Missouri public schools see ‘personnel boom’ despite declining student enrollment, report says

Public schools across Missouri have been hiring teachers and administrators at a steady pace over the last 26 years while student enrollment continues to decline, according to a new report from the Show-Me Institute.

Student enrollment statewide dropped by 4.1% between 2000 and 2025. Full-time equivalent teacher positions grew by 12.8% over the same period. Administrator positions skyrocketed by 34.9%.

Senior Policy Analyst Avery Frank says the data highlights a troubling trend, noting districts are hiring more staff to teach fewer students.

“Should we expand staffing or should we raise salaries?” Frank asked in an interview with Heartlander News. “Because you can’t really have your cake and eat it too, especially when you have a limited budget.”

Districts instead chose to spread their budgets across an ever-expanding workforce. Teacher and administrator salaries have declined since 2000.

“If we go back to the year 2000 and we held our staffing numbers constant for administrators and teachers, every teacher today could get an average $10,000 raise,” Frank said.

Why is the staff surge happening?

Show-Me Institute points to a few potential causes for the administrative bloat, including increased regulatory compliance and the expansion of nonacademic student support services.

“Student support services almost surpass the amount we’re spending on teaching, on instruction,” Frank said.

He encourages concerned citizens to look at local data to determine if the hiring makes sense for their community. Springfield Public Schools offers a stark example.

“Springfield, since the year 2015, has 4% fewer students and 60% more administrators,” Frank said. “Now, that’s a pretty substantial disparity.” 

The report shows it’s not just Springfield where this is happening. School personnel growth is exceeding enrollment growth across urban, suburban, and rural areas, affecting about 85% of school districts statewide.

“It very well could be that your administrators have boomed because you hired a bunch of DEI staff, but it also could be because you did it for a legitimate reason,” Frank said.

The report asks taxpayers, parents and school boards to take a hard look at their priorities. Frank advises citizens to look at their local districts with a magnifying glass and ask questions.

“It doesn’t have to be accusatory,” Frank said. “Just say, ‘Hey, we see we’ve increased by this much, even though our students are going down. Why?’ And just let them explain it. It might be a perfectly justified reason. And if it’s not, then that’s where you can hold them accountable.”