We’ve recently added the 2012 fiscal data from the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) to our database. The results are, well… mixed.
According to our rating system, the fiscal indicator score, school districts under a condition of fiscal stress doubled from 6% in 2011 to 12% in 2012. In Michigan, 376 districts had a worse score than the prior year, 56 districts had an improved score, and 114 districts remained the same.
As part of the debate over the governor’s 2014 proposed budget, our state legislators are grappling with the ‘school funding’ issue. Regardless of what happens in Lansing, it is critical for school administrators to “know their data” when it comes time for the hard decisions that may change the course of a fiscally stressed district.
To give some perspective on these numbers, Michigan municipalities have begun to see their fiscal scores trend positively. Why the opposite direction? A major factor is the differences between municipal and school funding. We’ll talk in depth about these differences in our next blog!
