Dearest reader,
Lady B has arrived in Port Huron.
And as always, we begin with ten years of numbers.
From 2014-15 to 2024-25, Port Huron Area School District went from:
9,136.00 pupils → 6,900.61
That is 2,235.39 fewer pupils.
A decline of 24.47%.
Nearly one-quarter of the district's pupil count.
Now let's follow the money.
All-sources revenue per pupil:
$9,494 → $16,107
+69.65% nominal
+24.90% after inflation
So considerably more revenue is available per pupil today, even after accounting for inflation.
But look at where the numbers begin to separate.
Total instruction per pupil:
$8,145 → $9,300
+14.18% nominal
−15.94% after inflation
Instructional support:
$969 → $2,315
+138.91% nominal
+75.88% after inflation
Business & administration:
$1,087 → $2,004
+84.36% nominal
+35.73% after inflation
Operations & maintenance:
$746 → $1,213
+62.60% nominal
+19.71% after inflation
And then we arrive at the teachers.
Average teacher salary:
$58,953 → $71,199
That's an increase of $12,246, or 20.77%.
But after accounting for inflation?
−11.09%.
That's the part of this ledger Lady B keeps coming back to.
Port Huron has nearly one-quarter fewer pupils than it did ten years ago.
Revenue per pupil increased 24.90% beyond inflation.
Instructional support increased 75.88% beyond inflation.
Business and administration increased 35.73%.
Operations and maintenance increased 19.71%.
Yet total instruction per pupil lost 15.94% of its inflation-adjusted value, and average teacher salary lost 11.09%.
That doesn't tell us that any particular expenditure was unnecessary.
It does tell us something about priorities over time.
And that is precisely why Lady B doesn't stop at the total amount of money coming in.
The more interesting question is where it went.
Next, we follow the people.
With receipts and respect.
#LadyBudgetdown #PortHuron #PortHuronAreaSchools #PHASD #MichiganSchools #PublicEducation #SchoolFinance #EducationSpending #TeacherPay #SchoolFunding #SchoolTransparency #FollowTheMoney #WithReceiptsAndRespect