The Michigan Department of Treasury has partnered with Socrata on an interactive dashboard that provides information on the financial health of public schools statewide.
The dashboard will provide information on Michigan’s local school districts, intermediate school districts and public school academies through interactive maps, pie charts and graphs. Users can view and compare school revenues and expenditures, as well as student count and funding per student, among other topics.
The MI School Financials Dashboard uses data schools are required to report to the Center for Educational Performance and Information (CEPI). Other sources of data include Michigan GIS Open Data and Michigan Department of Education’s Bulletin 1014.
It’s not clear how often the data will be refreshed, but the Treasury Department said in a statement that as new data becomes available it will be added to the site. Some historical trend data is available so users can see how funding has changed over time within districts they click into. Historical data goes back to 2013. Users can also get a sense for the long-term liabilities of a given school district, which could impact fiscal strength.
“This dashboard provides a financial snapshot of the state’s nearly 900 schools,” said Deputy State Treasurer Dr. Eric Scorsone, head of Treasury’s Local and State Finance Group. “Taxpayers can explore an interactive map to obtain a better understanding about their school’s finances.”
The dashboard is the latest addition to Michigan’s growing open data platform. Michigan already provides information on state economics, the environment and public safety, among other topics.
