Parent's Analysis Prompts Jump-Start of School Budget Review

The Seattle School Board is jump-starting its analysis of next year's budget after a parent who took a close look at the district's budget found that it spends three times more on non-teaching support staff and administration than shown in the budgets presented to the board.

The report by Meg Diaz, parent and former business analyst, was first publicized on the online news site Crosscut.com.

Diaz, who has two children in Seattle Public Schools, spent about six weeks in September and October comparing two versions of the district's budget – one reported to the board, the other reported to the state. She also compared Seattle's budgets and nearby districts'.

All the other districts she examined report administrative costs such as supervision of instruction, nutrition, transportation and buildings as “central administration,” whereas Seattle assigned those costs to other categories. At 8 percent of its operating budget, Seattle has the highest administrative costs of any large district in the state, Diaz found.

Read about Diaz' report and a follow-up story on Crosscut.com.