Josh Devine

The Ladue School District is constantly classified as a wealthier district. Some may assume that Ladue has millions or billions of dollars in cash ready to be spent on every little thing. However, Ladue’s budget is much more complicated that one may think on the surface.

Ladue had an annual budget of $79,075,000. This means that each year Ladue works with about 80 million dollars to keep its district running on the level that it does. While this may seem like an egregious amount of money, it doesn’t necessarily mean that Ladue has enough to spend on every single small amenity-the budget is divided in a very important way. 

Ladue spends 35.8 million dollars on Instructional Services. This money is where teacher salaries, teachers aids, librarians, curriculum development, Project Lead the Way classes, technology, and most supplies that go towards education. This is a major part of the Ladue budget, and each and every one of the costs under this category of the Ladue budget go towards keeping the schools running every day. 

Ladue spends 22.6 million dollars on support services. Guidance counselors, staff support arrangements, administration, nurses, and the college and career program are all funded under this section. It’s important in keeping all of the members of the Ladue community healthy and supported, and is another essential part of the budget. 

The rest of the budget is broken up into small, yet important, expenditures. Operational, food services and construction are all allotted a total 1.1 million dollars. School maintenance and nutritional services help keep our school running through the year. 

Hence, despite many believing that Ladue’s budget is just one of lavish expenditures, it takes millions of dollars to keep the school running and continue to give the quality of education that the Ladue School District provides.