Transparency
INTRODUCTION
Section 18 (2) of the Public Act 94 of 1979, The State School Aid Act, has been amended, which requires each school district and intermediate school district to post certain information on its website within 30 days after a board adopts it annual operating budget or any subsequent revision to that budget. The Annual Budget & Transparency Reporting is an opportunity to communicate to our community on how we utilize the resources that are provided to us. Please see the elements required to be posted on our website.
Economic Factors and the Budget Development Process
Our elected officials and administration considered many factors when setting the School District’s operating budgets. Two of the most important factors affecting the budget are the economic condition of the State of Michigan and our student count. State law requires the District to amend the budget if actual District resources are not sufficient to fund original appropriations. Since the District’s revenue is primarily dependent on state aid from the School Aid Fund and local property taxes, the actual revenue received by the District depends on the health of the District’s tax base and the State’s ability to collect revenue to fund its appropriations to school districts. Under state law, the School District cannot levy additional property tax revenue for general operations. The state foundation revenue is determined by multiplying the blended student count by the foundation allowance per pupil.
In the recent past, the State of Michigan has issued several executive orders prorating and reducing, midyear, the State’s funding commitment to the District. The School District’s recent budgetary history reflects how it has made every effort over the past decade to prepare for and excel programmatically while meeting the challenges of the state’s struggling economy. Program cost reduction; elimination and avoidance in excess of $20.0 million have been enacted over that time. It is the intention of the School District to provide premium programming within a balanced operating budget environment.
MI School Data is your window to a wealth of data on Michigan's public school education system. MI School Data provides views of Michigan education data to help make informed educational decisions, to help improve instruction and to enable school systems to prepare a higher percentage of students to succeed in rigorous high school courses, college and challenging careers. Over time MI School Data will be expanded to provide you with more data, more reports and more ways to access the information important to you. We invite you to learn more about Michigan's Schools through MISchoolData.org.