Rep. Tammy West Praises Signing of School Financial Transparency Measure
OKLAHOMA CITY – State Rep. Tammy West today praised the governor’s signing into law House Bill 2860, which requires the State Department of Education to make a link to school district financial data available to the public on the front page of the department’s website.
The bill requires the database to include the total compensation package of a superintendent and directs the department to annually inform parents, schools and other stakeholders about the availability of school district and site expenditure data on its website and how to use it.
“This is a good first step in accountability and transparency as we look to find efficiencies and maximize our education framework,” said West, R-Bethany.
West said the goal of this legislation is to ensure parents, taxpayers and other people in our communities have all available financial information on school districts so they can be stronger partners with all concerned.
“Knowledge is power, and public transparency is of utmost importance,” West said. “When we know how much money our schools have and how that money is being spent, we can make better decisions to ensure our students and our teachers have what they need to be successful in their classrooms.”
West emphasized this law requires nothing additional of school districts but rather requires the information to be posted on the state Department of Education’s website.
