Posted on 04/16/25
| News Source: FOX45
Baltimore, MD - April 16, 2025 - Baltimore City Public Schools is on a hiring spree. The number of employees who work for the district has surged in recent years. But more school employees are not leading to better student outcomes.
Corey DeAngelis is an educational advocate who promotes school choice and parental rights.
“It's not supposed to be a jobs program for adults. It's supposed to be an education initiative for kids,” said DeAngelis in response to what Project Baltimore just told him concerning how Baltimore City Public Schools is spending your money - and the student outcomes taxpayers receive in return.
“In what other industry do you lose your customer base and you go on a hiring spree?” Questioned DeAngelis.
According to Maryland State Department of Education data, analyzed by Project Baltimore, between 2018 and 2024, City Schools enrollment fell by 6%. But the number of people employed by City Schools has increased by nearly 19%. There are 1,714 more adults for 4,781 fewer students.
Where is most of that increased staff working? According to the same state data, from 2018 to 2024, City Schools added 992 employees to its instructional staff – about a 15% increase. During those same years, the district added 721 employees to its non-instructional staff, which includes administrators. That’s a 28% increase in the number of employees who are not directly involved in educating students.
“It's all about where the money's going,” said DeAngelis. “And if it's not going into the classroom, if it's not making its way to the teacher and the children, it's not going to improve outcomes.”
Most student outcomes in Baltimore City during the same time period have gone down. From 2018 to 2024, the graduation rate, average SAT score and the attendance rate have decreased, while the dropout rate, and chronic absenteeism have increased.
City Schools declined an interview with Project Baltimore, but explained in a statement, “City Schools has made targeted investments in hiring qualified staff—from classroom teachers and counselors to literacy coaches and early childhood educators. We know that students thrive when they are supported by caring adults, and when schools are fully staffed and resourced. There is more work to do, but make no mistake—progress is happening, and our students deserve recognition for it."
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Baltimore City, last school year, with 10,874 employees for 75,811 students, reported 6.9 students per employee. Baltimore County, that same year, had 7.1 students per employee. Howard County had 6.5 with Anne Arundel County at 7.4.