Dearest reader,
Lady B has opened another ledger. 🪶
This time, we're heading to Hopkins Public Schools.
And Step One begins where it always does: ten years, the same MDE dataset, and a little inflation math.
From 2014–15 to 2024–25, Hopkins lost 224.65 pupils.
That's an enrollment decline of 13.64%.
Now let's follow the money.
On a per-pupil basis:
🪶 All-sources revenue: $8,748 → $14,021
+60.28% nominal | +18.00% after inflation
🪶 Total instruction: $5,236 → $8,264
+57.83% nominal | +16.20% after inflation
🪶 Instructional support: $531 → $1,258
+136.91% nominal | +74.42% after inflation
🪶 Business & administration: $757 → $1,972
+160.50% nominal | +91.78% after inflation
🪶 Operations & maintenance: $893 → $1,493
+67.19% nominal | +23.09% after inflation
And then we arrive at the teachers.
Average teacher salary increased from $51,424 to $57,277.
That's an increase of $5,853, or 11.38% on paper.
But ten years happened between those two numbers.
After adjusting for the 35.831185% cumulative increase in CPI-U, average teacher salary actually changed by:
−18.00%.
That contrast caught Lady B's attention. 👀
Hopkins served 13.64% fewer pupils, while every major spending category shown here increased on a per-pupil basis even after inflation.
Business & administration increased 91.78% after inflation.
Instructional support increased 74.42%.
Average teacher salary?
Down 18.00% after inflation.
That doesn't tell us whether any particular expenditure was necessary or unnecessary.
But it does tell us where the money moved over ten years.
And now that we've followed the money...
Step Two is where we follow the people. 👀🪶
With receipts and respect.
#LadyBudgetdown #HopkinsPublicSchools #HopkinsSchools #MichiganSchools #SchoolFinance #TeacherPay #EducationSpending #PublicEducation #Transparency #Accountability #FollowTheMoney #WithReceiptsAndRespect
Support Lady Budgetdown - https://ko-fi.com/ladybudgetdown