🪶 LADY BUDGETDOWN'S 10-YEAR RECEIPT: SAGINAW TOWNSHIP COMMUNITY SCHOOLS
Dearest Readers,
The quill has arrived in Saginaw Township Community Schools: As always, we begin with the same receipt used for every district: Michigan Department of Education Bulletin 1014.
This comparison looks at 2014–15 vs. 2024–25, with the earlier dollars adjusted for 35.83% cumulative inflation.
📜 ALL SOURCES REVENUE - PER PUPIL
$8,875 → $13,935
+57.0% nominal | +15.6% after inflation
📚 INSTRUCTION - PER PUPIL
$6,093 → $8,960
+47.1% nominal | +8.3% after inflation
🪶 INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORT - PER PUPIL
$908 → $1,479
+62.9% nominal | +19.9% after inflation
🏛� BUSINESS & ADMINISTRATION - PER PUPIL
$973 → $1,674
+72.0% nominal | +26.7% after inflation
🔧 OPERATIONS & MAINTENANCE - PER PUPIL
$677 → $940
+38.8% nominal | +2.2% after inflation
📊 GENERAL FUND TOTAL EXPENDITURES - PER PUPIL
$8,862 → $13,519
+52.6% nominal | +12.3% after inflation
🍎 AVERAGE TEACHER SALARY
$63,495 → $71,284
+12.3% nominal
But $63,495 in 2015 is approximately $86,246 in 2025 dollars.
That means average teacher salary was 17.3% lower after inflation over this period. And that is precisely why Lady Budgetdown shows both columns.
Revenue per pupil increased beyond inflation. So did instruction, instructional support, business & administration, and total expenditures.
Average teacher salary did not.
Neither fact cancels out the other.
One important receipt note: Michigan's Section 147c/MPSERS funding structure can increase reported state-aid revenue and retirement-related expenditures in later years. Those pass-through dollars do not necessarily represent additional discretionary operating capacity for the district.
Source: Michigan Department of Education, Bulletin 1014; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U Annual Average.
With receipts and respect.
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