The St Joseph School District is trying to charge a school board member for her request for information under the state’s Sunshine Law.
Board Member Chris Danford, a vocal critic of district spending, has consistently demanded transparency in financial actions taken by the district. Danford recently asked the district for information on spending and contracting in seven areas.
On September 26, Danford received a letter from the school district’s lawyer Steve Briggs saying she would have to pay for the information.
Danford believes she may be the first board member to be charged for requesting information. Briggs says the bill would be $146.56, for “research and copy time.” He notes that the law and the board’s policy permit the district to charge for research and copy time, and for the copies themselves. According to a letter from Briggs, the district estimated the time would be eight hours, billed at $18.32 per hour, for a total of $146,56.
Danford says the board never voted on the issue of charging a member for the information.
“It’s not the amount that is the issue,” Danford says, “it is the principle that a board member would have to pay to get information needed to do the job they were elected to do–which is to provide oversight for taxpayer dollars.”
We have witnesse3d board violations with secret stipends and promotions–doled out with money from an insurance rebate check that again, the board didn’t know about. In our investigationwe found even more secret stipends. The FBI started an investigation. The State Auditor’s Office showed up to investigate. The US Department of Education has an eye on the district. Where is the transparency?”
She tells us it is her duty to understand the budget, but the budget book is quite vague. Danford says she will continue to ask for information needed to make the best decisions for the district, its students, its staff and the community.
Danford provided a copy of the letter from Mr Briggs. Read it here.
Danford’s initial requests were for information that would appear to be needed to do her job.
1. Contracts with the OPAA food-service company
2. A list of all district-owned vehicles and the names of employees and their position in the district.
3. A list of all out-of-district travel for all administrators paid for by the SJSD.
4. A list of purchases made by SSI School Specialty Industries.
5. The total costs involved with the investigation of Beau Musser by Freeman and Fowler in June and July of 2014.
6. A list of all costs paid for any attorney services dating back to July of 2009.
7. A list of all settlements and their amounts dating back to July of 2009.