Dearest reader,
Step 1 showed us that Wolverine Community Schools lost 129.27 pupils over the last decade — a decline of 34.20%.
Now Lady B has wandered over to the staffing ledger.
And this one tells an interesting story.
From 2014-15 to 2024-25:
Teachers:
17.80 → 16.80
−5.62%
In other words, while Wolverine lost more than one-third of its pupils, it reduced teacher staffing by just one FTE.
Elsewhere, staffing moved in different directions.
Instructional aides:
6.25 → 7.00
+12.00%
School support:
1.00 → 2.00
+100.00%
Student support:
1.00 → 5.00
+400.00%
Other support:
11.00 → 7.45
−32.27%
Then Lady B opened the NCES administrative ledger.
And Wolverine deserves some context here.
District/central administrators:
1.00 → 0.59
−41.00%
School administrators:
2.00 → 1.41
−29.50%
Total administrators:
3.00 → 2.00
−33.33%
Remember our pupil decline?
−34.20%.
So Wolverine's total administrative staffing declined almost exactly alongside enrollment.
That's worth noting.
Overall staffing, however, tells a different story:
43.85 → 41.25
−5.93%
Put the decade side by side:
Pupils: −34.20%
Teachers: −5.62%
Total staff: −5.93%
Total administrators: −33.33%
That's why Lady B doesn't simply look at whether staffing went up or down.
Where it changed matters.
Wolverine substantially reduced administrative staffing as enrollment declined.
At the same time, the district maintained nearly all of its teacher staffing and overall workforce despite serving about one-third fewer pupils.
Whether that was the right choice isn't something these numbers can answer.
But they do show us the choice the numbers reflect.
Next, we follow the compensation.
With receipts and respect.
#LadyBudgetdown #Wolverine #WolverineCommunitySchools #MichiganSchools #PublicEducation #SchoolStaffing #Teachers #SchoolAdministration #SchoolFinance #EducationSpending #SchoolTransparency #PublicRecords #FollowTheNumbers #WithReceiptsAndRespect