School boards could evaluate superintendents behind closed doors, under a bill the Kentucky House approved today 67-29. Senate Bill 178 amends KRS 156.557 to require "any preliminary discussions relating to the evaluation of the superintendent by the board or between the board and the superintendent prior to the summative evaluation shall be conducted in closed session." Evaluations would still be presented in an open meeting. The bill, which goes back to the Senate for approval of an unrelated amendment, would reverse recent attorney-general and court decisions.
During the House Education Committee meeting Tuesday, Sara Call, a member of the Frankfort Independent Board of Education, testified her board had twice held closed-door evaluations with the superintendent, which was a violation of current state law, and said superintendent evaluation needed to be conducted in a closed meeting to allow for 'frank, honest and sometimes painful' conversations. "It’s sometimes difficult to be totally honest in front of the press," she told the committee, Stephenie Steitzer of The Courier-Journal reported.
The Kentucky Press Association has voiced strong disapproval of the bill, arguing the evaluation process of the highest-ranking school system employee should be done in open. "We strongly, strongly recommend that you do not pass this bill," Ashley Pack, general counsel for KPA, told the committee.
Showing posts with label KPA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label KPA. Show all posts
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Friday, March 27, 2009
2009 legislature does ‘very little damage’ on news organizations' issues
The 2009 session of the Kentucky legislature did “very little damage” on issues of interest to the state’s newspapers and broadcast media, according to David Thompson, executive director of the Kentucky Press Association.
Thompson will report to KPA members that the General Assembly passed one bill that KPA lobbied against during the session that concludes March 27. That bill imposes a 6 percent sales tax on website subscriptions. However, that will affect only about 10 percent of KPA members, he said, because most newspaper websites are free. Gov. Steve Beshear has signed the legislation.
“You win some, lose some and some get shut out,” Thompson said in an interview with the Kentucky Open Government Blog.
He noted that several bills that both KPA and Kentucky Broadcasters Association were backing did not get passed this session, but most will be brought up again in 2010. That includes a bill to set access rules for journalists at polling sites on election day. Though journalists have a constitutional right to such access, Thompson said, under current vague privacy laws election officials sometimes block them from the voting room or prevent pictures from being taken. The bill failed not because of opposition, but because of time constraints, Thompson said.
One bill that the news media organizations opposed was successfully blocked – a proposal to forbid broadcast of 911 call recordings. “But it will be back again next year and every year,” Thompson said. The bill’s sponsor, Sen. John Schickel, has also said he will keep trying.
“They did very little damage,” Thompson summed up. “And that’s our approach – more defense than offense.”
Thompson will report to KPA members that the General Assembly passed one bill that KPA lobbied against during the session that concludes March 27. That bill imposes a 6 percent sales tax on website subscriptions. However, that will affect only about 10 percent of KPA members, he said, because most newspaper websites are free. Gov. Steve Beshear has signed the legislation.
“You win some, lose some and some get shut out,” Thompson said in an interview with the Kentucky Open Government Blog.
He noted that several bills that both KPA and Kentucky Broadcasters Association were backing did not get passed this session, but most will be brought up again in 2010. That includes a bill to set access rules for journalists at polling sites on election day. Though journalists have a constitutional right to such access, Thompson said, under current vague privacy laws election officials sometimes block them from the voting room or prevent pictures from being taken. The bill failed not because of opposition, but because of time constraints, Thompson said.
One bill that the news media organizations opposed was successfully blocked – a proposal to forbid broadcast of 911 call recordings. “But it will be back again next year and every year,” Thompson said. The bill’s sponsor, Sen. John Schickel, has also said he will keep trying.
“They did very little damage,” Thompson summed up. “And that’s our approach – more defense than offense.”
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Press association criticizes bill on new investigative agency
A bill to create another investigative arm of the state legislature has drawn criticism from the Kentucky Press Association over its secrecy provisions.
The bill, introduced in the House of Representatives by Speaker Greg Stumbo and in the Senate by President David Williams, would set up the General Assembly Accountability and Review Division. The agency would conduct investigations, audits and reviews of all public agencies. The bill provides that proceedings of the new office would not be subject to the state's open record law and requires the cooperation of other state agencies and employees, including the attorney general and the auditor.
"Records addressed in this legislation, in our opinion, should be open to the public," Ashley Pack, general counsel for the KPA, told the Courier-Journal on Monday. "This creates an additional exemption to the Open Records Act, and adding exemptions should be done with great care."
Williams, the Burkesville Republican who is sponsor of SB 188, said the law is needed because the legislature must have the ability to investigate when no one else will. "We can't wait for a separate branch of government … to audit or not to audit."
Williams said the legislature's investigative arm would be treated like a commonwealth's attorney, county attorney or attorney general when it comes to the open records law. That is, he said, investigative records would be exempt.
However, current law covers records of the state police and attorney general's office. Records of investigations by those agencies are open, subject to exemptions within the law, when an investigation is closed.
Read the Courier-Journal story at http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009902240417
The bill, introduced in the House of Representatives by Speaker Greg Stumbo and in the Senate by President David Williams, would set up the General Assembly Accountability and Review Division. The agency would conduct investigations, audits and reviews of all public agencies. The bill provides that proceedings of the new office would not be subject to the state's open record law and requires the cooperation of other state agencies and employees, including the attorney general and the auditor.
"Records addressed in this legislation, in our opinion, should be open to the public," Ashley Pack, general counsel for the KPA, told the Courier-Journal on Monday. "This creates an additional exemption to the Open Records Act, and adding exemptions should be done with great care."
Williams, the Burkesville Republican who is sponsor of SB 188, said the law is needed because the legislature must have the ability to investigate when no one else will. "We can't wait for a separate branch of government … to audit or not to audit."
Williams said the legislature's investigative arm would be treated like a commonwealth's attorney, county attorney or attorney general when it comes to the open records law. That is, he said, investigative records would be exempt.
However, current law covers records of the state police and attorney general's office. Records of investigations by those agencies are open, subject to exemptions within the law, when an investigation is closed.
Read the Courier-Journal story at http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009902240417
For a full text of the proposal, SB 188 and HB 540, go to http://www.lrc.ky.gov/record/09RS/record.htm
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