ANSWER:

The Maryland State Department of Education uses standard state categories for Local Education Agencies (LEAs) to organize and present their operating budgets. The standard categories allow comparisons among the 24 LEAs. One of the state categories is titled “Administration” and is defined as including activities associated with the general direction and control of the school district and includes establishing and administering policy, providing fiscal and business services, central information systems, and supporting each of the other instructional and supporting services programs. “Administration” includes the Board of Education, executive staff units, evaluation and supporting services, administrators, supervisors, and human resources. These expenditures are described as supporting the whole district.

The following table compares the Full-time Equivalent (FTE) staffing in the “Administration” state category for MCPS to several other LEAs that represent the largest districts in the state of Maryland. The table also shows the percentage that Administration FTE represents towards the total FTE of each LEA for Fiscal Year 2024. MCPS is tied with one other LEA for having the second smallest percent of its total FTE going towards Administration.