Dearest reader,
The ledger has made its way to Monroe County, and tonight we are opening Flat Rock Community Schools.
As always, we begin with Step 1: ten years of enrollment, spending, and teacher pay using the same MDE Bulletin 1014 methodology used for every district Lady B reviews.
And Flat Rock gives us an interesting first page.
From 2014-15 to 2024-25:
Pupil FTE increased from 1,502.00 to 1,721.96, up 14.64%.
All Sources Revenue per pupil increased from $10,153 to $16,505. After adjusting for inflation, that is a 20.27% increase.
Total Instruction per pupil increased from $5,642 to $9,250, up 21.29% after inflation.
Instructional Support increased from $1,080 to $2,401 per pupil, a 64.47% real increase.
Business & Administration increased from $1,162 to $2,200 per pupil, a 40.07% real increase.
Operations & Maintenance increased from $848 to $1,617 per pupil , a 41.07% real increase.
Total General Fund expenditures increased from $9,328 to $16,543 per pupil, a 31.20% increase after inflation.
Then there is teacher pay.
Average teacher salary increased from $58,621 to $74,876. That's a 27.73% nominal increase, but after adjusting for inflation, average teacher salary declined 5.50% in real purchasing power.
So Flat Rock's first page gives us something worth following: more pupils, substantially more money per pupil, and higher spending across the categories we're tracking, while average teacher salary did not keep pace with inflation.
That doesn't tell us why.
And Lady B doesn't fill in blanks the records haven't answered.
Next, we'll open the staffing ledger and see where the people went.
With receipts and respect,
Lady B 👑