Dearest reader,
Yesterday, I opened the ledger on Grand Ledge Public Schools and examined ten years of enrollment, spending, and teacher salaries.
Today, we're following the people behind those numbers. 📖🪶
Welcome to Steps 2 and 2A, where I compare staffing and administration from the 2014–15 school year to 2024–25.
And dear reader, the numbers are interesting.
📚 STUDENT ENROLLMENT
2014–15: 5,167 students
2024–25: 5,441.39 students
An increase of 5.31% over ten years.
Now, let's see how staffing changed during that same period.
🍎 TEACHERS
2014–15: 221.00 FTE
2024–25: 255.84 FTE
An increase of 15.76%.
That's 34.84 additional full-time equivalent teaching positions. Certainly worth recognizing.
But here's where the ledger takes a turn.
📉 INSTRUCTIONAL AIDES
2014–15: 40.52 FTE
2024–25: 22.77 FTE
A decrease of 43.81%.
While the district added teachers, it eliminated the equivalent of 17.75 instructional aide positions.
These are the employees who often provide additional classroom assistance and support to students and teachers.
So why did this category shrink so substantially while enrollment increased?
📊 OTHER STAFFING CHANGES
Instructional Support: 0.00%
Guidance: +65.07%
School Support: -2.95%
Student Support: +263.07%
Other Support: +26.86%
That increase in student support certainly stands out. It may reflect expanded services, changes in student needs, or staffing classifications. It's a category worth understanding before drawing conclusions.
But now, dear reader, let's visit the administrative offices.
🏢 STEP 2A: ADMINISTRATION
LEA / Central Administrators:
12.00 → 15.00 FTE
Increase: 25.00%
School / Building Administrators:
12.50 → 23.50 FTE
Increase: 88.00%
Total Administrators:
24.50 → 38.50 FTE
Increase: 57.14%
Read that last comparison again.
Over ten years, Grand Ledge's enrollment increased 5.31%.
Teacher staffing increased 15.76%.
Instructional aides decreased 43.81%.
And administration increased 57.14%.
That's 14 additional full-time equivalent administrative positions.
Now, I'm not suggesting every administrative position is unnecessary. Schools need principals, administrators, and people to manage operations.
But an 88% increase in building administration while instructional aides declined nearly 44% deserves an explanation.
What changed?
Were new administrative responsibilities created?
Were positions reclassified?
Did the district expand services that required additional administrators?
And most importantly, how did these staffing decisions affect students and classroom teachers?
These are reasonable questions when examining how public education dollars are allocated.
Remember what Step 1 showed us.
Over the same decade, inflation-adjusted revenue per pupil increased 20.23%, while the average teacher salary lost 16.62% of its purchasing power.
Now we're seeing substantial growth in administrative staffing alongside a significant reduction in instructional aides.
Each number tells part of the story. Put them together, and the questions become much more interesting.
That's why I don't stop at a district's total budget or the amount of money spent.
I want to know where it went, who benefited, and what changed for the students sitting in those classrooms.
Next up, Step 3. We'll examine employee compensation and see what the district's salary disclosures reveal.
The ledger isn't finished yet, dear reader.
With receipts and respect,
Lady B 🪶
#LadyBudgetdown #GrandLedgePublicSchools #MichiganSchools #SchoolFinance #EducationSpending #SchoolAdministration #TeacherSupport #PublicEducation #TaxpayerTransparency #FollowTheMoney #WithReceiptsAndRespect