ARMADA PUBLIC SCHOOLS: TEN YEARS IN THE LEDGER 👑📜
Well, Macomb County has opened another page of the ledger, and this time Lady Budgetdown has arrived in Armada.
And Armada brought me an interesting set of receipts.
From 2014-15 to 2024-25, Armada Public Schools went from 1,951 pupils to 1,706.88, a decline of 244.12 pupils, or 12.5%.
Meanwhile, all-sources revenue per pupil climbed from $8,841 to $14,393.
That is an increase of 62.8%, about 27 percentage points faster than inflation.
So naturally, I followed the breadcrumbs to see where some of those per-pupil dollars went.
Total instruction per pupil rose 69.4%.
Business and administration per pupil rose 74.8%.
Operations and maintenance per pupil rose a rather eye-catching 125.4%.
Total support per pupil rose 110.2%.
And then we arrive at the line that made Lady Budgetdown put down the teacup.
Average teacher salary.
2014-15: $60,829
2024-25: $69,210
That is an increase of just 13.8% over ten years.
Inflation over the same period was approximately 35.83%.
In other words, while revenue per pupil rose substantially faster than inflation, and several spending categories rose much faster still average teacher salary did not remotely keep pace.
Now, this graphic does not tell us whether every increase was unnecessary. It does not tell us that every dollar was poorly spent. And it certainly does not tell us the entire story of Armada Public Schools.
It tells us where the breadcrumbs are.
Enrollment ↓ 12.5%
Revenue per pupil ↑ 62.8%
Instruction per pupil ↑ 69.4%
Business & administration per pupil ↑ 74.8%
Operations & maintenance per pupil ↑ 125.4%
Total support per pupil ↑ 110.2%
Average teacher salary ↑ 13.8%
And that is precisely why Lady Budgetdown keeps a ledger.
Because sometimes the interesting part isn't whether spending increased.
It's which numbers increased, and which ones didn't.
The receipts are attached. 👑
With receipts & respect,
Lady Budgetdown