Dearest reader,
Sometimes percentages make a story look bigger than it is.
So this time, I threw the percentages aside and counted actual people.
I asked a simpler question:
Which Michigan school districts lost the most students while adding the most central administrators?
The answer produced five districts worth opening the ledger for.
1. Plymouth-Canton Community Schools
Students: −1,578
Central administration: +45.75 FTE
2. Chippewa Valley Schools
Students: −2,288
Central administration: +21.38 FTE
3. Livonia Public Schools
Students: −1,886
Central administration: +17.20 FTE
4. Huron Valley Schools
Students: −2,067
Central administration: +13.31 FTE
5. Wayne-Westland Community Schools
Students: −2,455
Central administration: +11.00 FTE
Different districts. Different circumstances. Different explanations may exist.
But the same question belongs in every ledger:
When thousands of students leave a school system, what changed that required more people in the central office?
That is the question I'm opening next.
Not because an increase automatically means waste.
Not because every administrator is unnecessary.
But because declining enrollment and expanding central administration deserve to be examined together, in actual numbers, not just percentages.
And Plymouth-Canton?
Nearly 1,600 fewer students.
Almost 46 more central administrators.
That one deserves a very close look.
With receipts and respect.
#LadyBudgetdown #WithReceiptsAndRespect #TheLedger #MichiganSchools #SchoolFinance #PublicSchools #Transparency #Accountability #CentralAdministration #FollowTheMoney