Insight into Central Office Staffing

As far as central office is concerned, we are the typical size central office for a school system of our size. Central offices have two functions, 1) to serve the schools by helping to improve the learning environment, and 2) as a regulatory group, ensuring quality control, legal, and financial efficacy. Many of the positions are necessary due to federal or state reporting/processing requirements. Can we operate with fewer people? To what end. As positions are cut somethings will not get done. Federal and state mandates will receive priority due to funding. The schools and public would receive less service. During my almost three year tenure with Chatham County Schools, I have added one person to the central office (a compliance officer) and cut three (one in human resources, the Title I director, and one administrative assistant). Three central office cuts are in the budget proposals under development and over $1.1 million in cuts from central services. I assume people in the community want the school district's budget to be balanced from cuts in the central office. If, if the deficit remains as presently estimated, we can not reduce the workforce enough from central office to balance the budget.