Public school financial transparency.

WORKING DRAFT
2011
STATE OF
WYOMING
11LSO-0166

HOUSE BILL
NO.
HB0097

Public
s
chool
f
inancial
t
ransparency.

Sponsored by:
Representative(s) Illoway, Childers, Madden, Pedersen and Teeters and Senator(s) Coe,
Jennings
and Landen

A BILL

for

AN ACT relating to schools; providing for the establishment of a uniform website database to disclose to the public financial activities of public schools as specified;
providing an appropriation; authorizing additional positions;
and providing for effective date
s
.

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of
Wyoming
:

Section 1.

W.S. 21
‑
3
‑
601 is created to read:

ARTICLE 6
PUBLIC SCHOOL FINANCIAL TRANSPARENCY

21
‑
3
‑
60
1
.

Creation of searchable expenditure and revenue website databases.

(
a)

Every
local education provider shall
cooperate with the department of education to
develop, maintain and make publicly available a single, searchable expenditure and revenue
w
ebsite database
available through the use of the internet, World Wide Web or similar proprietary or common carrier electronic system,
that
allows the public at no cost to review information concerning
monies

received and
expended by e
ach
local education provider.

(
b)

The
w
ebsite database shall include the following data concerning
each single
expenditure
of

over one thousand dollars ($1,000.00)
made by
a
local education provider:

(
i)

The amount of the expenditure
;

(
ii)

The date of the expenditure
;

(
iii)

A description of the purpose for the expenditure; and

(
iv)

The name and principal location or address of the
person
receiving
monies
, except that information concerning a payment to an employee of the local education provider shall identify the individual employee by name and business address or location only
.

(c)

The
w
ebsite database shall include the
school district budgets provided to the department of education pursuant to W.S. 16
‑
4
‑
111. The department may display the budget of each school district in a manner which it determines best identifies the source of revenues to the district, identified as provided by the state, the federal government, local resources as determined under W.S. 21
‑
13
‑
310, other revenues and a combination of the foregoing. Each school district budget display shall show:

(i)

Total
revenues and expenditures in the last completed budget year
compared with total revenues and expenditures for
the current budget year
;

(ii)

Cash reserves in the last completed budget year and cash reserves for the current budget year.

(
d)

The
revenue and
expenditure data shall be provided in an open structured data format that:

(
i)

May be downloaded by the user; and

(
ii)

Allows the user to systematically sort, search and access all data.

(
e)

The
w
ebsite database shall contain only information that is a public record or that is not confidential or otherwise protected from public disclosure pursuant to state or federal law.

(
f
)

The local education provider shall
cooperate with the department to allow
:

(
i)

Update
s

of
the financial data contained on the
w
ebsite database at least monthly;

(
ii)

Archive
of
the financial data, which shall remain accessible and searchable on the
w
ebsite database.

(
g
)

As used in this
section
:

(
i)

"
Local education provider
"
means:

(
A)

A
school district organized and existing pursuant to
W.S. 21
‑
3
‑
101 et seq.
;

(
B)

A
board of cooperative
educational
services;
and

(
C)

A
public charter school authorized pursuant to
W.S. 21
‑
3
‑
301 et seq.

(
i
i
)

"Person"
means a
s defined in W.S. 8-1-102;

(
iii)

"
Public record
"
shall have the same meaning as set forth in
W.S. 16
‑
4
‑
201 through 16
‑
4
‑
205.

Section 2.
W.S. 21
‑
3
‑
110(a) by creating a new paragraph (xxx) and 21
‑
20
‑
107(a) by creating a new paragraph (v) are amended to read:

21
‑
3
‑
110.

Duties of boards of trustees.

(a)

The board of trustees in each school district shall:

(xxx)

Cooperate with the department of education to establish and maintain a financial disclosure database as required by W.S. 21
‑
3
‑
601, including disclosure of financial data of any charter school authorized by the district.

21
‑
20
‑
107.

Powers and duties of board of cooperative educational services.

(a)

Each board of trustees of cooperative educational services shall:

(v)

Cooperate with the department of education to establish and maintain a financial disclosure database as required by W.S. 21
‑
3
‑
601.

Section 3.

(a)

There is appropriated nine hundred eight-five thousand dollars ($985,000.00) from the general fund to the department of education for purposes of this act. This appropriation shall be for the period beginning with the effective date of this section and ending June 30, 2012.

(b)

Of t
his appropriation
up to
seven
hundred fift
een
thousand dollars ($
715
,000.00) may be expended
for the purpose of
contractual services required to perform the functions specified in this act.

The balance of the appropriation may be expended for up to two
(2)
data technical staff positions as necessary to implement the provisions of this act.
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, this appropriation shall not be transferred or expended for any other purpose and any unexpended, unobligated funds remaining from this appropriation shall revert as provided by law on
June 30, 2012
.

(c)

The department is authorized an additional two (2) full-time positions for purposes of this act.

(d)

The department shall include a request of not more than five hundred fifty thousand dollars ($550,000.00) in its 2013-2014 standard biennial budget request to carry out its duties under this act.

Section
4
.

(a)

Section 3 of this act
is effective immediately upon co
m
pletion of all acts necessary for a bill to become law as provided by Article 4, Section 8 of the Wyoming Constit
u
tion.

(b)

Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section t
his act is effective July 1, 2011.

(END)

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HB0097