More money for public schools has increased the number of public school administrators. Their numbers have grown far faster than either the number of students or classroom teachers. Between 2000 and 2019, the number of U.S. district administrators increased by 87.6%. In contrast, student enrollment increased by only 7.6%, while the number of teachers rose by 8.7%. An American Enterprise Institute study found an even starker trend from 1950 to 2009. During that period, student numbers increased by 96%, teacher numbers by 252%, and administrative staff numbers by 702%. If this pattern continues, administrators may eventually outnumber teachers!.
In 2017, Maryland spent $7.7 billion on K-12 education. By 2024, spending had surged to $11.4 billion, a 48% increase. Much of this money has gone to administrators, not classrooms. The Baltimore City Public Schools illustrates this trend. Since 2022, student enrollment has dropped by nearly 2,000. Despite this decline, the number of teachers remained stable at 5,100. Meanwhile, administration-related positions have jumped 18%, from 755 to 891. According to WBFF FOX5 Baltimore, these new jobs are well paid. Director-level positions have risen from 95 to 126, averaging $130,359 per year. Coordinator positions have more than doubled from 27 to 58, averaging $121,131 per year.
The “Kirwan Blueprint,” also known as the “Moore Money for the Teachers Union” program continues to expand Maryland’s education bureaucracy. It adds administrators even as student performance declines. To mask the administrative bloat, principals must devote a token 10% of their time in classrooms. Vice principals must teach 20% of the time.
In March, President Trump criticized Baltimore’s schools. “In Baltimore, 40% of the high schools have zero students who can do basic mathematics. Not even the very simplest of mathematics,” he stated. He also noted, “Students perform worse today than when the department opened” in 1979, referring to the US Department of Education. The Baltimore Banner reported that approximately 5,000 students took the spring 2023 Algebra I test. Fewer than 3% passed.
Statewide, whether the Kirwan Blueprint has produced any progress remains questionable. In 2017, Maryland’s average SAT score was 1063, slightly above the national average of 1060. By 2022, scores had inched up to 1072. But in 2023, they began falling. By 2024, Maryland’s average SAT score had dropped to 1000, below the national average of 1024.
With rising administrative costs and falling SAT scores, many question whether the Kirwan Blueprint truly benefits students. Is it improving education or simply funding administrators and union-backed interests at taxpayers’ expense?
A strong connection exists between top-heavy agencies such as the US Department of Education and the growth of administrative bureaucracy at the local level. New, well-intentioned initiatives at the state or Federal level become new categorical programs, each with their own set of requirements. To qualify, local districts require more administrators to ensure compliance. Over time, the cumulative red tape creates the need for more administrators and ties teachers’ hands.
More broadly, do top-down, one-size-fits-all mandates help classroom performance at all?
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