DC School funding. Too top heavy with Admins?

The Herald Journal has a story on the number of administrators in the DC school system versus that of other local schools.

Salary figures for the positions are available here.

To be perfectly honest, at first glance, I thought it was yet another baseless attack on the school district by community members. Upon further review, and seeing the salary figures used to contextualize the argument, the story has significant validity.

I'm a democrat and believe that a strong public education is the great equalizer in our society today. Call me fiscally conservative, but I would say the school district is significantly top heavy with administrators.

$897,466

That's what the school district spends annually on salaries and benefits for its top administrators. Ranging from $140,000 for the superintendent to $97,000 for the curriculum director to nearly $60,000 for two deans of students, one each at the Middle and High schools.

The average income for the 8 district admin positions is over $112,000 a year.

Median income in Dassel for a household is $37,500 and for a family is $48,854.

In Cokato, the median income for a household is $39,613 and for a family, $51,645.

The cost of living in the DC area is typical of most rural Central Minnesota communities, except for higher water bills.

The importance of the admin work is significant. I do not call to question the motives or the quality of work of any of the admins, even though they seem to have enough time on their hands to chase my campaign off school property...

While Lynda does not ask the question, she infers it in her story. Is there something the school district can do to consolidate positions, gain more "bang for the buck" per se?

Comparing other school districts around the area, the answer is clearly yes.