Quote:
Originally Posted by John Mercier
Escalation that happens over the years.
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Exactly. I used this example in a prior post to emphasize the growth of government. When I was a student at Memorial Middle School (1977-1979), each grade had approximately twelve teachers (math, science, English and social studies), so 36 total. The "administration" consisted of the following:
- 1 Principal
- 1 Vice Principal
- 2 Guidance Counselors
- 2 Language Teachers
- 1 Secretary
- 1 Physical Education Teacher
- 1 Music Teacher
- 1 Art Teacher
- 1 School Nurse
- 1 Librarian
That's it. The "administration" consisted of 12 people. Three to one teachers to administrators.
Today, the Laconia Middle School has over 40 people to serve the "administration" function. As far as I could tell, there are more support staff than actual classroom teachers. I realize that kids are probably more messed up than when I was a kid. Believe me, we had our problems back in the day. Kids were expected to figure things out on their own. One noticable difference is that we didn't have kids on meds like we do now, though.
Escalation has happened. Especially with government. Police and fire departments seem to have a lot of "administration" too. Controlling spending involves harnessing the creep.