Dearest reader,
Lady B received another breadcrumb from Marysville Public Schools.
This one is about pay.
A reader reports that the district is currently refusing to go above a 2.5% increase for its paraprofessionals.
So, naturally, Lady B opened the contracts.
And things became rather interesting.
Marysville's building administrators received a 4.5% salary schedule increase for 2025–26.
For 2026–27, their contract gets even more interesting.
Administrators are guaranteed a 3.5% increase PLUS any additional percentage negotiated by the teachers above 3.5%.
The contract spells out the result:
The administrators' total percentage increase will match the teachers' total percentage increase.
Meanwhile, Marysville's paraprofessionals are working under a salary schedule that begins at just $15.73 per hour for 2026–27.
The top scheduled rate is $21.17 per hour.
Their 2027–28 schedule increases those rates to $16.13 and $21.70.
That's approximately 2.5%.
And now Lady B is being told the district won't go above 2.5% for the paras.
Interesting.
Especially when we peek at the ledger.
Marysville finished the 2024–25 fiscal year with $18,752,232 sitting in its General Fund balance.
Not only that — the district added more than $2 million to that balance during the year.
And there is one more little transparency breadcrumb worth mentioning.
Someone recently asked Lady B why the Superintendent's compensation wasn't included in my normal Marysville workup.
Fair question.
Lady B didn't leave it out.
Marysville did.
The district's 2025 Employee Compensation Information report is specifically supposed to disclose district employees whose salaries exceed $100,000.
It lists the Assistant Superintendent.
Executive Directors.
Principals.
An Assistant Principal.
Even teachers.
But the Superintendent's compensation is not listed.
So if you were wondering why it wasn't in Lady B's original workup, now you know.
Lady B can only put a receipt in the ledger when there is a receipt to put there.
So here is where the Marysville ledger currently sits:
Administrators: 4.5% in 2025–26, followed by contractual protection tying their next percentage increase to the teachers.
Paraprofessionals: $15.73 to $21.17 per hour in 2026–27, with approximately a 2.5% schedule increase the following year.
General Fund balance at the end of 2024–25: $18.75 million.
And according to the people at the bargaining table, 2.5% is where the district is drawing the line for the paras.
Perhaps someone should explain why the percentage ceiling seems considerably more flexible depending upon which side of the payroll ledger one happens to occupy.
Lady B is listening.
And, as always, keeping the receipts.
With receipts and respect,
Lady B
I'd keep them tight and relevant:
#LadyBudgetdown #MarysvillePublicSchools #FollowTheMoney #SchoolTransparency #Paraprofessionals #SupportStaff #PublicEducation #MichiganSchools #WithReceiptsAndRespect