Congratulations to Albert Lea Area Schools for giving the district website a facelift. A strong web presence is essential for any government entity that wishes to connect with the people who support it.

The new website is much more navigable and clean. It has useful information that parents need to know. And visitors will find links to some Albert Lea Tribune stories about the schools.

The site is one of many local government websites that have seen useful upgrades in recent years: city of Albert Lea, Albert Lea Convention and Visitors Bureau and Freeborn County.

Because school districts in Minnesota rely heavily on levy referendums for operating at normal levels, it is even more important for district residents to be engaged with the schools — not just parents, but all residents.

Sure, many people still don’t use the web. We are living in a time of a wide generation gap. But many middle age or younger people very much prefer the web for everyday uses, whether it is at their laptops, smartphones or their work stations. They are more likely, for instance, to look up the phone number for a school online than they are to pick up the telephone book. If they misplace the slip of paper telling parents what school supplies their first-grader needs, these folks want to be able to find it on the school website. And, yes, it is there.

If you want to get a copy of the district budget, well, you still need to go to the school headquarters and make a request the old-fashioned way — in person. (Perhaps as the website develops, more information will appear.) You will, however, find a recent report on student achievement, which, no doubt, is the ultimate goal of any school district.

The most important aspect of the new website is clear: provide information. Some people like to call access to government information “sunshine.” And sunshine is a good thing. After all, you, the taxpayer, paid for these schools. You deserve to have access to them. The web puts it at your fingertips.