Table of Contents
This report examines Fayette County Public Schools' (FCPS) troubling disconnect between staffing trends, student enrollment, and academic performance from 2010-11 to 2023-24. While the district faces a $16 million budget shortfall, staffing has increased dramatically—Certified Staff by 18% and Classified Staff by 12%—despite declining student attendance after COVID-19 and falling academic performance, with ACT scores dropping from 20.1 to 18.9 over the period studied.
Some highlights:
- Staffing-Enrollment Mismatch: FCPS maintained stable or growing enrollment until 2020, but continued increasing staff even as Average Daily Attendance declined post-COVID, resulting in 314 more staff than needed if growth had matched student enrollment
- Academic Performance Decline: Despite significant staffing increases, the district's average ACT composite score for 11th graders fell sharply from 20.1 in 2010-11 to 18.9 in 2023-24, with the steepest decline occurring after 2016-17 when staffing growth accelerated
- Divergent Staff Trends: Certified Staff grew consistently (18% increase), while Classified Staff experienced a dramatic drop in 2014-15 before recovering and growing by 12% overall, suggesting different management approaches for different staff categories
The FCPS board must urgently investigate the disconnect between rising staffing costs and declining academic outcomes, particularly given the district's current financial crisis. The board should conduct a comprehensive staffing audit to align personnel levels with actual enrollment, develop clear metrics linking staffing decisions to student performance improvements, and establish transparent reporting mechanisms to monitor these relationships going forward. Given that staff costs represent a major budget expense with no evidence of improved academic results, immediate action is needed to right-size the district's workforce while maintaining educational quality.
