Dearest reader,
Lady B is back in Fowlerville Community Schools, and this time I'm looking beyond the dollars.
📚 STEP 2 & 2A: STAFFING AND ADMINISTRATIVE TRENDS
In Step 1, we learned that Fowlerville's student enrollment declined over the past decade, while revenue per pupil increased substantially.
But what happened to staffing during those same ten years?
Let's follow the receipts. 🔎
📉 STUDENT ENROLLMENT
2014–15: 2,862 students
2024–25: 2,389.66 students
That's a decline of 16.50%.
🍎 NOW, LET'S LOOK AT TEACHERS.
2014–15: 119.74 FTE
2024–25: 137.44 FTE
That's an INCREASE of 14.78%.
Fewer students, but MORE teachers.
And that's not necessarily a bad thing! Smaller classes and additional instructional resources can benefit students.
But remember what we discovered in Step 1?
Fowlerville's average teacher salary increased just 1.51% over the same decade.
After adjusting for inflation, that's a 24.90% loss in purchasing power.
More teaching positions, but very little growth in average teacher pay.
🏫 WHAT ABOUT ADMINISTRATION?
Here's where the numbers tell a different story.
Central/District Administrators:
7.00 → 5.60 FTE
📉 DOWN 20.00%
School/Building Administrators:
8.30 → 9.30 FTE
📈 UP 12.05%
Total Administrators:
15.30 → 14.90 FTE
📉 DOWN 2.61%
So, while enrollment declined 16.50%, the district actually reported a slight REDUCTION in total administrative staffing.
That's an important distinction.
And it becomes even more interesting when compared with Step 1A, where we learned that administrative expenditures increased 31.14%.
Fewer administrative positions overall, but higher administrative expenditures.
Of course, expenditures include more than salaries, and ten years of inflation matters.
📊 OTHER STAFFING CHANGES
• Instructional Aides: DOWN 5.53%
• Instructional Support: UP 233.33%
• Guidance: DOWN 30.00%
• School Support: UP 5.97%
• Student Support: DOWN 6.81%
• Other Support: UP 11.15%
Some categories grew. Others declined.
And that brings me to something I think deserves more attention.
💬 HERE'S MY QUESTION:
When enrollment declines but teacher staffing increases, administrative staffing decreases, and administrative expenditures rise, what should taxpayers be looking at to determine whether their district is using its resources effectively?
Class sizes? Student outcomes? Teacher compensation? Administrative costs?
Perhaps all of the above.
Not every increase is wasteful, and not every reduction is a victory.
The purpose of these comparisons isn't to declare a district good or bad.
It's to give parents, educators, and taxpayers a clearer picture of how their schools have changed over a decade.
The staffing figures come from Michigan's REP and NCES reporting, with pupil counts from MDE Bulletin 1014. Staffing is measured in full-time equivalents (FTE), not individual employees.
With receipts and respect. 💙
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