SCHOOL BUDGET PRIMER: UNDERSTANDING "FTE"

October 4, 2005

This article is the first in a series of articles on school budget definitions, primarily “FTE” or full-time equivalency. Simply put, FTE is a measurement used to establish the financial value of music teachers and music programs.

Understanding FTE will help you – the parents, teachers and other advocates of school music programs – unravel some of the complexities of your school budget process. The terms and concepts presented here are the building blocks used (or, in some cases, neglected) by administrators and school board members as they decide where monies should be allocated and where cuts will be made. Though this “insider” information may seem a little daunting at first, you too can learn to “speak the language” of your school’s administrators and board members.

Bottom line? If you understand FTE – as it relates to individuals and positions, as well as programs – you’ll be a stronger advocate for expansion or preservation of your school music program.

OK, get out your calculators and let’s get started!

What is FTE & why is it so important?

FTE stands for "Full Time Equivalent," or one (1.0) full time teaching position. Your school defines each FTE position by a job classification or category (ie, teacher, administrator, staff, etc.). The definition of one (1.0) FTE is based on the district contract and input from your local teachers' organization.

How do you calculate FTE?

You can calculate the FTE of any teacher by counting the number of classes he or she teaches each day. When you break it down this way, each class they teach also receives an FTE value. For example:

If 1.0 FTE teaches 5 classes per day, each class equals .2 FTE.

If 1.0 FTE teaches 6 classes per day, each class equals .17 FTE.

If 1.0 FTE teaches 3 classes per day, each class equals .33 FTE.

FTE may refer to both positions and individuals

An FTE value may be assigned to a position (band director) or an individual (Ms. Sanchez). That is, while Ms. Sanchez may be a full-time teacher (1.0 FTE), she may not necessarily work full-time in just one curricular area (band director) because she may also have other duties (such as study hall). The individual in the example below teaches full-time, but the music positions total only .6 FTE (highlighted in bold):

Teacher Load (Based on 1.0 FTE as 5 classes per day)

Period 1: Computer Science .2 FTE

Period 2: Concert Band .2 FTE

Period 3: Study Hall .2 FTE

Period 4: Varsity Band .2 FTE

Period 5: Music Appreciation .2 FTE
 

Likewise, the position (band director) above is only .4 FTE. While the administration may perceive the district as having a full time band director, it is the individual (Ms. Sanchez) not the position (band director) that is full time.

Now can you begin to see how understanding this important distinction might help you develop stronger proposals to increase staffing or save a position?

FTE can be shared, too

Another very common situation is revealed by the following two examples. Here you’ll see how one (1.0) FTE elementary music position is shared by two individuals conducting classes at several schools. In example one below, both individuals are full time, but each position shares one-half of the elementary position. In example two, the 1.0 FTE elementary position is shared by two part-time individuals. In both examples, the elementary music position equals 1.0 FTE.

Example 1: Two full-time teachers sharing 1.0 FTE elementary position

Teacher 1 (1.0 FTE contract):

Elementary Band (3 of 6 schools) .5 FTE

Middle School Band .5 FTE

Teacher 2 (1.0 FTE contract):

Elementary Band (3 of 6 schools) .5 FTE

High School Band .5 FTE

Example 2: Two part-time teachers sharing 1.0 FTE elementary position

Teacher 1 (.5 FTE contract)

Elementary Band (3 schools) .5 FTE

Teacher 2 (.5 FTE contract)

Elementary Band (3 schools) .5 FTE

A board’s eye view of part-time teachers

Your school board’s budget committee may see advantages to hiring part-time teachers, even though this may not always be in the best interest of music students or teachers. From the board’s perspective, the reasons for hiring part-time teachers may be financial:

• benefits may not be required for part-time instructors
• restrictions due to other budgetary decisions

or practical:

• student enrollment may not justify a full time position
• some highly qualified teachers may be unable or unwilling to teach full time.

Here’s how FTE looks in a real budget

OK, you’ve learned quite a lot by now about FTE. Let’s take a look at how FTE impacts an actual budget summary.

In a typical example like the one below, the district may assume it has 37 full-time individuals teaching music. However, without doing a full analysis of FTE, they may have little or no knowledge of the actual distribution of those positions among the various components of the music curriculum. Consequently, if the administration proposes cuts in one or more curricular areas it will be up to you to demonstrate the actual effect (loss) of FTE in each curricular area.

The example states that there are currently 37 individuals on the music faculty in the school district comprising a total of 36.24 FTE positions. Assignments of FTE are broken down as follows.

Note: In this example, at least one individual was part-time. Notice that no FTE is allocated to elementary choral music or coordination of the music curriculum. Some individuals who work in multiple schools receive payment for "travel time" driving between schools: students lost instructional time, but the district had not factored in the loss of time in the classroom.

Asking the Right Questions Makes All The Difference

Are you asking some questions now that would simply not have occurred to you before? That’s great! As you move through the rest of this series on FTE, you’ll see more and more where – and how – you need to ask questions to evaluate just how much time a teacher actually spends on each area of the music curriculum. And, you’ll begin to understand how your district’s budget process works in relationship to the distribution of FTE.

Once you learn to ask the right questions – and understand how budgetary decisions impact students, teachers and curricular offerings - then your role as a music advocate can really have a positive impact!

In the next “Counterpoint” article in this FTE series, you’ll read a case study that shows how understanding FTE helped one school save a full time music teacher position during a budget crisis.

Until Next Time,
Dr. John Benham