Dearest reader,
Lady B is headed to Hillman Community Schools.
We begin where we always begin: ten years of enrollment, revenue, spending, and teacher pay.
From 2014–15 to 2024–25:
Pupil FTE fell from 493.00 to 429.06. A decline of 12.97%.
Meanwhile, per-pupil figures increased:
All Sources Revenue:
$9,555 → $14,755
+54.42% nominal
+14.08% after inflation
Total Instruction:
$6,132 → $9,531
+55.43% nominal
+14.83% after inflation
Instructional Support:
$119 → $209
+75.63% nominal
+29.75% after inflation
Business & Administration:
$1,478 → $3,019
+104.26% nominal
+50.90% after inflation
Operations & Maintenance:
$1,107 → $1,960
+77.06% nominal
+30.80% after inflation
And then there is average teacher salary.
$42,295 → $49,886.
That is an increase of 17.95% on paper.
After adjusting for inflation?
−12.86%.
In other words, Hillman's average teacher salary increased by $7,591 over the decade, but it did not keep pace with the increase in the cost of living.
At the same time, Business & Administration spending per pupil more than doubled in nominal dollars and increased 50.90% after inflation.
Those numbers don't tell us why.
They do, however, tell us where to keep digging.
Step 1 complete.
Next up: staffing.
With receipts and respect.
#LadyBudgetdown #HillmanCommunitySchools #HillmanSchools #MichiganSchools #SchoolFinance #PublicEducation #EducationTransparency #FollowTheMoney