Beginning next year, all South Carolina school districts will begin putting their check registers and credit card statements on the Web, giving citizens click-of-a-mouse access to details about how their hard-earned dollars are spent. It’s a huge step toward greater government transparency.

The S.C. Legislature approved the requirement earlier this year. It was included in a bill to give school districts greater spending flexibility.

I have been outspoken about the need for greater government transparency, and my office has championed several successful open-government initiatives – including establishing the state’s first spending transparency Web site and launching a campaign to persuade local governments to make their check registers available on the Internet. So I was honored when lawmakers on both sides of the aisle tapped me to advise the school districts on financial transparency.

In recent months, I have been working closely with the S.C. Department of Education, as well as officials with local school districts, to devise an easy, cost-free way to post important spending details on the Internet, so that any South Carolinian with Web access can see how public money is being used. I was also recently invited to address the annual conference of the S.C. Association of School Business Officials, to update them on our efforts and to receive their input.

By next summer, all of the state’s school systems will display their check registers online, putting their financial information at people’s fingertips.

With more and more local governments making the commitment to post their individual expenditures to the Web – at the time of this writing, more than a dozen cities, towns and counties have already done so – I truly believe we’re entering a new era of open, accountable government. However, we still have far to go. All too often, government decisions are made behind closed doors, and tax dollars are spent out of public view.

That’s why it’s important that citizens make their voices heard. Contact your local elected officials, and ask if they have plans to post spending details on the Web. If not, suggest that they do so. Let them know you believe transparency is the best policy. Elected officials who make spending decisions that are in the best interest of those they serve should welcome this initiative.

Financial transparency isn’t a Republican or Democratic issue. It’s not a conservative or a liberal issue. It’s simply good government. People have a right to see how their tax dollars are spent, and government officials have an obligation to show them.