LADY BUDGETDOWN | NORTHPORT PUBLIC SCHOOL
📊 STEP 1A: A DECADE OF ADMINISTRATIVE SPENDING
2014–15 vs. 2024–25
In our previous post, Lady B examined Northport Public School's declining enrollment and changes in per-pupil revenue and expenditures.
Now we're looking at something different: actual administrative spending.
Using Michigan Department of Education Bulletin 1011, Lady B compared Northport's General Fund administrative expenditures over the same 10-year period.
💰 TOTAL ADMINISTRATIVE SPENDING
2014–15: $719,942
2024–25: $784,459
That's an increase of $64,516, or 8.96%, over the decade.
But where did that increase occur?
📋 BREAKING DOWN THE NUMBERS
🔹 General Administration
2014–15: $417,149
2024–25: $450,450
Increase: 7.98%
🔹 School Administration
2014–15: $149,170
2024–25: $180,235
Increase: 20.82%
🔹 Business Administration
2014–15: $153,623
2024–25: $153,774
Increase: 0.10%
School administration experienced the largest percentage increase, while business administration remained nearly unchanged.
🏫 NOW CONSIDER ENROLLMENT
Over this same period, Northport's student enrollment declined from 174 to 126.23, a decrease of 27.45%.
Despite serving fewer students, the district's total administrative expenditures increased modestly in nominal dollars.
However, there is another important distinction.
Administrative expenditures represented approximately 17.67% of current operating expenditures in 2014–15, compared with 16.21% in 2024–25.
That means administration accounted for a smaller share of operating expenditures at the end of the decade.
💭 WHY DOES THIS MATTER?
In Step 1, we reported that Northport's business and administration spending per pupil increased 68.87%.
Step 1A provides additional context.
Actual administrative expenditures increased just 8.96% over the decade, while enrollment declined substantially.
These are different financial measures, drawn from different MDE reporting categories, and they should not be confused.
A rising per-pupil figure does not necessarily mean total spending is increasing at the same rate.
📚 SOURCE: Michigan Department of Education, Bulletin 1011, General Fund expenditures, 2014–15 and 2024–25.
Lady B will continue examining Northport's staffing and administrative structure in our next comparison.
👑 Lady B | With Receipts and Respect.
#LadyBudgetdown #NorthportPublicSchool #MichiganEducation #SchoolFinance #AdministrativeSpending #EducationTransparency #PublicEducation #FollowTheNumbers #MichiganSchools #TaxpayerTransparency