THIS BEING SUNSHINE WEEK nationally (March 10-16) aimed at advocating and expanding the people’s “right to know” everything about what their governments are doing and where tax dollars are going, it is only fitting to say something nice about Georgia. According to the Sunlight Foundation, Georgia is one of only eight states to get an “A” on its freedom-of-information report card.

Of bordering states, only North Carolina is as good a student of what representative democracy entails. Tennessee, South Carolina and Florida only managed a “C,” with Alabama receiving an “F.”

Georgia is not yet perfect but its public-records laws and online databases are indeed valuable even if mostly there in a gigantic heap that it is up to each individual citizen to figure out. Even journalists, who need such data routinely, can find it daunting to dig something out — openly available or not. Needles can be hard to find in haystacks.

It might be worth considering, given that four units of math are required for high-school graduation, making a course in finding and understanding government statistics and ledgers eligible for one of those necessary credits. The big payoff, in not only sunshine but also better government, might be one of the best educational attainments possible.