Less than three weeks after approving a budget that included $20 million in reductions, members of the Wake County Board of Education face having to reduce the budget by another $19.3 million. The new cuts are in response to Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue’s budget recommendations for K-12 public education. With the Legislature now deliberating the state budget, it is likely the final budget will look different from the Governor’s original proposal. Most current state and local budget estimates make it likely Wake County schools will face additional reductions in the range of $15-$20 million.
Must the expected reductions in Wake County schools budget involve teacher layoffs and impact the classroom? Numerous administrators say such impacts are inevitable. Others advocate additional cuts be made in the office of Central Services. Central Services house the main administrative (i.e., Office of Superintendent, Instructional Services etc. etc.) and support services (i.e., Technology Services, Human Resources etc. etc.). A review of Central Services staffing may help to answer that question.
Chart I shows 2009-10 staffing levels for Central Services (CS). The chart does not reflect the impact of the current WCPSS budget reductions — 68 layoffs and the elimination of 57 vacant positions. All the reductions involve Central Services offices. WCPSS officials report vacant positions will be eliminated from the following offices: Administrative Services (18); Auxiliary Services (7); Chief of Staff (3); Communications (2) and Instructional Services (27). Filled positions, 68 in all, will be eliminated from the following offices: Organizational Development & Support, Intructional Services, Administrative Services, Communications, and Auxiliary Services. The elimination of 68 CS employees constitutes approximately a nine percent reduction in force
Chart I
Central Services
Where do CS employees work? Staff are divided among 13 different offices. These include: Superintendent/ Chief of Staff, Area Superintendents, Communications, Technology Services, Student Services, Instructional Services, Maintenance & Operations, Facilities Planning, Human Resources, Evaluation and Research, Growth & Planning, Administrative Services and Auxiliary Services. Staff listings — by position and number – are listed for each office on the following pages.
| Office of Superintendent/Chief of Staff | Office of Area Superintendents | |||
| Position | Number | Position | Number | |
| Administrator | 1 | Area Superintendent | 6 | |
| Audit Specialist | 1 | Chief Area Superintendent | 1 | |
| Board Relations Specialist | 1 | Director | 1 | |
| Chief of Staff | 1 | Secretary | 7 | |
| Compliance Reporting Specialist | 2 | |||
| Director | 5 | |||
| Executive Asst. to Superintendent | 1 | |||
| Investigator | 6 | |||
| Mail Room Technician | 1 | |||
| Receptionist to Central Office | 1 | |||
| Receptionist to Superintendent | 1 | |||
| Secretary | 6 | |||
| Senior Administrator | 5 | |||
| Senior Directors | 4 | |||
| Superintendent | 1 | |||
| Training Specialist | 1 | |||
| Total Employees | 38 | Total Employees | 15 | |
| Office of Communications | Technology Services | |||
| Position | Number | Position | Number | |
| Administrator | 3 | Administrator | 6 | |
| Asst. Coordinator for Comm. Use | 1 | Customer Support Analyst | 6 | |
| Bindery Clerk | 1 | Database Manager | 1 | |
| Chief Communications Officer | 1 | Department Budget Analyst | 1 | |
| Communications Coordinator | 1 | Director | 5 | |
| Coordinator for Lifelong Learning | 2 | Information Security Architect | 1 | |
| Customer Service Reps. | 2 | Operations Analyst | 2 | |
| Dept. Budget Analyst | 1 | Operator | 2 | |
| Director | 2 | Oracle Function Business Analyst | 1 | |
| Graphic Designer | 2 | Programmer | 2 | |
| Other Professional | 1 | Programmer Analyst | 1 | |
| Print Specialists | 5 | Secretary | 3 | |
| Secretary | 3 | Senior Administrator | 7 | |
| Senior Administrator | 8 | Senior Director | 4 | |
| Community Schools Technician | 1 | Software Testing & QA Analyst | 1 | |
| Systems Administrator | 2 | |||
| Systems Analyst | 3 | |||
| Systems Integrator | 1 | |||
| Systems Programmer | 3 | |||
| Total | 34 | Total | 52 | |
| Student Services | Instructional Services | ||
| Position | Number | Position | Number |
| Administrator | 3 | Administrator | 3 |
| Intervention Coordinator | 1 | BELC Coordinator | 1 |
| Asst. Superintendent for Stu. Services | 1 | Budget Technician | 2 |
| Budget Technician | 1 | Chief Academic Officer | 1 |
| Central Records Technician | 1 | Communications Specialist-LEP | 1 |
| Coordinating Teacher | 2 | Coordinating Teacher for Special Ed | 1 |
| Counseling Coordinator | 2 | VoCATs Coordinator | 2 |
| Data Manager | 5 | Customer Support Analyst | 1 |
| Dept. Budget Analyst | 1 | Data Manager | 2 |
| Director | 8 | Departmental Budget Analyst | 2 |
| Lead Psychologist | 2 | Director | 11 |
| Lead Social Worker | 1 | Dissemination Specialist | 1 |
| Lead Speech Pathologist | 1 | Media Materials Specialist | 1 |
| Office Manager | 1 | Processing Technician | 1 |
| Secretary | 18 | Program Specialist | 1 |
| Senior Administrator | 16 | Secretary | 18 |
| Senior Director | 3 | Senior Administrator | 25 |
