State Mandates Drive Soaring Administrative Costs, Say Tennessee Educators

There's nothing you can;t strangle with regulations

NASHVILLE — Administrative costs at Tennessee's public schools are reportedly rising out of proportion to the number of new teachers and students, but two school system directors say mandates from the state government are a big reason for that.

As Tennessee Watchdog reported Tuesday, the Beacon Center of Tennessee released a report this week showing a huge increase in costs for school administrators.

The Beacon Center identified 15 school districts in Tennessee that more than doubled their per-pupil administrative costs since 2000, with Lexington City Schools in Henderson County ranking the highest, with a 193.5 percent increase.