Posted 10:11 AM by Susan Darst Williams

THE REAL DEAL ON STAFFING IN OPS

There is one employee in the Omaha Public Schools for every 7.6 students, and the regular-classroom teaching force makes up just a skoch over half of the 6,000-person workforce within the district. That's according to the 2002-03 budget posted at www.ops.org

OPS used to have one employee for every 10.3 students in the 1985-86 school year, according to the budget book for that year.

Staff members who aren't regular classroom teachers work in special education, are counselors, safety and discipline personnel, health services, psychologists, office personnel, instructional support services, general administration, school administration, business support, operations and maintenance, and so on and so forth.

Nonteaching staff in public schools have a nickname: "The Blob." The public may focus on the frontline worker, the great American teacher . . . but bigger and bigger pieces of the pie are going to "The Blob."