DEAREST READER...
And THIS is precisely why we opened Michigan Treasury's School Bond Loan Fund ledger.
MIDLAND COUNTY has only one district showing an outstanding balance in the 2025 data:
MERIDIAN PUBLIC SCHOOLS
💰 $4,239,942.35 OUTSTANDING
📚 7 YEARS IN FUND
📌 STATUS: BORROWING
Interesting on its own.
But this one comes with a rather important footnote.
Meridian Public Schools is going before voters on NOVEMBER 3, 2026 asking them to authorize another:
💰 $13,950,000 IN NEW BOND DEBT.
And that is where this stops being an obscure Treasury number buried in a state report.
This is information voters can use RIGHT NOW.
To be very clear, Meridian's participation in the state loan program does not mean the district has done anything improper. This is a legal financing mechanism available for qualified school bonds.
But Treasury currently reports Meridian as BORROWING, with more than $4.2 million outstanding in the state loan fund.
And voters are simultaneously being asked to authorize another $13.95 million in bond debt.
So my question is remarkably simple:
👑 WHEN VOTERS ARE ASKED TO AUTHORIZE NEW DEBT, SHOULDN'T THEY KNOW ABOUT THE EXISTING STATE LOAN BALANCE?
Not because it automatically means vote YES.
Not because it automatically means vote NO.
Because voters deserve the COMPLETE financial picture before deciding.
The shiny brochure tells you what the next bond will buy.
The Treasury ledger tells you something about what you're still carrying.
I think voters deserve to see both. 👓📜
SOURCE: Michigan Department of Treasury
2025 School Bond Qualification and Loan Program — Appendix C
With receipts and respect. 👑🧾
Meridian Public Schools
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