| Social Worker | 1 | Senior Director | 5 |
| Special Education Manager | 1 | ||
| Total | 69 | Total | 79 |
| Maintenance and Operations | Facilities and Planning | ||
| Position | Number | Position | Number |
| Administrator | 6 | Administrator | 8 |
| Custodian | 1 | Assistant Superintendent | 1 |
| Head Custodian | 4 | Director | 6 |
| Database Network Manager | 1 | Facilities Planning Analyst | 2 |
| Director | 4 | Paralegal | 1 |
| Maximo Network Administrator | 1 | Processing Technician | 6 |
| Processing Technician | 5 | Secretary | 3 |
| Secretary | 5 | Senior Administrator | 27 |
| Senior Administrator | 7 | Senior Director | 1 |
| Senior Director | 1 | ||
| Total | 35 | Total | 55 |
| Human Resources | Evaluation & Research | ||
| Position | Number | Position | Number |
| Administrator | 6 | Compliance Specialist | 1 |
| Applications Technician | 2 | Director | 1 |
| Asst. Superintendent | 1 | Dissemination Specialist | 1 |
| Claims Specialist | 1 | Evaluation Assistant | 2 |
| Coordinating Teacher | 4 | Secretary | 5 |
| Data Analyst | 1 | Senior Administrator | 11 |
| Director | 5 | Senior Director | 4 |
| Event Coordinator | 1 | Testing Technician | 3 |
| File Room Technician | 2 | Assistant Superintendent | 1 |
| HR Employment Info. Proc. Mgr | 1 | ||
| Human Resources Coordinator | 1 | ||
| Investigator | 1 | ||
| Longevity Specialist | 1 | ||
| Processing Technician | 18 | ||
| Recruitment Technician | 2 | ||
| Secretary | 7 | ||
| Senior Administrator | 11 | ||
| Senior Director | 4 | ||
| STMS Operations Coordinator | 2 | ||
| Total | 71 | Total | 29 |
| Growth and Planning | |
| Position | Number |
| Data Analyst –Student Assignment | 3 |
| Data Processor – Stud. Assignment | 1 |
| Asst. Superintendent | 1 |
| Director | 2 |
| GIS Manager | 2 |
| Growth & Planning Technician | 2 |
| Secretary | 2 |
| Senior Administrator | 5 |
| Senior Director | 2 |
| Total | 20 |
| Administrative Services | Auxiliary Services | ||
| Position | Number | Position | Number |
| Accountant | 10 | Administrator | 12 |
| Accounting Specialists | 2 | Area Manager – Assistant | 3 |
| Accts. Payable Processing Technician | 6 | Assistant Catering Manager | 1 |
| Administrator | 7 | Chief Facilities Operations Officer | 1 |
| Benefits Representative | 3 | Child Nutrition Network Administrator | 1 |
| Budget Analyst | 4 | Clerical Assistant | 1 |
| Budget Specialist | 2 | CNS Catering Manager | 1 |
| Buyer | 3 | CNS Eligibility Manager | 1 |
| Chief Business Officer | 1 | CNS Program Specialist | 1 |
| Courier | 5 | Departmental Budget Analyst | 1 |
| Departmental Budget Analyst | 3 | Director | 3 |
| Director | 1 | Dispatcher | 2 |
| Dissemination Specialist | 1 | Driver | 7 |
| Driver | 6 | Mechanic | 57 |
| Finance Officer | 1 | Processing Technician | 3 |
| Management Procurement Specialist | 2 | Secretary | 2 |
| Payroll Coordinator | 1 | Senior Administrator | 7 |
| Payroll Specialist | 1 | Senior Director | 2 |
| Payroll Technician | 7 | Team Leader | 7 |
| Payroll Rating Specialist | 1 | TIMS Manager | 1 |
| Payroll Team Leader | 1 | TIMS Technician | 3 |
| Processing Technician | 7 | Training Specialist | 10 |
| Purchasing Operations Manager | 1 | Transportation Safety & Recruit. Officer | 1 |
| Receiving Clerk | 2 | Transportation Team Leader | 4 |
| Receiving Team Leader | 1 | Warehouse Team Leader | 1 |
| Receptionist Central Office | 1 | ||
| School Accounting Specialist | 1 | ||
| Secretary | 6 | ||
| Senior Administrator | 8 | ||
| Senior Director | 4 | ||
| Shipping Team Leader | 1 | ||
| Shipping Receiving Leader | 1 | ||
| Systems Trainer Analyst | 1 | ||
| Team Leader – Benefits | 1 | ||
| Textbook Account Specialist | 1 | ||
| Warehouse – General | 3 | ||
| Warehouse – Team Leader | 1 | ||
| Total | 108 | Total | 133 |
Several observations are apparent from a review of the tables.
Reductions do not endanger basic CS functions.
Despite a nine percent reduction in workforce, Central Services will still have a staff of approximately 670 employees.
Central Services officers are top heavy with staff.
Director (54), Senior Director (34), Administrator (55) and Senior Administrator (137) constitute over one-third (37 percent) of all CS employees. Senior Administrators out number Administrators by nearly 2.5 to 1. Nearly one quarter (8/34) of staff in the Office of Communications are listed as Senior Administrator.
Some positions have high numbers of staff.
CS also employs 85 secretaries, 40 processing technicians, 57 mechanics and 14 budget analysts and 11 Child Nutrition Training Specialists.
Efficiencies are possible.
Logic would dictate that combining Maintenance & Operations, Facilities and Planning and Growth and Planning might lead to additional savings; as might also a combination of offices for Superintendent and Area Superintendents.
Questions Remain.
Does the WCPSS Communications office really need a staff of 34? How do Lifelong and Online Learning programs fit within the mission of WCPSS? What is the function of someone listed as “other professional”? Is efficiency served by employing Payroll Coordinators, Payroll Specialists, Payroll Technicians, Payroll Rating Specialists and Payroll Team leaders?
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