NEW DISTRICT INVESTIGATION DATABASE & MORE ALERT
Dearest reader,
Lady B has been busy behind the scenes! 📚🔎
What started as a little digging through Michigan school district finances has grown into something much bigger.
And today, Lady B would like to show you just how much information is now available in one place.
One of the biggest challenges with researching public education in Michigan isn't necessarily that the information doesn't exist. It's that the records are scattered across state agencies, financial reports, spreadsheets, district publications, and countless corners of the internet.
Finding the information is one thing. Understanding it, comparing it, and putting it to use is another.
So Lady B has been gathering those breadcrumbs, organizing the records, and building tools that make them easier for everyday taxpayers, educators, parents, and community members to explore.
Here's what you'll find in Lady B's growing collection. 👇
📍 THE DISTRICT TRACKER
This is one of Lady B's favorite additions!
Ever wondered whether Lady B has investigated your school district? Or wished you could request that your district be examined?
Now you can!
The District Tracker allows readers to search for their Michigan public school district and see where it stands.
You can see which districts have already been reviewed, which investigations are underway, and which districts have not yet been requested.
And here's the fun part.
If Lady B has completed a district workup, the Tracker connects you directly to that district's published investigation in The Ledger.
No scrolling through months of Facebook posts. No searching through old announcements. Just find your district and follow the breadcrumbs.
And if your district hasn't been reviewed yet, you can request it!
📊 SCHOOL DISTRICT FINANCIALS: BULLETIN 1011
Michigan school finances involve an enormous amount of information.
Revenue, expenditures, financial classifications, and reporting categories can make even a determined reader's head spin.
Lady B has brought school district financial records together in a searchable format, making it easier to explore how districts report their finances.
Instead of hunting through separate state files, readers have a place to begin examining the numbers themselves.
Because understanding where public education dollars come from, and where they go, should not require an accounting degree and three cups of coffee. ☕
🏫 SCHOOL DISTRICT BOND EXPLORER
Bonds are a major part of how Michigan school districts finance buildings, renovations, and other capital improvements.
But how often do taxpayers hear about a proposed bond without knowing what happened with previous proposals?
Lady B's School District Bond Explorer brings together historical Michigan school bond election information.
Readers can explore bond proposals that passed, proposals that failed, and the history of bond elections across districts.
It's an opportunity to look beyond a single election and better understand a district's history of asking voters to approve school debt.
Lady B has said it before. Bonds can be necessary. But understanding their history, purpose, and financial implications matters too.
And those are just three of the tools!
📚 MORE SCHOOL DISTRICT DATABASES
Lady B has also been building a growing collection of additional resources:
🍎 Early Childhood: Explore district-level early childhood information.
👩�🏫 REP Staffing: Examine reported school staffing, including teachers, administrators, and other educational personnel.
🏫 Shared Time: Explore Michigan's shared-time educational arrangements and related information.
📈 10-Year Financials: Compare district financial information across a decade and examine how spending and revenue have changed over time.
These resources allow readers to look at individual pieces of the education puzzle, rather than relying on a single number or headline.
And Lady B isn't finished adding databases. Not even close!
❤️ EDUCATORS AND CLASSROOMS
Of course, public education is about more than spreadsheets and bond proposals.
It's about the people inside those classrooms.
That's why Lady B has also created resources specifically for educators and school communities.
🎁 Teacher Wishlists
A growing collection of Michigan educators' classroom wishlists, giving readers an opportunity to help teachers obtain supplies for their students.
🗳� School Board Candidate Information
A directory of school board candidates who have shared information about themselves, their priorities, and their reasons for running.
Readers can explore candidate responses and learn more about the people seeking to serve their school communities.
📝 Report Classroom Wishlist Restrictions
This is one of our newest additions!
Lady B has heard concerns about school districts restricting Amazon Wishlists, DonorsChoose, and other ways teachers obtain classroom supplies.
Now educators and community members can privately report those restrictions, explain how they were communicated, and share information about annual classroom supply allowances.
Submissions are private. Lady B can use the information to research district policies while protecting the identities of those who submit reports.
🌟 Teacher of the Month Nominations
Know an educator who goes above and beyond?
Lady B wants to hear about the teachers and school employees making a difference.
Because while Lady B spends plenty of time examining the business side of education, recognizing the good happening inside Michigan schools matters just as much.
AND THERE'S MORE TO COME!
The goal isn't to tell readers what to think.
It's to give them more information so they can ask better questions, make their own comparisons, and understand the decisions affecting their schools.
Lady B is taking public records that have been scattered across the internet and bringing them together in one growing collection.
Some records are easy to understand. Others require a little explanation. And sometimes the numbers lead us down an entirely new rabbit hole. 🐇
But every new database, every district investigation, and every reader submission adds another piece to the puzzle.
Lady B believes public information should actually be accessible to the public.
Not just technically available somewhere in a 200-page document.
Accessible. Searchable. Understandable.
And perhaps most importantly, useful.
To everyone who has submitted a district request, shared a classroom wish list, provided information, nominated an educator, or simply followed along and asked questions, thank you.
You're helping build something that continues to grow beyond Lady B's original little ledger.
And we are just getting started. 💙
With receipts and respect,
Lady B 🖋�
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