Dearest reader,
We've examined the money. We've examined the staffing. Now, let's examine the paychecks. 📖🪶
Welcome to Step 3 of my Grand Ledge Public Schools investigation.
And dear reader, this is where the ledger gets rather interesting.
💰 THE $100,000 CLUB
According to the district's 2025 employee compensation report:
26 employees appear on the district's $100,000 compensation disclosure.
Their combined total employer compensation?
$4,971,934.36.
That's nearly $5 million in wages, benefits, and other employer compensation costs for just 26 employees.
Now, before anyone gets excited, let me clarify something.
I'm not suggesting these employees are overpaid simply because they appear on this report. Compensation varies by responsibility, experience, and contractual obligations.
But I am interested in how much taxpayers are spending on district leadership.
And that's where I narrowed my focus.
🏢 CENTRAL ADMINISTRATION & DISTRICT LEADERSHIP
I excluded teachers, principals, assistant principals, and other building-level positions.
That left 10 clearly identified central administration and district leadership positions.
Here's their 2025 total employer compensation:
Superintendent: $323,163.84
Deputy Superintendent: $264,025.44
Chief Financial Officer: $258,420.76
Executive Director, Academic Services: $200,868.76
Executive Director, Student Services: $196,291.15
Executive Director, Technology: $194,268.92
Director of Communications: $189,029.51
Bond Supervisor: $175,299.08
Executive Director, Human Resources: $172,917.17
Director, Early Childhood & Adventure Club: $156,268.95
💵 COMBINED TOTAL: $2,130,553.58
Yes, dear reader. More than $2.1 million in annual total employer compensation for these 10 district-level positions.
Together, they account for approximately 42.85% of the combined compensation reported for all 26 employees on the disclosure.
And one position in particular caught my attention.
🔎 BOND SUPERVISOR
Medicare wages: $117,304.18
Total employer compensation: $175,299.08
A position dedicated to overseeing bond and capital improvement projects.
Now, Grand Ledge already employs a Chief Financial Officer, whose total compensation is $258,420.76.
The district also utilizes outside construction management and architectural firms for its bond projects.
So I have a question.
What responsibilities does a separately compensated Bond Supervisor perform that aren't already covered by the district's administration, construction managers, architects, and other professional consultants?
I'm not questioning the individual employee's work ethic.
I'm questioning the financial structure.
When taxpayers are already paying for professional construction oversight through multimillion-dollar bond projects, it's reasonable to ask what additional oversight they're funding through district payroll.
And how much does that additional layer cost over the life of a bond?
📊 NOW, REMEMBER STEPS 1 AND 2.
Over the past decade, Grand Ledge experienced:
Student enrollment growth: +5.31%
Teacher staffing growth: +15.76%
Instructional aide staffing: -43.81%
Administrative staffing growth: +57.14%
And after adjusting for inflation, average teacher salaries lost 16.62% of their purchasing power.
Now we're examining the compensation attached to district leadership.
One number alone doesn't tell the whole story.
But when enrollment, staffing, spending, and compensation are examined together, patterns begin to emerge.
And those patterns deserve questions.
Are administrative resources growing in proportion to student needs?
Are responsibilities clearly defined?
Are taxpayers receiving value for the positions they're funding?
And how do these decisions affect the resources available to classrooms?
That's what Step 3 is about.
Not personalities. Not political affiliations. Not whether someone is a nice person.
It's about public dollars, financial priorities, and accountability.
And dear reader, we're not finished.
Next comes Step 4, where I'll examine selected vendors, professional services, and other expenditures.
Because sometimes the payroll tells only part of the story.
The check register may tell us the rest. 🔎
With receipts and respect,
Lady B 🪶
#LadyBudgetdown #GrandLedgePublicSchools #MichiganSchools #SchoolFinance #PublicEducation #SchoolAdministration #EmployeeCompensation #SchoolBonds #TaxpayerTransparency #FiscalAccountability #FollowTheMoney #WithReceiptsAndRespect