A state agency working with troubled youths has grown, even as the number of offenders in its care has been cut by half, the San Antonio Express-News reports here.

From the story:

From their Austin headquarters, 368 administrators oversee the juvenile correctional agency — 47 more than early last year, when (the Texas Youth Commission) had 4,000 offenders in its lockups, nearly double today's total. As the offender population dwindled — the result of a new state law that closed the agency to offenders 18 to 21 and those sentenced on misdemeanors — the total cost of paying all those employees has risen by nearly a quarter, to $18.7 million a year.

Reporter Lisa Sandberg focuses in on the growing administrator salaries. Sandberg reports that the agency's top lawyer recently received a nearly 7 percent raise, up to $111,000 per year. Also, the folks paid to answer questions from journalists like Sandberg earn up to 30 percent more than workers with similar jobs in the adult prison system. The new executive director will make $125,000 annually, but she, too, could soon see a raise.

This article raises a great point: Why does an agency with fewer customers need more bureaucrats and more money?

From the story, one last fact to chew on:

Texas taxpayers spend $237 million a year to keep (the Texas Youth Commission) in business. That amounts to $108,000 for each of the 2,200 kids in lockups, or $55,000 per youth including those on parole.