Denise:

Each time when I have asked for a copy of the survey results which were communicated to the Board of Education, you have replied by saying that the survey was a "campaign document" and that I should contact Dave Lundregan. Each time I have responded that I'm not requesting the entire results of the survey, only the parts of it that we made available to the Board of Education.

There is a publication entitled "Passing Notes" which is published on the district website. On the very first page are these statements:

"In response to the Growth Issue Community Group’s request for a community survey, the Board of Education commissioned a follow-up survey of district residents."

"With the polling completed, the Board of Education will use the results as yet another source of information to help them reach their ultimate decision for a long-term solution to the overcrowded conditions of Hilliard City Schools."

Your own publication states that the Board commissioned the survey and that the Board used the results to make decisions. Given this, there can be no question that this information falls into the category of documents that must be released per ORC 149.43.

I showed up at the Administration Building Monday June 26 to make this appeal at the regularly scheduled Board meeting. I knew this meeting was on this date and at this place because I had copied the meeting schedule from the district website some weeks earlier. So I was quite surprised to find all the doors locked. After checking the website again, I found that the meeting had been shifted to an earlier date. That was more than a little annoying.

While I can understand the need to reschedule meetings, let me suggest that if your intention is to maintain strong communications with the community, you should always reschedule meetings to a later date than originally scheduled. That way, if the change is not picked up by a member of the community, there is still a chance to catch the rescheduled meeting. I would have made an effort to attend this retreat as a community observer, but that opportunity is now lost. Was there anyone at this meeting from the community that is not employed by the district? Were any reporters notified on this meeting? By the way, I do subscribe to eNews, which can be a good vehicle for communicating information like this.

Please do not force this request for the survey information into a mandamus action, the only legal remedy available to me under the ORC. It won't be good for any of us.

Sincerely,
Paul Lambert

UPDATE 10 July 06: I spoke at length with Doug Maggied about this during the break in the July 10, 2006 Board Meeting, as the Board was retiring to Executive Session. His statement is that nothing from the campaign survey was shared with the Board. However, I know from other sources that the Board was definitely briefed on the results of the survey. However, it seems they were careful to not take away any written material that would be subject to Sunshine Laws. While the Board may be technically correct in their action (being careful to avoid putting documents in the public domain), it certainly seems like a case of secretly conspiring to manipulate the public.