📜 LADY BUDGETDOWN: FREELAND COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT: FOLLOW THE COMPENSATION
We've looked at Freeland's ten-year financial picture. We've looked at students and staffing.
Now it's time to open the 2024–25 compensation ledger. 🔎
And compared with some of the districts we've examined, Freeland's $100K+ list is relatively short.
💰 SIX EMPLOYEES OVER $100,000
Freeland Community School District reports six employees whose Gross Wages exceeded $100,000 during FY 2024–25.
And all six are in leadership or administrative positions:
1 Superintendent
3 Principals
2 Directors
Freeland calls the primary figure "FY Gross Wages," so that's the terminology we're going to use.
📊 THE SIX POSITIONS
Superintendent
$184,490.50 Gross Wages
$318,758.50 calculated Total Compensation
HS Principal
$128,257.11
$210,823.81 calculated Total Compensation
Director of Student Support
$125,399.98
$194,262.75 calculated Total Compensation
ES Principal
$116,136.26
$183,501.63 calculated Total Compensation
MS Principal
$110,720.00
$173,059.02 calculated Total Compensation
Director of Finance
$103,185.90
$179,530.44 calculated Total Compensation
💰 ADD THEM ALL TOGETHER
Combined Gross Wages:
$768,189.75
When we add the additional compensation and benefit amounts Freeland reports for each employee:
$1,259,936.15 in calculated Total Compensation
That's a difference of:
$491,746.40
Or an average of:
$128,031.63 in Gross Wages
and
$209,989.36 in calculated Total Compensation
per employee on the list.
⚠️ AND HERE'S AN IMPORTANT FOOTNOTE
Freeland does not provide a "Total Compensation" column.
Lady Budgetdown calculated those totals by adding the individual compensation and benefit components the district reports.
That's why you'll see "calculated Total Compensation" on our graphic rather than presenting it as a number Freeland itself totaled.
Because details like that matter.
📜 THE TAKEAWAY
These numbers don't tell us whether any individual employee is paid too much, too little, or exactly what they should be.
That's not what this series is about.
What they tell us is what Freeland reported spending on compensation for the six employees whose Gross Wages exceeded $100,000.
And now those numbers are sitting in one place where taxpayers can see them, understand them, and decide for themselves what they think.
No outrage required.
No conclusions assigned.
Just the public record, a calculator, and an open ledger.
With receipts and respect.
#LadyBudgetdown #FreelandSchools #SaginawCounty #PublicCompensation #EducationTransparency #PublicRecords #FollowTheMoney