CYBERSPACE SIGHTING: New website explains Michigan school finances

Michigan residents can now view the fiscal health of schools across the state through the MI School Financials Dashboard, according to the Michigan Department of Treasury.

The new, easy-to-use website provides visual financial data about Michigan's local school districts, intermediate school districts and public school academies through interactive maps, pie charts and graphs. Michiganders can view and compare school revenues and expenditures, as well as student count and funding per student, among other topics.

"This dashboard provides a financial snapshot of the state's nearly 900 schools," said Deputy State Treasurer Dr. Eric Scorsone, head of Treasury's Local and State Finance Group. "Taxpayers can explore an interactive map to obtain a better understanding about their school's finances."

The MI School Financials Dashboard uses data schools are required to report to the Center for Educational Performance and Information (CEPI). Other sources of data include Michigan GIS Open Data and Michigan Department of Education's Bulletin 1014.

To view the fiscal health of Michigan's schools, go to mischoolfinancials.michigan.gov. As new data becomes available, information on the dashboard will be updated and refreshed.

Last year, the state Treasury Department debuted the MI Community Dashboard, highlighting financial data reported annually by the state's counties, cities, villages and townships. To learn more about the MI Community Financial Dashboard, go to micommunityfinancials.michigan.gov.

Published: Mon, Mar 19, 2018