This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The Senate unanimously passed a bill Monday aimed at making it easier for Utahns to see exactly how their schools spend money.
SB128 would require school districts to share school finance data they already collect on the state's financial transparency website, said bill sponsor Sen. Daniel Thatcher, R-West Valley City. The website already has some of that data, but districts don't always report it consistently.
Thatcher said the bill would cost $15,800, mainly for changes to the website and training.
State superintendent Martell Menlove, however, has questioned whether the bill would actually cost that little if the state were to put information online for every school in Utah, rather than just for school districts. And he questioned last week at a committee meeting how valuable such data would really be to the public given its complexity.