Dearest Reader,
A devoted reader bid Lady Budgetdown turn her attentions to Grand Haven Area Public Schools, and so, down the rabbit hole we go. 🐇
We begin, as this Author always does, with the district's own numbers laid plainly upon the table. Ten years of them, in fact.
From 2014–15 to 2024–25, Grand Haven's enrollment fell by some 1,067 pupils. A decline of 17 percent. Fewer children, Dear Reader, filling fewer seats.
And yet, across that very same decade, on a per-pupil basis:
All-sources revenue climbed 69.7 percent.
Total instruction spending rose 60.2 percent.
Instructional support rose a striking 146.4 percent.
Business and administration rose 108.7 percent.
Operations and maintenance rose 77.8 percent.
Every single category, Dear Reader, outpaced inflation.
One might reasonably expect, amid such abundance, that those doing the actual teaching fared rather well. And here the tale takes its turn.
Average teacher salary rose from $65,970 to $77,712. An increase of merely 17.8 percent, while cumulative inflation over the same period ran to approximately 35.8 percent.
Fewer students. Considerably more revenue per pupil. Substantial growth across nearly every spending category one cares to examine.
And yet the people standing in front of the classroom did not keep pace with the cost of living.
This Author does not pretend the numbers explain themselves. They do not tell us why. They tell us, rather, precisely where to look next.
And you know how Lady Budgetdown does adore a breadcrumb.
Next up: staffing.
With receipts and respect.
Lady Budgetdown
#LadyBudgetdown #GrandHaven #GrandHavenAreaPublicSchools #MichiganSchools #SchoolFinance #PublicEducation #EducationTransparency #FollowTheMoney #WithReceiptsAndRespect