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Families frustrated by secrecy over Fort Worth ISD’s future leadership

FOIFT2026-02-25T14:51:33-06:00

By Jacob Sanchez and Matthew Sgroi Fort Worth Report Originally published Feb. 24, 2026 Nearly 300 people want a seat on the Texas-appointed board replacing FWISD’s nine locally elected trustees, but none of their names are publicly known. The Fort Worth Report requested the list of applicants seeking to serve on the board of managers through Texas’ open records law. Agency officials declined to release it, requesting an opinion from the Texas attorney general’s office. That lack of transparency frustrates Fort Worth parents and residents as Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath prepares to appoint the managers in the coming weeks. The [...]

Families frustrated by secrecy over Fort Worth ISD’s future leadershipFOIFT2026-02-25T14:51:33-06:00

FOI Column: Open government impacts our lives in big ways

FOIFT2025-09-19T10:42:45-05:00

By Kelley Shannon If you wonder how open government laws affect you, think about these basics: The local taxes we pay. The roads we drive on. Even, sometimes, matters of life and death. Access to information through public meetings and records helps us know about the decisions elected officials are making on our behalf. It allows us to ask questions, to speak out, to demand change. After all, in our nation, government belongs to us. This summer’s deadly Hill Country flooding underscores the need for openness and accountability to enhance public safety. Questions have arisen about transparency surrounding evacuation plans, warning [...]

FOI Column: Open government impacts our lives in big waysFOIFT2025-09-19T10:42:45-05:00

Appeals court orders release of Uvalde school shooting records

FOIFT2025-07-21T15:14:11-05:00

By Ayden Runnels The Texas Tribune Originally published July 16, 2025 A state appeals court judge on Wednesday ordered Uvalde County and its school district to release records and documents related to the 2022 Robb Elementary School shooting, affirming a previous trial court order. A coalition of 18 news organizations, including The Texas Tribune, sued the City of Uvalde, Uvalde County and the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District in 2022 for access to body camera footage, 911 call records and communications made during the school shooting. Law enforcements’ response to Texas’ deadliest school shooting, in which 19 students and two teachers [...]

Appeals court orders release of Uvalde school shooting recordsFOIFT2025-07-21T15:14:11-05:00

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

FOIFT2024-12-10T09:55:29-06:00

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 requestsFOIFT2024-12-10T09:55:29-06:00

Citing ‘blatant violation’ of open meetings law, judge pauses Austin charter amendment election

FOIFT2024-08-30T09:49:44-05:00

By Ella McCarthy Austin American-Statesman Originally published Aug. 29, 2024 The Austin City Council violated the Texas Open Meetings Act when it placed 13 city charter amendments on the Nov. 5 general election ballot, state District Judge Maya Guerra Gamble ruled on Thursday. Guerra Gamble temporarily blocked the placement of those charter amendments on Austin ballots, but it remains to be seen whether voters will still see those propositions when they go to the polls this fall. The city could agree with the judge's temporary injunction, leaving the amendments off the ballot until a trial on the Open Meetings Act violations [...]

Citing ‘blatant violation’ of open meetings law, judge pauses Austin charter amendment electionFOIFT2024-08-30T09:49:44-05:00

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