LADY BUDGETDOWN'S TRANSPARENCY CHECK: SAGINAW TOWNSHIP COMMUNITY SCHOOLS
Dearest Readers,
Sometimes a transparency review isn't about how much was spent. Sometimes it's about whether the required receipt is current and available to the public.
Michigan's Budget and Salary/Compensation Transparency Reporting requirements, under MCL 388.1618, require school districts to post one of two items for the applicable fiscal year:
📜 An Accounts Payable Check Register
OR
📜 A Statement of Reimbursed Expenses showing the total expenses reimbursed by the district for employees and Board of Education members.
Michigan Department of Education guidance is quite clear:
One of these reports must be posted. (Michigan.gov)
So Lady Budgetdown checked the public-facing transparency page for Saginaw Township Community Schools.
🔎 WHAT WAS LOCATED
The district has a Statement of Reimbursed Expenses posted.
The year?
2020-21.
That report states that total expenses reimbursed to district employees and Board of Education members were:
$122,858.94
🔎 WHAT WAS NOT LOCATED
Lady Budgetdown could not locate an Accounts Payable Check Register on the district's public-facing transparency page.
Lady Budgetdown also could not locate a Statement of Reimbursed Expenses newer than 2020-21.
That matters because MDE's transparency guidance calls for the check register or reimbursement statement to reflect the most recently completed fiscal year, with updates tied to the district's annual FID reporting cycle. (Michigan.gov)
This receipt does not claim that Saginaw Township Community Schools is hiding information. It does not speculate about why a newer report isn't available on the transparency page.
It simply compares what Michigan's transparency requirements call for with what Lady Budgetdown could locate on the district's public-facing transparency page.
Perhaps a newer report exists and Lady Budgetdown simply hasn't found it.
If so, send the quill a link. The ledger will gladly be updated.
Because transparency works best when the public doesn't have to wonder whether the receipt exists.
It should be there to read. 🪶
Sources: MCL 388.1618; Michigan Department of Education Budget and Salary/Compensation Transparency Reporting Guidance; Saginaw Township Community Schools public transparency materials.
Data compiled and reviewed by Lady Budgetdown using publicly available records.
With receipts and respect.
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