Beaumont Independent School District, Texas
From Sunshine Review
Contents |
Withholding public documents
According to the Texas Examiner in August 2008, BISD has "systematically delayed the release of, or outright withheld, information, documents and financial records requested pursuant to the Texas Public Information Act. And, the secrecy is not limited simply to citizens and media representatives; it also applies to school board trustees."
See: BISD withholding public records.
The newspaper reports that it has confirmed that:
- Competitive bidding information was withheld from school board trustees.
- During the July 31 meeting "Item S" on the agenda dealt with the awarding of a contract "to the proposed construction manager at risk for the prototypical elementary schools at Amelia Elementary, Blanchette Elementary and Martin Elementary."
- The three companies were ranked in order of their recommendation but The Examiner later discovered that Allco Construction Inc. was not the lowest bidder. And,
- However, trustees were not made aware of that fact.
According to Janice Brassard, a BISD trustee, the trustees were not provided with the actual bids.
Brassard expressed that the members of the board of trustees need to be asking more questions in order to be responsible to the parents, students and taxpayers of the district. "Knowing what I know now, I think I need to ask some very pointed questions to get the answers that I need to feel comfortable. I am going (to) clearly start making lists of some very pointed questions about what is going on. I definitely have some concerns."
BISD taxpayers voted to approve a $389 million bond initiative in November 2007.
Delays in receiving records
Tom Neild, a businessman in the district, filed a request under the Texas Public Information Act for copies of the bids that involved Allco Inc. on June 4 and against on July 23 but in mid-August had not received what he requested.
Neild commented, "They have $389 million, and I know I am not the only one in this city that wants to know how they are spending that money. If they won't release the information, then I will call the district attorney and see if they can help me get the information."[1]
Superintendent salary
According to records received through the Texas Public Information Act, Beaumont ISD has one of the highest paid school superintendents in the state. Carrol Thomas received $322,117 in base pay for the 2007/08 year.[2]
See also
External links
References
- ↑ Secrets: BISD withholds public records on bond expenditures, contracts
- ↑ 2007-2008 Texas Superintendent Salaries
