From the Desk of Lady Budgetdown
Today we continue our look at Ann Arbor Public Schools with the district's 2025 employees receiving more than $100,000 in total compensation. As always, this information comes directly from publicly available district records.
Link to the list: https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1778091325/a2schoolsorg/chxouq9wcvh0guqcd8aj/Over100K2025.pdf
One thing immediately stood out to me.
Unlike some of the larger districts I've reviewed, such as Utica and Warren Consolidated, where the $100,000+ list is driven largely by experienced teachers, Ann Arbor's list begins with a substantial number of senior central office administrators.
Here are the district's highest-ranking administrative positions on the list:
Superintendent — Salary: $333,220 | Total Compensation: $496,105.73
Assistant Superintendent, Instruction — Salary: $190,159.63 | Total Compensation: $300,358.75
Assistant Superintendent, Human Resources — Salary: $189,620.10 | Total Compensation: $298,920.31
Assistant Superintendent, Physical Properties — Salary: $189,369.49 | Total Compensation: $298,397.86
Assistant Superintendent, Special Education — Salary: $187,963.99 | Total Compensation: $296,643.52
Executive Director, Elementary Instruction — Salary: $160,298.74 | Total Compensation: $240,030.44
Executive Director, Middle Level & K-8 Education — Salary: $153,258.73 | Total Compensation: $250,038.55
Director, Recreation & Education — Salary: $152,892.46 | Total Compensation: $224,439.34
Executive Director, School & Student Safety — Salary: $151,282.38 | Total Compensation: $247,252.33
What the numbers show
152 employees received more than $100,000 in total compensation.
Combined, those 152 employees received approximately $28.81 million in total compensation.
The nine senior administrative positions listed above (the superintendent plus eight executive leadership positions) received a combined $2,652,186.83 in total compensation.
Those nine positions account for approximately 9.2% of all compensation paid to the district's entire $100,000+ group, despite representing only 9 of the 152 employees (about 5.9% of the people on the list).
As always, these figures are not presented as criticism or praise. They are part of understanding how compensation is distributed within a district. Every community can decide for itself whether that distribution aligns with its priorities.
With receipts and respect.
Data compiled and visualized by Lady Budgetdown using publicly available records.
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