Santa Maria-Bonita School District Provides Documents After Lawsuit

By edhat staff

The Santa Maria-Bonita School District has turned over documents after being sued by the Nevada Policy Research Institute (NPRI) for allegedly refusing to comply with the California Public Records Act.

NPRI, which operates Transparent California, alleged the school district was the only one in Santa Barbara County to withhold information regarding specific wages and names of individuals employed by the district in 2016 and 2017. The complaint was filed on January 22 in the Superior Court of the State of California for Santa Barbara County.

Earlier this month, a spokesperson for the school district stated they have provided the requested documents and would not comment further.

“The people have the right of access to information concerning the conduct of the people’s business,” the lawsuit states. “The is a fundamental and necessary right of every person in this state.”

In a blog post on Transparent California, Executive Director Robert Fellner stated “The California Public Records Act is emphatic in its purpose to make public all records concerning governmental affairs. Santa Maria-Bonita’s refusal to provide an accounting of district employees and their taxpayer-funded salaries is a clear violation of the law.”