New Report Demonstrates Need for Strong Systems of Fiscal Transparency and Accountability for School Investments
New evidence reinforces the need to create strong fiscal transparency and accountability systems in Michigan to ensure that investments intended for students with the greatest needs actually reach them in their schools. That’s long been a policy recommendation of The Education Trust-Midwest and partners from the Michigan Partnership for Equity and Opportunity coalition, which are advocating for increased investments for students with the greatest needs.
Just 55% of schools within Michigan’s 25 largest districts showed patterns of equitable per-pupil state/local spending, according to the new analysis from the Citizens Research Council of Michigan.
As state leaders consider directing more funding toward students with the greatest needs in the coming fiscal year, they should consider creating more financial transparency and accountability tied to the equity investments, researchers said in the report, Assessing School-level Per-student Spending Equity in Michigan’s Largest School Districts.
Amber Arellano, executive director of The Education Trust-Midwest, noted in a Chalkbeat Detroit article that the same pattern outlined in the report has been seen in other states. ETM, along with partners from the Michigan Partnership for Equity and Opportunity, have been calling for a “robust system of fiscal transparency and accountability” as they advocate for more investment for students with the greatest needs. That’s especially crucial following recent historic investments directing more money to districts based on concentration of poverty.
“Such a system will ensure that critical investments for students with the greatest needs will actually reach them in their schools and classrooms,” she added.
The analysis intentionally focused on the 2018-19 school year — the last full year before the influx of significant federal pandemic relief funding. The report noted that new federal K-12 education data reporting requirements made the analysis possible of school-level per-student spending across Michigan’s 800-plus local school districts. Previously, only district-level financial information was available for analysis, the report said.
