The RI Dept. of Education (RIDE) launched a new data-packed web site today which makes available to the public the information from the state-wide Uniform Chart of Accounts (UCOA) for school districts, according to a news release this morning.

“Rhode Islanders invest more than $2 billion a year in public education, and this investment is vital to the future of our state,” said Gov. Chafee in a statement. “The Uniform Chart of Accounts will help all Rhode Islanders understand how we invest taxpayer dollars and what return we’re getting on our investment.”

RIDE developed the UCOA in partnership with the Auditor General and all school districts in the state to provide a system of numbers and a method of accounting that provides transparency, uniformity, accountability, and comparability of financial information for all schools and districts. All districts, charter public schools, and state-operated schools began operating under UCOA during the previous fiscal or school year (2009-10).

School districts will use UCOA to track revenues and expenditures in their day-to-day accounting and to inform their financial decisions. UCOA will help districts ensure that they are using their investments to improve instruction and to advance learning.

“At RIDE, we will use UCOA to identify effective practices,” said RIDE Commissioner Deborah Gist. “Using the UCOA system, we can examine our data to see where investments in education have led to improved student achievement. More important, we will share this information in order to help all schools and districts invest their resources wisely.”

Visit the UCOA site

Editorial note: Written substantially from a press release. There's a firehose of data on the site, which will take some time to explore.