MacDowell Preparatory Academy — Financial Extraction

School Overview

MacDowell Preparatory Academy receives public per-pupil funding while Purpose Group LLC — controlled by Banks — extracts the majority of school spending.

Financial Extraction ✅ Verified

How the Numbers Work

Purpose Group receives $4,285,201 of MacDowell’s spending — 72.67% of total revenue. The school reports $0 in staff salaries because staff are technically employed by Purpose Group, not the school itself.

Purpose Group reported paying staff $3,936,712, leaving a $348,489 gap between what MacDowell paid Purpose Group and what Purpose Group reported spending on personnel.

MacDowell revenue:           $4,900,000
Purpose Group payments:      $4,285,201  (72.67%)
Purpose Group staff costs:   $3,936,712
Unaccounted gap:             $348,489
School-reported salaries:            $0

graph LR
    STATE(("Michigan<br/>Per-Pupil<br/>Funding")) -->|"$4.9M/yr"| MAC["MacDowell Prep"]
    MAC -->|"72.67%<br/>$4,285,201"| LLC["Purpose Group LLC<br/>(Banks = sole member)"]
    LLC -->|"$3,936,712"| STAFF["Staff Payroll"]
    LLC -->|"$150,000"| BANKS["Banks Salary"]
    LLC -->|"$348,489"| GAP["❓ Unaccounted"]
    MAC -->|"$0 reported"| DIRECT["Direct Staff<br/>Salaries"]

    style STATE fill:#0f766e,stroke:#2dd4bf,color:#ccfbf1
    style MAC fill:#1e3a5f,stroke:#60a5fa,color:#bfdbfe
    style LLC fill:#713f12,stroke:#f59e0b,color:#fef3c7
    style BANKS fill:#991b1b,stroke:#ef4444,color:#fecaca
    style GAP fill:#92400e,stroke:#f59e0b,color:#fef3c7
    style STAFF fill:#14532d,stroke:#4ade80,color:#bbf7d0
    style DIRECT fill:#44403c,stroke:#6b7280,color:#9ca3af
  

Credential Fraud ✅ Verified

State Bar of Michigan search for “Brian Banks”: zero results.

Verify

• School website: macdowellprep.com
• CMU charter authorization: cmich.edu
• Financial data: mischooldata.org
• State Bar: ⚖️ State Bar of MI — search “Brian Banks” (zero results)

Independent Reporting

Primary Analytical Reference

• 📰 Clutch Justice : MacDowell: $15,217/student, 3% math proficiency — Comprehensive academic and financial analysis documenting extraction model, board composition, Yancey as Board Chair, gift-card-labeled payments, and DPSCD authorization of second school (Sep 2026)
• 📰 Clutch Justice : FOIA and Your Michigan School Board — Legal roadmap for parents requesting MacDowell financial records under MCL 15.231 (Sep 2026)

Secondary Sources

• 🏛️ MI School Data : MacDowell Preparatory Academy — Ranked 1,443rd of 1,488 Michigan elementary schools (bottom 3%)
• 📚 US News : MacDowell Preparatory Academy — 3% math proficiency, 12% reading proficiency
• 📰 Free Press : Back to Fool — Brian Banks — M.L. Elrick investigation (Aug 2023)

All sources are public records. Full documentation in the git repository.