Dearest reader,

Lady B's ledger has arrived at Dryden Community Schools.

And over ten years, quite a bit has changed.

From 2014-15 to 2024-25:

👥 Student count: -22.98%
591.00 → 455.19 pupils

Meanwhile, spending per pupil moved in the opposite direction.

💰 All Sources Revenue: +97.94%
$8,814 → $17,446 per pupil

📚 Total Instruction: +91.15%
$5,772 → $11,033 per pupil

📋 Instructional Support: +250.56%
$360 → $1,262 per pupil

🏢 Business & Administration: +84.52%
$1,266 → $2,336 per pupil

🔧 Operations & Maintenance: +83.84%
$817 → $1,502 per pupil

And then we arrive at average teacher salary.

🍎 2014-15: $54,100
🍎 2024-25: $59,975

That's an increase of just 10.86% over the decade.

After adjusting for inflation?

Average teacher salary actually LOST 18.38% in purchasing power.

For comparison, even after inflation:

💰 All Sources Revenue per pupil: +45.72%
📚 Total Instruction per pupil: +40.72%
📋 Instructional Support per pupil: +158.08%
🏢 Business & Administration per pupil: +35.84%
🔧 Operations & Maintenance per pupil: +35.35%

Yet average teacher salary: -18.38%.

That doesn't tell us everything about Dryden.

But it certainly tells us where to keep looking.

Next up: staffing. 🪶

With receipts and respect.

#LadyBudgetdown #DrydenCommunitySchools #DrydenMichigan #MichiganSchools #TeacherPay #EducationFunding #SchoolSpending #SchoolTransparency #TaxpayerDollars #FollowTheMoney #WithReceiptsAndRespect