Tahlequah's alarming non-teaching staffing surge

Here's a slide from a PowerPoint presentation being seen by 1,100-plus students in the school cafeteria in Tahlequah:




But is it really that simple? Can we say flatly that "budget cuts from the State Legislature" are to blame?

According to data that the Oklahoma State Department of Education reports to the U.S. Department of Education, Tahlequah has seen a 5 percent growth in students, and a 7 percent growth in teachers, over the last two decades. Yet the growth in non-teaching staff has been an almost inexplicable 91 percent.

I think it's safe to say that if Tahlequah had increased non-teaching staff at the same rate as its increase in students, the district could easily afford to provide drivers education classes this summer.

As I never tire of repeating, it's all about priorities.