ARMADA AREA SCHOOLS: THE $100K+ CLUB 👑📜
Well, we've followed Armada's money.
We've followed Armada's staffing.
Now Lady Budgetdown has arrived at the compensation report.
And this particular page of the ledger comes with a rather large number.
According to Armada Area Schools' 2025 Transparency Reporting Analysis, 19 people received at least $100,000 in reportable compensation.
Combined total compensation for those 19 people:
$3,493,991.
Yes. Nearly $3.5 million.
Now, before anyone gets ahead of the carriage, that does NOT mean 19 people had base salaries over $100,000. The district's report includes salary along with other forms of compensation and benefits.
So I pulled out four leadership positions for a closer look:
Superintendent
Salary: $184,201
Total compensation: $282,291
Assistant Superintendent
Salary: $157,427
Total compensation: $242,741
Director of Special Education
Salary: $119,688
Total compensation: $192,929
Director of Business & Operations
Salary: $128,256
Total compensation: $181,651
Combined total compensation for those four positions alone:
$899,612.
And this is where the previous receipts become important. Over the decade, Armada's pupil count declined 12.5%. Teacher FTE increased 4.4%. Total administrator FTE declined 8.6%. Total staff FTE increased 49.0%.
And now we know that in 2025, the district reported nearly $3.5 million in total compensation among 19 people at the $100,000+ reporting level.
Does that automatically mean something is wrong?
No.
But Lady Budgetdown isn't here to tell you what conclusion to reach.
I'm here to put the receipts on the table so you can see the whole picture, revenue, spending, staffing and compensation, and decide which questions you think are worth asking.
Because one number rarely tells the story.
But once you start putting the receipts next to each other?
The ledger gets much more interesting. 👑
With receipts & respect,
Lady Budgetdown