Northport Public School - Administrative Spending & Family Connections

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LADY BUDGETDOWN | NORTHPORT PUBLIC SCHOOL

🏫 $8,185 PER STUDENT ON BUSINESS & ADMINISTRATION. AND A FAMILY CONNECTION WORTH EXAMINING.

We've spent several posts examining Northport Public School's finances, staffing, compensation, and audit reports.

Now Lady B wants to revisit two things that deserve a closer look: administrative spending and the relationships between the individuals responsible for overseeing and operating the district.

📊 FIRST, THE NUMBERS.

According to the Michigan Department of Education's 2024–25 Bulletin 1014:

🏫 Student Enrollment: 126.23 FTE

💰 Business & Administration Spending: $8,185 per pupil

For comparison, a financial analysis circulated concerning Northport reports a median of $2,806 per pupil for Michigan school districts enrolling fewer than 500 students.

That would place Northport's spending at approximately 2.92 times the reported small-district median.

The $8,185 figure comes directly from MDE Bulletin 1014. The $2,806 comparison figure comes from a separate analysis and has not been independently recalculated by Lady B.

It's also important to distinguish per-pupil spending from total expenditures. Small districts can have higher per-pupil costs because fixed expenses are spread across fewer students.

But the comparison is still worth discussing.

👥 NOW, THE FAMILY CONNECTIONS.

According to Northport's publicly available staff and Board of Education directories:

🔹 Thomas Wetherbee serves as a Board of Education trustee, with a term listed through 2030.

🔹 Neil Wetherbee, Thomas's son, serves as superintendent.

🔹 Corrine Wetherbee, Neil's wife and Thomas's daughter-in-law, is employed by the district in a Title I position.

That places three members of one family in three different roles within the same school district.

One serves on the governing board.

One leads the district's administration.

And one is employed by the district.

💭 WHY DOES THIS MATTER?

School boards are responsible for overseeing superintendents, evaluating their performance, and approving employment contracts and compensation.

When a superintendent's parent serves on that same board, questions about independent oversight and conflict-of-interest safeguards are reasonable.

The family relationship itself does not establish wrongdoing, and it does not automatically mean that any employment or compensation decision was improper.

But it does raise questions about how those decisions are handled.

📋 AND THERE'S ANOTHER DETAIL.

Northport's FY2025 employee compensation transparency report contains a superintendent entry listing:

💰 Salaries/Wages: $160,423.32

💰 Mandatory Retirement: $58,281.11

💰 Mandatory FICA: $12,272.39

💰 Other Reported Benefits: $83,530.54

Combined reported compensation and employer costs: $314,507.36.

Interestingly, the report identifies the employee as Thomas N. Wetherbee, Superintendent, while the district's staff directory identifies Neil Wetherbee as superintendent and its Board directory identifies Thomas Wetherbee as a trustee.

Lady B has not established the reason for that discrepancy.

The combined amount also includes employer costs and should not be mistaken for take-home salary.

🔎 THE QUESTIONS.

With Northport reporting $8,185 per pupil in business and administration expenditures, and three members of one family serving in district governance, administration, and employment:

❓ What procedures does the Board use to ensure independent oversight of the superintendent?

❓ How are potential conflicts of interest disclosed and managed when compensation or employment matters involve family members?

❓ What explains Northport's administrative spending relative to the reported median for other small Michigan districts?

These are questions about public spending, governance, and transparency. They are not allegations of misconduct.

Lady B believes taxpayers should be able to understand both how their school district spends public money and how the people responsible for those decisions are held accountable.

📚 SOURCES:
Michigan Department of Education, 2024–25 Bulletin 1014, District 45040.
Northport Public School, Staff Directory and Board of Education Directory.
Northport Public School, FY2025 Employee Compensation Transparency Report.
Small-district median referenced from a separately circulated financial comparison.

👑 Lady B | With Receipts and Respect.

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