Chapter 11: Financial Transparency and Michigan Charter Schools

In this chapter former State Board of Education President Cassandra E. Ulbrich, Ph.D., analyzes the similarities and the differences in financial transparency and reporting exhibited by Michigan’s traditional and charter school districts. In 2022, the State Board of Education utilized the state’s Freedom of Information Act to identify how districts would respond to a request for five separate contacts. Findings identified a lack of financial transparency among many charter districts, especially those managed by for-profit management companies. This chapter analyzes the response rates and types of each district as well as the ability to make comparisons between and among district types. Finally, the chapter offers public policy solutions that may address transparency disparities.