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Information is currency for democracy.

-Thomas Jefferson

 

The best protection of the Texas Public Information Act is enforcement of the Texas Public Information Act. 

- Dianna Pharr

 

It's about power and money and the law firms who control and run the school districts.
- K. Yeaman,  Mom

 

Click here:  Animator vs. Animation

 

To avoid criticism, say nothing, do nothing, be nothing.

- Albert Einstein

 

 

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.

- Martin Luther King, Jr.

 

 

 

If you aren’t completely appalled, you haven’t been paying attention.

 

 

 

 
My vision for Eanes can't be seen on a Jumbotron ...
- Eanes ISD parent

 

 

 

No man stands so tall as when he stoops to help a child.
 - Abraham Lincoln

 

 

Judge each day not by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant.

 - Robert Louis Stevenson

 

 

All children deserve an equal playing field.

- Ed Allen, Westlake Picayune April 2008

 


 

Nothing is more destructive of respect for the government and the law of the land than passing laws which cannot be enforced.

- Albert Einstein

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
"Information is currency for democracy."  -Thomas Jefferson

Link:  Eanes check register available online

October 21, 2008, 09:30 AM  -  The Eanes Independent School District began posting its check registry online, a move local information open records activists who monitor the district have been pushing for since 2005.

District spokeswoman Dale Whitaker said the information was first posted in March. She said the move was not in response to pressure from anyone in the community.

“We’ve been adding things to our website: bus routes, menus,” she said. “We thought it would be useful.”

Dianna Pharr, who keeps a blog about the Eanes school district and has been requesting the check register on and off since 2005, said she only recently became aware of the postings. She said she stopped requesting the register in March when it got too expensive and called the move “a step in the right direction,” but said she was disappointed that the district’s list does not include accounting codes, descriptions of what was bought and the check number.

“That’s information that we need to have to be an informed public,” she said. “We need to understand the reason the purchase was made.”

Archived check registers from before January 2008 are available on Pharr’s website, www.keepeanesinformed.com. Those registers do include the codes, descriptions and check numbers. In the future, Pharr said she would like to see the district’s salary and stipend information posted online.

“That’s the most popular page on my website,” she said. “It’s information that the public wants to see.”

BREAKING GOOD NEWS! 

One step forward in transparency:  EANES ISD NOW POSTS CHECK REGISTER ONLINE.

October 2008 - KeepEanesInformed (KEI) has requested and posted the Eanes ISD check register on this site since July 2005; see archive below.  Eanes ISD refused to post the register online and then worked for legislation that increased the cost of obtaining the information.  When we last requested this basic public informaiton in March 2008, the district charged $63.00 to produce one month's register. This fall, Eanes ISD has taken one step forward in transparency by posting the 2008 check register online.

This is an important step in the right direction.  When we created KeepEanesInformed (five years ago in fall 2003) the district refused to post the board meeting agenda, the board minutes, board meeting documents related to public issues, the annual budget, or the check register. Dianna Pharr offered to volunteer her time and effort to post this public information on the official Eanes ISD website.  However, the district declined her offer.  For that reason, KeepEanesInformed has served the public by gathering and posting public information for over five years.  During the past five years, Pharr has spoken out in board meetings and contacted the Eanes ISD leadership in writing to request that the district provide the check register and other essential public information online.

We encourage Eanes ISD to post a link to the register on the front page of the district site for easy accessibility, and include check numbers, accounting codes, and a brief description of each expenditure.  The checks registers previously requested and posted by KeepEanesInformed include this information (see archived check registers below). 

Note:  A special thank you to a gracious KEI reader who loaded the newly posted Eanes ISD registers (January 08 - August 08) into a searchable Excel spreadsheet format. 

History of the KeepEanesInformed Efforts is documented below

Archived Check Registers (beginning in July 2007) are archived below and only available online on this site.

It's OUR check register.

Why does Eanes ISD refuse to post it online?

 The district purchased Boardbook and therefore, could easily post the check register at no additional cost. Unfortunately, the Eanes ISD superintendent and board have ignored citizen requests to post this public information.  The district continues to resist open government by refusing to post the district's check register online.  What is Eanes ISD trying to hide?   

March 2008 

Eanes ISD estimates a charge of $63.00 to produce one month's check register.  Request here

The Eanes ISD check register reflects the expenditure of our education tax dollars and is online only on this site. HB2560, a bill that would have required governmental bodies to post check registers online, almost passed during the 80th Legislative Session. The Eanes ISD superintendent and board members have refused repeated public requests (verbal, written, and in board meetings) to post this "super-public" information online. When government agencies refuse to respond to the public, there is usually a reason. KeepEanesInformed will continue to obtain and post this public information reflecting the basic expenditure of our tax dollars.

