Dearest Readers,
Oh, for the love of all things laminated and filed alphabetically.
Lady B has apparently become the subject of a public warning in a Facebook group called "Michigan Women for Democracy."
And dearest readers, one must wonder what, precisely, is being served in the tea at these meetings. ☕️
Apparently, Lady B is anti-public education, a disgruntled individual, possibly a Republican PAC, and perhaps even a political candidate operating under false pretenses.
Good heavens!
All this time Lady B thought she was examining school finances. Apparently, she has been running a vast political conspiracy with a calculator, a spreadsheet, and a rather fetching wax seal.
Who knew? 🪶
But wait, dear readers. It gets better.
Who authored this fascinating little warning?
Katie Elizabeth err Katie Ellison
And why might that name be familiar?
Katie Ellison serves as President of the Saginaw Intermediate School District Board of Education AND Vice President of the Hemlock Public Schools Board of Education.
Yes. THOSE two boards.
The Saginaw ISD, where Lady B has examined seven consecutive years of audit findings, which ALL had issues and findings, which resulted in a corrective action plan, substantial increases in administrative spending, and a particularly remarkable increase in central administration expenditures. AND 45 MILLION combined in funds sitting in the SISD accounts.
And Hemlock Public Schools, where Lady B has been asking for the debt repayment schedule and financial details behind a proposed bond that officials describe as tax-neutral.
A schedule the public has still not been provided and Hemlock refuses to provide. Yet, Lady B is blocked from that page.
My, my.
One might think someone holding leadership positions on TWO boards would have plenty of financial records to occupy her attention.
Yet here we are, discussing the political affiliation of a fictional aristocrat with a spreadsheet.
Priorities, dearest readers. Priorities. 😂
Now, allow Lady B to clear up a few things.
Lady B is NOT a political action committee.
Lady B is NOT a Republican organization.
Lady B is NOT a Democratic organization.
Lady B does not endorse political parties.
And Lady B is most certainly NOT anti-public education.
Quite the opposite.
The entire reason this page exists is to advocate for MORE money reaching teachers, support staff, classrooms, and STUDENTS.
Not unnecessary administrative expenses.
Not questionable expenditures.
Not financial decisions that taxpayers cannot adequately examine.
THE CLASSROOM.
That is the mission. It has not changed.
And yes, Lady B uses artificial intelligence.
The horror!
She also uses state financial databases, audit reports, compensation disclosures, spreadsheets, calculators, and public records.
Apparently, making information easier for the public to understand has become a suspicious political activity.
One can only imagine the scandal if Lady B discovers a pivot table.
Someone alert the authorities. 🚨
Now, Lady B finds these accusations particularly amusing.
Since nobody seems able to determine who is behind this page, the speculation has become increasingly creative.
A Republican PAC! A disgruntled employee! A secret candidate!
At this rate, Lady B expects to be accused of orchestrating the Boston Tea Party.
But here's the rather unfortunate flaw in this little exercise.
Suggesting that Lady B has a secret political agenda does absolutely nothing to explain the financial records she publishes.
And attempting to sow seeds of mistrust?
Dearest readers, those seeds were planted long before Lady B arrived.
Years of financial questions, audit findings, and concerns about transparency have already allowed those seeds to grow into rather magnificent redwoods.
Particularly where the SISD and Hemlock boards are concerned.
Lady B did not plant that forest.
She merely arrived with a flashlight and began reading the signs. 🌲
And perhaps the greatest irony of all?
This warning appeared in a group with the word DEMOCRACY in its name.
Democracy!
A system in which citizens are supposed to have access to information, question their government, and hold public officials accountable.
Unless, apparently, those citizens start asking uncomfortable questions about school spending.
Then we must investigate the person holding the calculator.
How delightfully absurd.
Lady B has said it before, and she shall say it again.
If a number is wrong, bring the documentation.
If a financial record requires clarification, provide it.
If a district believes Lady B has misrepresented something, the district is welcome to explain it publicly.
But accusations about political affiliations, secret identities, and imaginary conspiracies are not financial rebuttals.
They are distractions.
And while everyone is busy trying to figure out who Lady B is, she will continue examining what public officials are doing with taxpayer money.
Because dearest readers, the question has never been WHO is asking.
The question is WHY the public has to work so hard to get answers.
With receipts and respect. 🪶
#LadyBudgetdown #Transparency #Accountability #PublicEducation #SISD #OurStory #HemlockHuskies #HemlockPublicSchools #SISDCTE