With so many calling for government transparency and financial prudence nowadays, the Waco Independent School District board decision to review expenses for upcoming staff trips to Las Vegas and St. Louis makes sense.

Whether or not the $84,000 business jaunt to Vegas — for 60 teachers plus administrators — is a prudent use of federal funds for professional development, the board is wise to examine it. It is wiser yet to exam it publicly at its June 17 meeting.

Staffers by then will have returned from the June 6-9 Vegas trip to the Professional Learning Communities Institute. And 60 more will have returned from a June 10-12 trip to St. Louis for similar training that is expected to cost $58,400. Although funding for these trips will come from federal Title I money, the public’s perception could well be tainted by the fun-city persona that is Vegas.

True, WISD is required to spend a certain amount of federal funds on professional development because the district failed to meet federal academic standards in 2008-09. And this money must be spent before the 2010-11 school year. But is Vegas the right destination choice? Must there even be a destination point for professional development? Does this all send the wrong message to a concerned public?

“The main purpose of looking into this is to make sure the administration is using those dollars wisely,” board member Pat Atkins said. “Would it have been cheaper to bring someone here? That’s a fair question, and we want to look at it.”

Atkins makes sense. The public these days is watching and judging our elected officials. Now, probably more than any time in recent history, citizens are calling for those in office — from local school boards up to the U.S. president — to be held accountable. Atkins and his colleagues obviously understand that.

Mindful of this, we commend the board for adjusting its policy last week to require that all expenditures exceeding $25,000 be presented to the board. Although the board will still vote only on contract expenditures of $50,000 or more, informing the board — and public — of all expenditures exceeding $25,000 is a stride toward financial transparency.

Atkins told us that board members are walking a fine line, that some could perceive this action as micromanaging WISD administrators. But they have just cause to wonder whether these trips — to help set campus goals, lesson planning and teaching techniques — are necessary. Could, for instance, these funds have been better spent by bringing in consultants rather than flying so many out?

Before some jump to conclusions, we must acknowledge that Vegas is flush with hotel rooms and convention facilities and is one of the least expensive U.S. cities for business retreats. Just months after President Barack Obama’s gaffe advising Americans not to “blow a bunch of cash on Vegas when you’re trying to save for college,” the city is offering incredible discounts to reel in visitors.

Obama within days clarified his statement, declaring, “I love Vegas.”

We all do. But is it really the right place to send 60 WISD staffers during a recession? Cool heads should study and debate this matter, even as the public continues to heat up over public spending of all kinds.