Ankeny School District Wins National Transparency Award for Website

On Thursday, Sunshine Review, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to government transparency, released the winners of the third annual Sunny Awards, and among the winners was the . The unsolicited award, which honors the most transparent government websites in the nation, went to 214 government entities with Florida receiving the most Sunny Awards.

“It was a very pleasant surprise to learn of the award,” said Dr. Matthew Wendt, superintendent of schools. “Although we didn’t set out to earn recognition, we know the importance of promoting transparency in everything we do. We are honored to receive a Sunny Award and will continue to provide the necessary information to keep our community informed on the actions their schools are taking.”

For the 2012 awards, Editors at Sunshine Review analyzed more than 6,000 government websites and graded each on a 10-point transparency checklist. Editors looked at content available on government websites against what should be provided. They sought information on items such as budgets, meetings, lobbying, financial audits, contracts, academic performance, public records and taxes. The winners of the Sunny Award all received an “A” grade during the extensive grading process.

“The Sunny Awards recognizes school districts and government agencies that are doing an exemplary job at proactively disclosing information to taxpayers,” said Michael Barnhart, President of Sunshine Review. “We would like to congratulate Ankeny Community Schools for being a champion for transparency and serving as a leader to every state and local government around the nation.”

Six states earned nearly half of the 214 Sunny Awards given. The leading states were Florida (28), Texas (21), Illinois (19), Virginia (14), Ohio (10) and Pennsylvania (10). In addition, ten states earned an “A” grade for their state government website including, Delaware, Indiana, Maryland, New York, California, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Washington and West Virginia. The winners also included school districts and city and county governments. Only Ankeny Community Schools, Johnson County and Scott County were selected for the award in Iowa.

The Sunny Awards announcement preludes the launch of “Sunshine Week,” March 11-17, a period nationally recognized by hundreds of media and civic organizations, that celebrates the efforts of activists and the strides taken towards open government.

Sunshine Review is a nonprofit organization dedicated to state and local government transparency. Sunshine Review collaborates with individuals and organizations throughout America in the cause of an informed citizenry and a transparent government. Since its inception in 2008, Sunshine Review has analyzed the websites of all 50 states and more than 6,000 state and local entities.