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San Antonio ISD pays outside attorneys nearly a teacher’s salary to review information requests

2024-12-10T09:55:29-06:00

By Daniela Ibarra KSAT Originally published Dec. 9, 2024 In a year full of financial challenges, KSAT Investigates found San Antonio Independent School District spent nearly a teacher’s salary’s worth on attorneys to review records requests made by news agencies. ... Between November 2023 and November 2024, records show the district had outside law firm Escamilla and Poneck review 19 requests made by media outlets, including KSAT. Invoices show the firm charged the district $55,149.50 for their work. ... That’s just over $3,000 more than SAISD pays first-time teachers with a bachelor’s degree, according to SAISD's pay schedule for this school [...]

San Antonio ISD pays outside attorneys nearly a teacher’s salary to review information requests2024-12-10T09:55:29-06:00

Formerly sealed Austin police records would cost $27K in public information request

2024-12-02T11:15:07-06:00

By Brianna Hollis KXAN Originally published Nov. 11, 2024 AUSTIN — Once-confidential Austin police records have been publicly accessible via an official public information request for about two months now. These files are formerly known as “g-files,” and contain primarily unsubstantiated complaints against police officers that don’t result in discipline. They were unsealed after the the topic made its way through a city ballot and multiple court settings. KXAN requested these files for every current police officer. After a weeks-long back-and-forth with the city’s records staff, we got an invoice estimating the total cost to procure these records to be $27,180. [...]

Formerly sealed Austin police records would cost $27K in public information request2024-12-02T11:15:07-06:00

U.S. Supreme Court orders new look at case of arrested Texas journalist

2024-10-28T09:48:02-05:00

By The Associated Press Originally published Oct. 15, 2024 WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered a federal appeals court to take a new look at the lawsuit filed by a Texas-based online citizen journalist who said she was wrongly arrested in a case that drew attention from national media organizations and free speech advocates. The justices tossed out the ruling of a divided federal appeals court that found journalist Priscilla Villarreal, known online as La Gordiloca, could not sue police officers and other officials over her arrest for seeking and obtaining nonpublic information from police. Read the full story [...]

U.S. Supreme Court orders new look at case of arrested Texas journalist2024-10-28T09:48:02-05:00

Five transparency experts on why AG Paxton’s Open Meetings Act lawsuit against Travis County has merit

2024-10-09T10:14:09-05:00

By Tony Plohetski Austin American-Statesman Originally published Oct. 9, 2024 Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing the Travis County commissioners court, alleging that the five-member board violated the Texas Open Meetings Act when it secretly approved $115,000 in funding to help District Attorney Jose Garza secure his home. The allotment – which came to light when the American-Statesman began reporting on the issue in August – followed Garza privately asking commissioners for the funding earlier this year. Commissioners acted on a broad and vague agenda item that government transparency experts say was legally insufficient to inform Travis County taxpayers. Paxton, [...]

Five transparency experts on why AG Paxton’s Open Meetings Act lawsuit against Travis County has merit2024-10-09T10:14:09-05:00

2024 FOIFT state conference videos available for view

2024-09-24T15:40:52-05:00

Videos of sessions and speeches at the FOI Foundation's 2024 state conference are now available on our website's video page. And here are the individual links with descriptions of the sessions: 2024 Conference Panel - First Amendment under fire https://youtu.be/M6zNeNf45zk 2024 Conference Panel - FOI and the 2025 Texas Legislature https://youtu.be/n0Y24ChgYx8 2024 James Madison Award honoree: The SMU Dedman School of Law First Amendment Clinic (Tom Leatherbury speaking) https://youtu.be/zlRErbJA7Bo 2024 Conference Keynote Speaker - Kathleen McElroy https://youtu.be/3DW7X5L9smY 2024 Conference Panel - Attaining transparency: Real world stories https://youtu.be/Pr6U4j8nJbI

2024 FOIFT state conference videos available for view2024-09-24T15:40:52-05:00

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