A 1968-1969 personnel directory from the El Paso Independent School District made its way to me recently.
It will take some piecing together but we should be able to compare how the district was run back then to how it is now.
The 1969 book has a very clear organization chart in it. I have not been able to find a current one on the district’s web site. That in itself is interesting.
The directory listed 9 high schools. Today we have 13.
There were 49 elementary-intermediate schools. Today there are 57 elementary schools.
The biggest change seems to be that we had two intermediate schools back then and now we have 16 middle schools.
I have not found enrollment numbers to compare.
Directly beneath the superintendent we had three assistant superintendents, one each for administration, instruction, and special services (census, records, personnel).
Determining what the first layer under our current superintendent is today is a bit of a problem without an organization chart. They do list their job descriptions. There are 15 that have the word superintendent in them. At this point I don’t know which of these positions is currently filled, but here is the list:
Deputy superintendent of academics and school leadership
Assistant superintendent curriculum and instruction
Assistant superintendent curriculum, instruction and accountability
Assistant superintendent elementary schools
Assistant superintendent high schools
Assistant superintendent lang arts & social studies
Assistant superintendent math and science
Assistant superintendent middle schools
Assistant superintendent research, evaluation, and accountability
Assistant superintendent secondary schools
Assistant superintendent special education
Associate superintendent curriculum and instruction
Associate superintendent human resources
Associate superintendent operations
In addition we have a job description for a chief of staff and a chief, school administration and leadership.
Looking at their web site, they list their academic leadership team. It consists of 7 people, including a deputy superintendent, chief school officers for areas 1, 2, and 3, an assistant superintendent for C & I and R & E, an assistant superintendent for academic support programs, and an assistant superintendent for special education.
Most of those job descriptions are not listed on the web site.
Are our children better educated today than they were back then? I hope to see active discussion about this on the blog.
We deserve better
Brutus
elpasospeak 
How many suits does it take to educate a child?
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Actually several of those positions are no longer in the district:
Here is the EPISD leadership team now: http://www.episd.org/district_info/leadership_team.php
The academic group is here: http://www.episd.org/district_info/academics_team.php
Comparing a school district in 2014 to one 50 years ago is problematic. For instance there are FAR more state and federal regulations than there were 50 years ago. 50 years ago, there were no State mandated tests. Now there are many.
There was no technology so to speak beck then. Entire departments have had to be created to meet that demand.
Consider this: If you looked at a 1969 car model it would be much simpler looking than a 2014 car model. They are both cars, they both essentially do the same thing, but the one for 2014 is far more complicated and engineered than it’s 1969 brethren.
If you had a choice, between a 2014 car model and a 1969 model I suspect most people, not all, but most, would choose the latest version.
Same with education. It is much more complicated than it was 50 years ago.
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