 s chool district size on acadenuc that it `ran into skepticism, be` f
a chievement.
Lee 48,593 383,706 g f the. most
Brevard 51,286'-" '450,164: One h -cause people felt th sc sys
we llknown, "Losin Local Con tem lacked responsiveness`
Polk 47,325 452,707 trol" by Herbert J. Walberg, a Smaller, more.grassroots-style
Seminole 41,510 329,031 research professor of education boards can respond to concerns
Source: State Bureau of Economic and the University of Illinois, and
quicker.” The Broward County Business Research (Re print Miami Herald Herakl q •r
3-3-97).'. Herbert J.- Walberg ,III (1994), School District currently has a
using data from the National n $14- billionsliortfallinconstruc i
According to the U.S. Bureau Assessment of Educational Pro-, tion `funds needed 1;ecauseof
of the Census, of the 'ntion's gr'ess within 38 states,•supports '.overcrowding due to contiilu
the theo that the 'lar er the
3,142 counties, Broward Count r Y g 4 th mg N enrollment 'growth ;with
is the seventh fastest owin school district; becomes; the .earl' 10,000 students movie
g lower the student a chievement. in each
county in the United States, with' >n each' year. Despite the :des
Dade County 11th and Studies have :,also been con perate need for funds, only, y 29
'ranking ducted that counter the then P
Palm Beach ranking 14th. (Note: r Y percent voted yes on the refer
The state's Bureau of Economic that student achievement is in- endum) A fi fi r
and Business Research uses a ,versely related to sch ool district Hillsborou h,Coun ,.the
different method to calculate size. One such' School state's', third largest public
population' estimates and re- District Size, Student 'Achieve- school district 0(147,788. stu
ports slightly different nom- meet and High School Course dents), business leaders, teach 0
bers.) Offerings in Connecticut" by erg unions and PTA volunteers
SPRING 1997
EDUCATION BACKGROUND ;.I
ti:
ra $71,000 in 1995 to pro-.; school 'district, for example,` a it
mote a half -penny sales tax in 'change in one aspect of an el-
crease to build and renovate school's curriculum','-
schools, and avert double ses- required a parent to coordinate I.
sions. The tax was defeated 60 her efforts with the following''
percent to 40 percent 'A second people: school principal, school'
attempt to pass this tax suc- curriculum `specialist, 'director
ceeded in late 1996 when it was of early childhood and elemen-
expanded to include funds for tary education, director of north' r.
public safety needs and a new area, associate superintendent. football stadium for the Tampa of educational programs, north'
Bay Buccaneers. area superintendent, deputy
Following are the most fre- superintendent of educational
r
I quently given reasons in sup programs arid' superintendent
port of. dividing larger school .of schools Advocates believe.
districts: smaller districts would require
•Reduced tax dollar .waste fewer, layers of bureaucracy
and mismanagement:. In his Effective parental involve
1992 paper entitled, "On Local ment: frequently mentioned
Control: Is Bigger Better au reason for_subdistricting is ,the
thor Herbert J. Walberg dis- ability of parents to have more
cusses the relationship of orga- meaningful participation in
nizational size to efficiency and districtwide, issues such as
productivity, and the growth of school safety policies, bound-
educational bureaucracies.: aries, desegregation, academic
While studies can be found to standards and school construe
support the conclusion that .um•
economies of scale can be In many;. large districts, par-
reached through increased size, en4s Might have to attend as
evidence also supports.: the 7m a month
theory that districts can if the to participate effec
large, s p tive1 decisionmakin These
too arid; at some; point Y in g
i
achieve "dis- economies',' of scale :excessive de on parents
(Cohn Sr Geske, 1990). time often result in a decrease in
Decisions ort the cost- effective their attendance at meetings. 1
use of taxpayer dollars do not Reduced administrative
always achieve that end :A case overhead .Taxpayers have also
in point: Dade County's recently: been Critical of the dollars Spent
opened Miami Northwestern 'on. the large
High School was constructed at necessary to, run. large school
a cost of $75- million :,with an districts. Seethe following illus-
enrollment of 2,567 students. In tration. t, s,
contrast, the average cost of con-
structing a high school of Simi Top a In the t I
lar capacity in Broward County Broward School District
is $41- million.) In Palin-Beach and their annual salaries
t
County, accusations of tax -dol- Administrative Salary
lar waste and mismana I. Su�P end
landed the Palm Beach County
of "schools $15764
School District on the television 3-:' Deputy r
show Prime Time in 1995. The i superintendents $336,639 r
outcome was an early; buy out ,213 each) i
y $112
of the district superintendent's 4, Area ,1 f Y
contract. In Broward Co unty, superintendents $406
C each) a
cost overruns on construction ,,,...•„t
of as much as $345 million a 4 Associate
superintendents $423,
allegations of mismanagement ._,:,f $105,874 each) I
and corruption have resulted in ::1 Executive assistant $105,874 r;=
an ongoing investigation by r Total $1,440,573
state and federal officials.'
