You may recall that earlier this spring the Pulaski County School District superintendent called for bids from private companies to take over the district’s transportation services. Today the low-bidding company’s representatives are in town meeting with some school board members individually at the district’s administration building. That set-up circumvents FOI laws that treat most gatherings of two or more board members as public meetings.

Superintendent James Sharpe is out on medical leave, and the district’s chief financial officer, Larry O’Brien, who’s attending the meetings, hasn’t returned our phone call yet. But board member Danny Gililland said the district administration set up the meetings so board members could ask questions and receive information privately.

Advertisement

Whether such meetings violate the letter of the state FOI law isn’t clear.  The Arkansas Supreme Court has ruled it’s illegal to poll board members one-by-one in individual conversations even if the board later takes a public vote on the issue, but that decision didn’t address meetings that were supposed to be strictly informational.

Gililland said he hadn’t thought about such meetings having the effect of shutting the public out, but he understands the concerns. Still, he said, he appreciated having the chance to ask what might be stupid questions “without making an idiot of myself.”

Advertisement

We get that, but can’t agree that a public official’s desire to not look stupid trumps the public’s right to know that official’s decision-making process.

Arkansas Times: Your voice in the fight

Are you tired of watered-down news and biased reporting? The Arkansas Times has been fighting for truth and justice for 50 years. As an alternative newspaper in Little Rock, we are tough, determined, and unafraid to take on powerful forces. With over 63,000 Facebook followers, 58,000 Twitter followers, 35,000 Arkansas blog followers, and 70,000 daily email blasts, we are making a difference. But we can't do it without you. Join the 3,400 paid subscribers who support our great journalism and help us hire more writers. Sign up for a subscription today or make a donation of as little as $1 and help keep the Arkansas Times feisty for years to come.

Previous article Armed robbery, shots fired Next article Now you walk it …