Copy and paste this link http://php.delawareonline.com/stateCheckbook/index.php?vendorName=harcourt

Those legislators who oppose online data are fools and will be voted out of office.
Data from all the school districts in Delaware are in the state’s mainframe. All the accounting is software driven, school don’t use the old paper ledger binders!
I know many legislators read this blog and to those legislators, get your heads out of You asses and bring us what we demand! We are tired of serving those who are required to serve us!

PeopleSoft is a huge system with many modules, it depends on what modules are implemented in which agencies.

PeopleSoft can provide the data for the whole transparency package; once every agency is using the system it would be a snap to get the data. To do the school checkbooks, the schools would have to use Peoplesoft to cut their checks (or at least use systems that can send their data to Peoplesoft).

If they have their data in a database it can easily be exported to a spreadsheet. It might be necessary to export a subset to exclude any private data. There are lots of IT savvy parents in any district that would do this for free. But anyone in charge of this data should know how to do this.

Kilroy there is no need for PDF or “view only.” If I got my hands on such a thing I would just break the protection anyway so I could sort and manipulate the data.

I insisted the spreadsheet data base could be converted to Pdf. format and put online for view only. I am told this can’t be done.

You are being played, Kilroy, who told you this?

There is certainly no technical reason, as long as there is no legal reason it could be done immediately. There is no need to build an online website, heck just put the data out in spreadheet or whatever format, and odds are someone can be found to whip it into shape and host it.

Good point and I haven’t heard any Red Clay Board Candidates making a pledge to call for a full audit, reports by object codes or online checkbooks.

I am on their finanical review committee and I insisted the spreadsheet data base could be converted to Pdf. format and put online for view only. I am told this can’t be done. I only know Excel and you can hide data fields and sort by name dates and many other options. The data is already in the state system and it just a matter of converting to view only. Also, the state system is switching to People-soft next year. Does any one know what the capabilities of People-soft is?

Do make note DSTP goes beyond federal mandate re: NCLB.
Per NCLB testing is required grades 3, 5, 8 and one high school grade level in which DOE choose 10th grade. Though you do hear or see the term DSTP2 however DSTP@ refers to off year testing. Sokola’s attempt to forego DSTP next year to save 10 million dollars in a nice gesture however, the Feds will not go for it as every state will come in crying poor mouth. Also, Tom Terrific Carper godfather of DSTP and boost to all in Washington D.C. he reformed public schools in Delaware.

By moving DSTP to what is only required by federal law could save money. Also,
Delaware is part of the USDOE approved pilot program to test the Growth Model Plan.
DSTP was due to be revamp but put on the back burner hoping the less costly Growth Model Plan would be approved.

Also, Delaware has more fat in middle management and “consultants” than you can imagine. Where else to start with education reform from the top down then Delaware DOE itself?

The legislators have a little dark secret that many educational laws prior to June 2002 are illegal because they failed to follow Title 14, Chapter 2, Section I , Subsection 207 that required a written impact study prior to voting on educational legislation. This impact study required the identifying the funding sources. This law was tactfully repealed at the close of legislative session 2002.

Though it’s a tough time for the budget however our legislators set this state on a self-destructive financial course by refusing to implement real transparency. With the financial meltdown of Christina and Red Clay School Districts it is quite obvious Delaware DOE does not have the skills to provide real financial oversight.

The bottom-line is DOE and the legislators have failed to provide effective real oversight of public school finances and it’s time the people become the watchdog! School finance is the best place to start with transparency as it represents 1.1 billion dollars of the budget

Now is the time for our legislators to hand the keys of this state back to it’s rightful owners, the people and taxpayers. They work for us not us for them! Wait!! Why don’t our elected officials take a voluntary 10% pay cut ? If elected school board members, the only elected public officials who don’t get paid work for free then why can’t legislators work for 10% less?

Perhaps I had better get his views in person and not latch onto this third hand.

We do not know the current state of the existing FMS, therefore it is impossible to compare it to other states. They may have been in much better shape to begin with.

I am curious to know if the current project to overhaul the new enterprise system is being implemented in-house or is being subcontracted out.

That being said, it should not be abandoned. It is doable, it just has to be done right from the beginning. That is easier said than done, in my experience.