Decreased bureaucracy: In The percentage of district ad
order to effect change, -Barents ministration to total staff is also
must work their way through a ;a matter of toricern. Currently;'
myriad of administrators'and of. he,eigltt. argest school dis-
often find it difficult to identify tricts irt` Hillsborough `ti
-r,
the appropriate people
to `ad- County has the largest percent-
dress their issue: In one large age of county-based adminis-
1 l i•
i THE -FLORIDA VOTER
'p r fr -::::-f-,,..--- r ry +w+R1P I `11 a` 1440. Z �P i 1
o f r y
trators to total staff at 1.16 per- funding ce inequiti ld es cou result change;
nt. The average for the eight from the inability of some local u
Broward Conty,:has created is
largest districts is 0:93 percent. districts school districts'• to raise adds- innovation zones organized by
(Source: 1995 -96 Profiles of Profilf Florida tional,,dollars through local ini feeder pattern schools (elRemen 4 i
School Districts Students and Staff Sta- ti atives The].,inequitie tary schools feed into
tistical Report fr
r esult omdifferentials in the middle schools that eventually
..'tax ba of t he n subdistricts feed into onerhigh:'sch'oo1)'in an fi
i Greater in voice attem tt
1 As a school distract increases in Dimuushed academic,op P
Makin Difficul has ..ris
size the vo of each
arent in portunities:Opponents,are g I
P b ecause t r I
1 the district is greatly diminished ...::c. erned th t s d o
not allow sclioot'17'oard''�
Disenchantment occurs when .15;000 st m u m K
members'' t o abdicate their T
despite persistent attendance at size o a d ist ric t und pr opos ed r 7
meetings; consensus le islation a would not afford the •decisionm au t ho rit y to an
numerous
g otherbod The Brow d.Cb
cannot be achieved. Parental economies of scale necessary to Y ,r j a
burnout ensues resulting in provide a vrty of academic ty School B has'recen app
1 lower attendance at parent meet- program s to aie
address th e`varied :;prov a vtie rref end un
`it hat
ings thereby reducing parental needs of the student pop would .chan the `p a" t `s'a „r r;,' a
involvement. p countywide e ge ti of t s
Durii ow er La rge bo ard members s to: six-parttsan
Im roveddecisionmakin sc hool: districts would' lo se t..•� le ai 3
p g sing merriber seats and 3 p
The bureaucracy and the num- power „i nfluence if reduced oun
tisari ct y wid e seats. [Note
ber of meetings required for con- to a smaller size.. Abilit LWVF 'supports a non` salaried
sensus building in larger school cure grants would; be, dimin school board, elected :c otfn'
districts results iii `a• lengthy ishedbecauseofthesmallers ':wide (1960). and'iopartisan j`
decisionmaking process. It can Ability, to make purc 'election of school boar`dTirefii- t.
and has taken' years in some provide services in bulk would bers Oki': a`districti4ide �basi's
situations to'determine that an be diminished ".Ability :to`,in (1970).] n x`�' ft #c' i f
ineffective and costly p ro am ence' artnershi s with other ,:,y i j4 4= 4
Y P Sr P P e .4
should be removed fromaclass- institutions ;and business Laws and statutes t 64;,, ,4,i
room setting although would be reduced Influence of ,..::::related to subdlstrl t L g
immediately recognized the „the districts' legislativei lobby Florida Coristitutioh?t 4 i i y
need for change t fists wouldsalso be reduced ,.1 'C�
f {r,i:; I (S ,4` 811th' 7
Improved 1 academic ••Duplicate administrative Florida' Cons rakticles;
i cl i a' itt Adv i ain ov T h e for m at ion of:, 7 th each c ount y co e a
tain that a sm district 'Will sep districts, each: with its school "ditrict Howtve;;afie
be more responsive to,'student own board and superintendent' 'voters• or: contigii
needs: 1 would increase costs.; Oppo ou s c ou n ties zna jd`e io fokiii
nets point =to recent costs. ins '`on Sch
e ool ditrict: The electors
Arguments against Iar dividing cur reu b the •.Dade ."District 'of ea c h county,finust
a school districts Y p r
9 School Board as a forecasts of su ch a prop by:a local refe
.Op ponen ts. of, dividing •large excesses to
come: Since mcreas 1 en No di st ric ts h ave ex ec
school district
teach-
i it s Board la ea r+from seven :•+.��tii�,i�
g y cas this o
ers union `conce about members nine; the costof sup f Section 081F"S "`'create the
le contracts and the
multi cre- porting theadditionaltwoboard o n
p p g •a Education Finance Pro
ation of independent unions; members has reached $258,000 gram' (FEFP), r whi h� pr
school bo that fear a loss of
Re seg u r re n i t l y e fu nduigforistudeTts
power; blaek le c o n cer n ed large school distriCfS' have the across the 'stateThe! program
about re- segregation and loss of flexibility to: change as :the ::1 L
combines state' dollar' s and• rev fi r'
funds; and Florida's TaxWatch, a
Si ents: coup i to, ad enue from. l ocal proper ta .4
which is concerned about du.- g tY r. x k i
dress socioeconor uc aric#. d emo in a for th l iocates h fn J s
placation of administrative costs.
