Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that requires all public school districts, vocational-technical schools, and charter schools to post their annual budgets.

Highlights:

• Requires the Pennsylvania Department of Education to create an Internet database called “SchoolWATCH” to provide all of the following for each public school entity (Sec. 5):
• The name and address of a school;
• The total amount of funding received from federal, state, local and private sources;
• The name, position and salary of each individual employed as administrative staff; and 
• The records of all current effective contracts between the public school entity and any union. 

• Defines “public school entity” as one of the following (Sec. 2):
• Area vocational-technical school;
• School district; or
• Charter school entity.

• Defines “SchoolWATCH” as the department’s publically accessible Internet website that will contain the most recent annual financial reports, details of certain information concerning receipts and expenditures, and the information regarding the expenditure and performance measure for each public school entity (Secs. 3-5). 

• Defines “expenditure and performance measure” as an annual measure that compares the instructional expenditures for each public school entity to the entity’s student academic performance, including, but not limited to, academic growth as measured by the Pennsylvania value-added assessment system (Sec. 2).

• Prohibits the Department of Education from posting any additional information on the database not specifically required or permitted under this act (Sec. 5). 

• Requires the secretary of the Department of Education of Pennsylvania to withhold funding from a school district who fails to comply with the provisions of this act until the secretary determines the school district complies (Sec. 6).

• Requires the Department of Education of Pennsylvania give 30 days’ notice to public school entities before the department withholds funds, so if a school district complies within the 30 days, the department will not withhold funding (Sec. 6).

Full Bill Text