AB 378

Beginning in the 2023-24 school year, this bill requires DPI to make detailed

information related to financial data that DPI collects from school districts and

county children with disabilities education boards available on a single web page,

also referred to as the financial information portal, in a format that allows the public

to download, sort, search, and access the information at no cost. The bill also requires

DPI to include on the financial information portal similar financial information it

collects from independent charter schools, to the extent doing so is feasible without

collecting any additional information from independent charter schools solely for

this purpose. Under the bill, DPI must annually update any information required

to be included on the financial information portal and annually conduct a public

information campaign about the availability of financial information on DPI's

Internet site.

The bill also creates a school district and school financial information

transparency advisory committee to advise DPI on the creation and design of the

financial information portal. Under the bill, the 11 members of the advisory

committee must be appointed by no later than 60 days after the bill becomes law. By

no later than April 15, 2023, the advisory committee must submit its advisory report

on the financial information portal to DPI. Under the bill, the advisory report must

include recommendations on various topics, including 1) the categories of

information that must be accessible on the financial information portal, 2) the

financial data that must be accessible to the public for each required category of

information, 3) whether DPI's existing hardware, software, data collection methods,

training, maintenance, communications, data security, and installation

specifications for reporting information are appropriate for the financial information

portal, and 4) the resources that are necessary to implement and maintain the

financial information portal, as recommended by the advisory committee.

By no later than 45 days after receiving the advisory report, DPI must respond

to the advisory committee on whether or not DPI will implement each

recommendation in the advisory report and, if it will not implement a

recommendation, why not. By the same deadline, DPI must also deliver the advisory

report and its response to the advisory report to the Joint Committee on Finance,

which triggers a 14-day JCF passive review process. Under the bill, if JCF does not

schedule a meeting to review DPI's response to the advisory report, DPI may

implement the recommendations in accordance with its response. If JCF does

schedule a meeting to review DPI's response to the advisory report, DPI may not

implement any recommendation in the report until JCF approves DPI's plan to

implement or reject each recommendation in the advisory report. The bill requires

DPI to implement the recommendations, as approved by JCF, by no later than one

year after it is allowed to do so under the JCF review process. However, under the

bill, DPI may delay implementing a recommendation to include financial