gra hic shifts in nei hborhoods t'; :to school districts ,according to a
Broward and Dade' counties graphic
districts, would allow student, population and, cost. of 1
have the only school boards to for the re-se r e S ation of s chools educational rograts 1'a
formally oppose the ,1997 pro- I t r l ,1 s�.ket
posed legislation to`amend the m
Academic achievement 'BIIIS'submitted .3, 1 .a o'
state Constitu to a llo w for `Proponentsofmaintaininglarge to state Legislature' r 9 n
s c hool:" districts.:'maintain' that is'tlie is 'con
subdistricts in large counties.
F is an overvie of divadng th e district w ill not in.
crease academic achieyement Y that ear tt the 1 L'e c y
r
the m ost commonly mentioned sidered bills to'alloWforFtl1e d
reasons for o osm su.bdis- ro blems vision of •lar a s' ".di "digs rids.
pP g Effort toed ro
tricting a r e p ra sx� g t
s
inherent to large l' t y 1:f i •�;In 1996 t a Le g!s1atuure `tohsicl
L ack of safe uards: A ma- 'e a joint r esoliltioli fo amend
g school districts r� >a °f. 1 1 4
jor concern cited by opponents, In D Count a 199 refer th Constitution td provide that
.1; co :inties with irior thari 000
,is the fear that proposed consti-
•.endum; altered; the `face of-its i
tutional 'amendments do not :schoolboardasitswitche' WFTE` (weiglnled 'ftu1lttime
rovide enou ••details to pre- equivalent) s t u de n t s ma be di
P g P count e t o sing q 1 Y
vent disparities among the sub- zvided two' or m ore s
mem d ist r icts..A c ccusations rrx
districts. �t
of arochialismindecisionmak Piease see
Funding. inequity: District m have, surfaced siince' the SCHOOL' DISTRIC page :8
and make provisions fo school or combinati of m u n i d ah
School i p
dis obligations The 3 pro ties within the o
ou i 4ubject tow f
from 7 gy.
p p osalwouldbesubject'to,coiirt approvalbycounreferendm
districts by special law and sub-_ and local referendum approval Except for age vied for
ject to court approval and local Funding' would continue to'be bonded indebtecbi s; ending
voter referendum The bill died based on.i the countywide ta for operation d dal pu lay m comm t rolls and. alloca based on school su districts estab-
Senate Bill SJR 294 This 1997 each school district's WFl b stu- fished under th i w ill be,[+j
9M y�r dbf`I' 2� N
resolution, basically the same as dents Follo �rmg adoption t of calculated on coon rHnd ba
a
;last year's bill, proposes an this bill, the amendment would sis and allocated d s, rot'f videdby,
3��KS: 4. j a
amendment to the Constitution be submitted for voter approval, law. This means a state swill
thatwould ermit counties with at the general election held in continue to execute �theEEFP
p November 1998: The currentbill county regardless of how ma ny
more than 45,000 WFTE stu- 8
dents to divide into multiple would affect 13 of the state's 67 o districts a c divides unto It.; j
sz ;''�t�� �sChOOldlStrlCtSII1a •ti
school districts, with no district school districts also p a mgre t
smaller. than, 15,000.. It also pro- Senate Bill SJR' 1730 This t yoperateand
vides that a. commission be cre- resolution'' 'Would-nen Sec- .financ joint educatiolial:pro-
ated by special act to draw lion 4 of Article IX of the Conti- grams. `�`?`t �b
school district boundary lines, tutiontoprovidethatanycounty the Voter go e' l o`press,
allocate school district assets, may subdivide by munici ali
the outcome of then o mea
Y Y p 'ty
z sures remains undecided: o•
7