Growth of staff vs students for the last 23 years

A gentleman (Jeff Myers) out of Oregon put together an interactive website for the entire USA where you can choose your state and school district. The website is: https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/jmyers/viz/HowStudentEnrollmentandStaffingHaveChangedOverTime/StudentandStaffChangesoverTime

The data shows the time (1992-93 to 2024-25) and student headcount change vs. staff headcount (with options to look at teachers and/or support staff). It’s enlightening and informative.

For this article we’re going to look at the Battle Ground School District in Washington State. Why this district? Because it has failed the last 3 enrichment levies and is in the midst of cutting $20 million from their $200mm budget. Please take the time to review your school district and compare to others. Here we offer screen shots of Staff/Students as well at Teachers/Students and Non-teachers vs. Students so you get a complete view.

Takeaways? The number of staff and support staff has grown dramatically over the decades. Since personnel costs consume 80-85% of a districts budget it’s the only real place to control expenses.

Here are the screen shots.