Sample checks:

Note:  The following is only a sampling of the district's legal expenses Walsh, Anderson, Brown, Schultz and Aldridge law firm and does not reflect the legal representation costs associated with the 2007 Valley View Elementary sexual harassment lawsuit.  Further Walsh, Anderson, Schultz, Brown and Aldridge is just one of many law firms retained by Eanes ISD and funded with our school tax dollars.        See the "Private Law Firm" page of this site to learn more.

70670      WALSH AN000 WALSH, ANDERSON, BROWN, SCHULZ R 10/27/2006          $600.00

71899      WALSH AN000 WALSH, ANDERSON, BROWN, SCHULZ R 12/15/2006       $11,430.44

      72473      WALSH AN000 WALSH, ANDERSON, BROWN, SCHULZ R 01/19/2007       $38,153.22

73541      WALSH AN000 WALSH, ANDERSON, BROWN, SCHULZ R 02/22/2007        $4,615.71

96824 07/12/2007        37,331.22     WALSH, ANDERSON, BRO 199 E 41 6211 00 732 0 00 000 Legal Services through May 15, 2007

07/12/2007                   68,207.05     WALSH, ANDERSON, BRO 199 E 41 6211 00 732 0 00 000 Legal Services - May 1, 2007

97445 08/23/2007         1,857.71     WALSH, ANDERSON, BRO 199 E 41 6211 00 732 0 00 000 Legal Services Through July 2007

96806 07/12/2007 17,025.00 STERN, WILLIAM PHD 199 E 41 6211 00 732 0 00 000 as of 06-29-07 Legal Services  Spec. Ed. Due Process

EANES ISD CHECK REGISTER - ARCHIVE

This archive is only available online at KeepEanesInformed

The Eanes ISD check register reflects the expenditure of our education tax dollars and is online only on this site. HB2560, a bill that would have required governmental bodies to post check registers online, almost passed during the 80th Legislative Session.

The Eanes ISD superintendent and board members have refused repeated public requests (verbal, written, and in board meetings) to post this "super-public" information online. When government agencies refuse to respond to the public, there is usually a reason. KeepEanesInformed will continue to obtain and post this public information reflecting the basic expenditure of our tax dollars.

 

Click here to access Eanes ISD Check Register - 12/31/07 -1/31/08 (Searchable PDF file)

Click here to access Eanes ISD Check Register - 11/30/07 -12/31/07 (Searchable PDF file)

Click here to access Eanes ISD Check Register - 10/31/07 -11/30/07 (Searchable PDF file)

Click here to access Eanes ISD Check Register - 9/28/07 -10/31/07 (Searchable PDF file)

Click here to access Eanes ISD Check Register - 8/31/07 - 9/28/07 (Searchable PDF file)

Click here to access Eanes ISD Check Register - 7/31/07 - 8/31/07 (Searchable PDF file)

Click here to access Eanes ISD Check Register - 6/10/07 -7/31/07 (Searchable PDF file)

Click here to access Eanes ISD Check Register -  6/09/07 - 6/09/07 (additional checks)

Click here to access Eanes ISD Check Register - 6/20/07 - 7/09/07 (Searchable PDF file)

Click here to access Eanes ISD Check Register - 3/08/06 - 6/19/07 (Searchable PDF file)

Click here to access Eanes ISD Check Register - 9/20/06 - 3/07/07 (Searchable PDF file)

Click here to access Eanes ISD Check Register - 7/01/05 - 9/20/06 (Searchable PDF file)

Transparency at Eanes ISD

            Re: Jan. 19, 2008 editorial “Going online to see if government is in line.”

I agree that government, including public school districts, should post public information online.

The Eanes school district continues to resist open government by refusing to post the check register on the district Web site. I have repeatedly asked the superintendent and board to consider this user-friendly and transparent approach.

In fact, each time I request this public information, I specifically state that if the district will post it, I won’t request it.

Still, this basic Eanes public information is available online only on a citizen Web site, www.keepeanesinformed.com.

DIANNA PHARR

dpharr@austin.rr.com
Austin

 http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/opinions/index.html

In February 2007, the Texas Education Agency began posting its check register online.  Shirley Neeley, TEA Commissioner announced, "We believe in open government. The public has a right to know how their tax dollars are spent. While a great deal of financial information, such as our Legislative Appropriations Request, was already online, publishing our check register makes it easy for taxpayers to see where their money is going," said Commissioner Shirley J. Neeley.   Full article here.

September 20, 2006 - Requested electronic copy of check register 

December 8, 2006 - Received almost three months later

From: Dianna Pharr
Sent: Wednesday, September 20, 2006 11:07 AM
To: 'OpenRecords OpenRecords'
Subject: TPIA - check register

September 20, 2006

Please provide, electronically, the check register for 05-06.  Please do not include the payroll.

Please also provide, electronically, the check register for 04-05.  Please do not include the payroll.

I am not seeking bank account numbers or social security numbers.  If the districts wishes to exempt information that is confidential by law, please let me know so that we can work together to avoid the cost and delay of an OAG opinion request.

