Senate Democrats killed a bill that would have required school districts to put their check books online, bringing accountability and transparency to the public education sector.
The measure, Senate Bill 91, would have required public schools to maintain a readily accessible online database that would have outlined district spending. The bill also called for monthly updates and notification of budget changes.
SB 91 sponsor Sen. Ted Harvey, R-Highlands Ranch, said the measure would be most useful in helping balance the state’s budget. “Through transparency we can better identify waste and potential cost savings,” Harvey said. “As we prepare to cut K-12 in order to fill the state’s budget hole, I think a database like this would be extremely useful."
SB 91 was killed on a party line vote in the Senate State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee today.
"What are Democrats afraid of? What are they trying to hide?" Harvey asked. "Can't we agree that transparency is a good thing for taxpayer money, especially scarce resources meant to be educating our children?"
Harvey introduced an identical bill last session. It was approved by the upper chamber, but ultimately killed by union Democrats on the House Education Committee.