SALT LAKE CITY – A bill that would require Utah school districts to post school spending data online gained initial approval Monday.

The Senate Education Committee unanimously approved SB128 after nearly an hour of debate, reports the Salt Lake Tribune. Many applauded the idea, but some questioned the usefulness of such a move.

Sen. Daniel Thatcher, who sponsored the bill, called for greater transparency in education funding at Monday’s hearing. Thatcher said his bill would simply require the financial data reported by school districts to the State Office of Education to be displayed on the Utah Public Finance website.

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“The reality is this information already exists,” Thatcher said. “It’s just not available to the public, and since it’s their money, I think they have a right to look and see how those monies are spent.”

Some of the information can already be found on the website, but not always in the same detail that districts must report to the state office. Thatcher said greater transparency would allow parents and lawmakers to be better informed about the different expenditures and investments made by schools.

“I’m not asking them to do anything they’re not already doing except share the same data with the public that they’re currently sharing with their school boards,” he said.

Thatcher estimated the bill would cost about $15,800 to cover training and changes to the state’s transparency website, according to the Tribune.

However, State Superintendent Martell Menlove said he believes that actual amount would be much higher. Menlove expressed concern over the proposal and questioned the usefulness of providing such data.

“We are interested in transparency, we’re interested in providing data; however, we want to provide that data in a manner that would make sense,” Menlove said. “I’m not sure that providing an excessive quantity of data is going to make it possible for many who search this to have better information.”

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Utah Education Association spokesman Kory Holdaway warned the data could confuse those trying to compare schools, since it would only represent a one-year snapshot of district spending.

But Sen. Mark Madsen said he trusts that Utahns are smart enough to figure it out.

The bill is now slated to move to the Senate floor.