TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – The cost of educating a student at Traverse City Area Public Schools has increased from $10,729 per pupil in 2015 to $16,214 in 2024. That’s a 12% increase over the nine-year span when factoring in inflation.
Traverse City’s public schools had seen expenses rise from $107.12 million in 2014-15 to $143.63 million in 2023-24, a 1.8% increase when accounting for inflation.
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The increase in costs has come despite a drop in enrollment. The district had 9,987 students in 2014-15 and that dropped to 8,858 in 2023.
The financial data came in a report to the city council at its Nov. 11 meeting.
The report showed that the administrative staff over the nine-year span has jumped from 81 to 106.
Traverse City Superintendent John VanWagoner said in an email to Michigan News Source that in his five years, the only administrative staff that was added were for student mental health and school safety.
The number of “administrators” full-time equivalencies has increased from 56.11 in 2014-15 to 62.25 in 2023-24.
The number of full-time employees has slightly declined, going from 1,179 in 2014-15 to 1,127 in 2023-24.
The district’s saw a large increase in the costs of instructional staff. From 2015 to 2022, the district spent between $4.17 million to $4.75 million in costs for instructional staff. That increased from $4.54 million in 2022 to $6.7 million in 2023 and then to $7.68 million in 2024.
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