Dearest reader, I have a question.
Actually, I have several.
A reader handed me a breadcrumb from Bridgeport-Spaulding Community Schools, and the timing made me reach for the spectacles.
At the district's last board meeting, Interim Superintendent Desmon Daniel was questioned about eliminating the principal position at Thomas White Elementary. According to the reader's account, declining enrollment and the need for fiscal responsibility were cited as the reasons.
Fair enough.
School districts have budgets. Enrollment matters. Sometimes difficult decisions have to be made.
But here's where the ledger gets interesting.
Emily Radewahn was the principal at Thomas White Elementary. The most recent public payroll data I located reports her 2025 wages at $99,826.74.
So, roughly $100,000 in wages disappears with the elimination of that principal position.
And Radewahn wasn't exactly presiding over a school that outsiders were publicly describing as struggling.
Just a couple of months ago, Saginaw ISD's Director of Instructional Services publicly thanked Principal Emily Radewahn for inviting the ISD into Thomas White to observe the literacy work taking place there.
The ISD described students as deeply engaged and said the team's dedication and hard work were "shining through in every classroom."
Keep that receipt on the desk.
Because now we arrive at the agenda for the very next stretch of board business.
Principal position eliminated. Approximately $100,000 in wages removed. Declining enrollment and fiscal responsibility cited as the reason.
And approximately three weeks later:
"CHIEF ACADEMIC OFFICER (DANIEL)"
appears on the September 14 Board of Education agenda.
Well.
What exactly is a Chief Academic Officer going to do in Bridgeport-Spaulding?
Is Daniel proposing the creation of a new administrative position?
If so, why does the district need it?
What responsibilities would belong to the CAO?
Who is currently performing those responsibilities?
What would the salary be?
What would the benefits and retirement costs be?
And perhaps most importantly:
If eliminating an elementary principal was necessary to save money because enrollment is declining, how much money will the district actually save if another administrative position is created three weeks later?
I don't know the answer.
The agenda doesn't tell us.
And I'm not going to invent one.
But I think taxpayers are entitled to ask the question, particularly when the administrator whose position was eliminated was being publicly praised by the Saginaw ISD only months ago.
Perhaps Monday night's meeting will provide an explanation. Until then, the ledger simply shows two decisions sitting awfully close together:
Eliminate a principal in the name of fiscal responsibility.
Three weeks later, put "Chief Academic Officer" on the agenda.
My spectacles are on.
I'm listening.
Bridgeport Spaulding Community School District
#LadyBudgetdown #WithReceiptsAndRespect #BridgeportSpaulding #SchoolTransparency