Our math-challenged AZ DOE

by David Safier

We have two choices. Either AZ Department of Education spokesman Andrew LeFevre has fourth grade math skills, at best, or he's purposely trying to evade the issue. You be the judge.

Here are the facts:

Arizona school districts cut more than 10,000 employees – including 6,640 instructors – from March 2009 to March 2010, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Remember this number: 6,640 teachers were cut.

DOE spokesman LeFevre says, Yeah, but Arizona has 49,511 fewer students in 2011 than it had in 2008.

Let's forget the different time scales — one year of employee cuts vs. three years of lowered student population — and do two simple math story problems. Feel free to use your caluculators. Here's the first problem.

1. "If Arizona loses 49,511 students, and Arizona has 21.5 students for every teacher, how many teachers should Arizona cut to maintain the same teacher-student ratio?"

The correct answer is, Arizona should cut 2,303 teachers. Here's the second problem.

2. "If Arizona should have cut 2,303 teachers based on decrease in student enrollment, and it actually cut 6,640 teachers, how many extra teachers did Arizona cut?"

The correct answer is, 4,337.

So, Mr. LeFevre, even using your expanded timeline of three years rather than the original one year timeline, Arizona had a net loss of 4,337 teachers. The number is probably higher if you don't fudge the dates.

NOTE ON TEACHER-STUDENT RATIOS: A 21.5-to-1 student-to-teacher ratio sounds like you should have an average of 21 to 22 students per class — not a bad class size. But that's not how it works. You actually end up with classes of 30 to 40 students. Middle and high school teachers have prep periods, which mean students take, say, seven courses a day while teachers teach five to six courses a day. Also, a number of credentialed teachers aren't in the classroom — librarians, guidance counselors, curriculum specialists, PE and music teachers in elementary schools, etc.

Arizona's 21.5 student-to-teacher ratio — which is probably higher this year — is either the highest or near highest in the nation, depending on the level of cuts in other states.