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Our guest presenter at the July 9th Zoom meeting was Mike Hoffman, an elected member of the Redding Board of Education and former Vice Chairman of the Board. As a private citizen and experienced board member, Mike provided a valuable perspective on the state of education in Redding. He presented cost and student performance data for our district relative to other districts in the state and in our DRG (District Reference Group).
The data presented showed that while median income levels are lower compared to the other districts in our DRG, we do hold our own in relative student performance. Our cost per student metrics places Redding among the highest in the state and the highest in our DRG. Easton is the second-lowest in our DRG. Mike believes that the majority of the difference in the cost per pupil between Redding and Easton is due to teacher experience. On average Redding’s teachers have been employed by the district for a lot longer than the group in Easton. So, while Easton has more teachers still climbing the pay scale ladder, Redding has more teachers that are at the top of the pay scale.
In one respect, this could be considered mission accomplished. Redding has attracted and retained a talented cadre of teachers. In another respect, one could say that it would be nice to balance the mixture between newer teachers and more experienced teachers. The more experienced teachers are well positioned to mentor the new teachers, and the new teachers could help the administration leverage technology in our approach to education.
Mike stated that the budgets for general education have been relatively flat for the past several years, and the overall increases are due to increased costs for special education. He emphasized the need for special education services and the effectiveness of many of the special education programs in Redding. Redding had been operating with interim special education directors for three years, but last year the Board hired a permanent director, who just completed her first year. The benefit for the students and the district of having continuity in this position really starts now, as she gets to work with the same students a second year in a row. She will be able to use the knowledge gained over the last year to plan the optimal path forward for each special education student.
Mike concluded by stating that there are always opportunities to achieve better value for our spending, whether in the public or private sector. He indicated that budget planning is happening this summer for next year, and he recommended that interested citizens begin now to become engaged in understanding the budget details.
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