Thank you,

Dianna Pharr

NOVEMBER 5, 2006

To:  Eanes ISD Board Members

I requested an electronic copy of the Eanes ISD check register on September 20, 2006.

Two months later, the district has not allowed provision of this readily available public information. 

Although I carefully explained to Ms. Gonzalez that requestors have the right to request an existing electronic copy of public information, Ms. Gonzalez denied my request.  Electronic production of an existing document is the least costly provision and the most prompt provision possible.  In fact, I waited to request this information until the district could, in fact, train on the new Skyward accounting software and produce the register electronically.  However, Ms. Gonzalez insisted that if public information is available in paper, the district has no responsibility to provide the document electronically.  Last week, the Office of the Attorney General informed Ms. Gonzalez that pursuant to Chapter 552.228, I do have the right to obtain the electronic information that I requested.

When I addressed the board in open forum approximately two months ago, I asked the board to consider posting the Eanes ISD check register online.  At the time, I noticed Susan Pulis’ reaction when I voiced my request.  She appeared noticeably disgruntled by my suggestion.

Please direct Eanes ISD superintendent Nola Wellman to insure the prompt provision of an electronic copy of the checkbook in full compliance with state law.   

Please also consider my suggestion to consider local policy to require the online posting of the Eanes ISD check register.  As I explained in an earlier communication to you, I believe Board Book has the capability to do so at no extra cost to the district.  With this approach, all citizens will have access to this basic accounting of the expenditure of our public funds without the need for a public information request.

Thank you,

Dianna Pharr

 

From: Dianna Pharr [mailto:dpharr@austin.rr.com]
Sent: Saturday, November 10, 2007 9:34 AM
To: 'OpenRecords OpenRecords'
Cc: 'David Escamilla'; 'Nola Wellman'
Subject: TPIA - Eanes ISD check register - September 30, 2007 - October 31, 2007

November 10, 2007

Please provide the check register (excluding payroll) for September 30, 2007 – October 31, 2007.

Please provide electronically to dpharr@austin.rr.com and include the following information:  check number, date, amount, payee, associated accounting codes and associated descriptions. 

Please do not include bank account numbers that are confidential by mandatory law or social security numbers.  If the districts wishes to exempt any other information that is confidential by law, please let me know so that we can work together to avoid the cost and delay of an OAG opinion request.

I request this public information because others in the community (including Eanes ISD employees and KeepEanesInformed readers) have requested that I post it on my website.   As I have offered in the past with no response from the district, if Eanes ISD will agree to post the check register on the official Eanes ISD website for public inspection, I will withdraw this request. 

Thank you,

Dianna Pharr

www.keepeanesinformed.com

cc:  County Attorney, David Escamilla

Texas Comptroller Susan Combs, Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts writes:

Transparency, a key government responsibility

 

You pay for your government, and you deserve to know how it spends your money.

That philosophy is gaining traction. State and federal governments are making transparency a priority, opting to make many records freely accessible, rather than keeping the public waiting for information requests.

From the beginning of my tenure at the Comptroller’s office, we prioritized transparency efforts. On day three, we published this agency’s expenditures online — down to the pencils — and posted other agencies’ expenditure data in short order.

Building upon those efforts, our office created “Where the Money Goes,” an online database for viewing state agency spending. Expenditures in the database are searchable by vendor name, expenditure category or agency name. With that kind of easy access to the information and numbers that make public institutions tick, taxpayers can learn about their government, question decisions, root out inefficiencies and hold officials accountable for the way tax dollars are spent.

By demystifying state spending and providing easy access to those numbers, we ensure greater accountability to the public. As the window on Texas state government, our office cannot have the blinds pulled down.  Full article here

IS POSTING THE CHECK REGISTER ONLINE REALLY THE ANSWER TO TRANSPARENCY?

For two years, KeepEanesInformed requested and posted the Eanes ISD check register on this site.  Eanes ISD refuses to post this information online and then makes it cost-prohibitive to obtain the information so that we can share it with the public.  Finally, in October 2008, the district agreed to post this basic public information online; however, the accounting codes and description column are not included.

However, from our experience in requesting public information from Eanes ISD, we understand fully that hidden layers exist in our public school system.  That's why posting the checkbook online, while providing some degree of transparency, is not the answer to transparency ... principal's accounts, student activity fees, "petty" cash, and then there's the whole PEIMS fiasco. 

The huge public education trough is full of our school tax dollars and well-protected by all those who drink from it  ... superintendents, school administrators, private attorneys, professional lobbyists, various vendors and of course, private "education" agencies such as TASB, TASBO, TASA, TCASE ... the list goes on and on.   That's what happens when there's a big 'ol pot of money and plenty of incentive to keep the expenditures in the dark.  Who loses?  Children and taxpayers.  Please use the links below to learn more about this problem.

 

   What's wrong with posting school district check registers?

 

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