Legislative declaration

The general assembly finds that members of the public, as taxpayers and parents, have a strong interest in how public moneys are expended in Colorado in the pursuit of a quality education for all of Colorado's public school students. The general assembly further finds that educators and administrators, as education innovators and stewards of these public moneys, are eager to learn from one another and evaluate best practices that may result in efficiencies and potential cost savings for their schools. While achieving these important ends through the statewide dissemination of public school financial information may have been cumbersome in the past, new technologies and the ease with which the public can access electronic information now make greater transparency in public school finances not only important but practical. Therefore, it is the intent of the general assembly to ensure public access to public school financial information through the adoption of the "Public School Financial Transparency Act", which directs public schools to post financial information online, in a downloadable format, for free public access.