Dearest reader,
A new ledger is open. This time, we're heading to Allegan County and taking a look at Plainwell Community Schools.
And as always, we start with the same question:
What changed over a decade?
From 2014–15 to 2024–25, Plainwell's fall pupil count declined from 2,712 to 2,437.
That's 275 fewer pupils, a decline of 10.14%.
Now let's follow the dollars.
On a per-pupil basis:
All Sources Revenue increased from $8,829 to $14,375, up 62.82%. After adjusting for inflation, that's a real increase of 19.88%.
Total Instruction increased from $5,691 to $8,459 per pupil, up 48.64%, or 9.43% after inflation.
Instructional Support more than doubled, rising from $558 to $1,180 per pupil, up 111.47%. Even after inflation, that's a 55.68% increase.
Business & Administration increased from $803 to $1,432 per pupil, up 78.33%, or 31.29% after inflation.
Operations & Maintenance increased from $774 to $1,304 per pupil, up 68.48%, or 24.04% after inflation.
And then we get to teachers.
Average teacher salary increased from $59,611 to $75,846.
That's $16,235 more on paper, a 27.24% increase.
But after accounting for inflation?
Average teacher salary is actually DOWN 6.32% in purchasing-power terms.
So here's our starting picture:
10.14% fewer pupils.
Real per-pupil revenue is up.
Real spending increased in every category we're tracking.
Instructional Support saw the largest increase.
But average teacher salary did not keep pace with inflation.
None of that tells us why.
That's what the next steps are for.
For now, we're simply opening the ledger and establishing where Plainwell was, where it is today, and where the numbers tell us to look next.
On to Step 2.
Sources:
Michigan Department of Education — Bulletin 1014, 2014–15
Michigan Department of Education — Bulletin 1014, 2024–25
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), used for the 2015–2025 inflation adjustment
#LadyBudgetdown #PlainwellCommunitySchools #Plainwell #AlleganCounty #MichiganSchools #SchoolFinance #TeacherPay #PublicEducation #PublicRecords #FollowTheMoney #TheReceipts #WithReceiptsAndRespect