Fremont County School County Carrying Transparency – News Magazine

Riverton – Last week, several members of the River’s School Council sounded for the Capitol education bills. The longtime board member Carl Manning described the bills as an “attack” against public education, asking the legislators: “Do not destroy us.”

But behind the scenes, the members of the River Board violate a key tenant of the state’s transparency laws: they decided to oppose the legislation by conducting a private vote by email.

At his meeting on Tuesday, three days later, the Council raised the issue of its program for consent to “ratify” voting by email during a public meeting.

But according to the Supreme Court of Wyoming, this may not be enough to correct the wrong one.

What happened

On Wednesday, January 22, Chief Jody Ibach, in an email, gave advice to board members on how to testify in opposition or support the legislation, advising the members of the board to speak or write as persons who do not represent the full council – or a member of the board can Speak on behalf of full advice if the Council votes for it.

“To do this, we will have to complete a poll on board, including the bill, if the testimony is for or against, and who will be a speaker,” she writes. “We would then follow the subject of action at our next board meeting.”

That Saturday, Ibach sent an email aboard, noting that HB 100, which will loosen the requirements for teachers in Wyoming until a simple background check and 18th birthday, are expected to be discussed at a Monday hearing.

She asked the board members to answer by email if they wanted to direct the member of the board Lori Morow to write a letter in opposition.

Board members have indicated their support in the emails, and Morrow prepared and sent an email to the letter to two batches to the members of the Home Education Committee and the legislators of the Fremont County – one at 16:44 on Monday, the other at 5:10 pm.

The next day, during the public council meeting, several members of the board took out 100 and other bills at the beginning of the meeting. Then, during his consent program – when the Council usually votes through multiple measures without discussion – he approved a measure to “ratify” his voice via email.

In an interview last week, Ibach explained how the vote on email appeared.

“Given the short period of time and the need to collect a weekend contribution, an email poll was the most effective way to determine the position of the board,” she said, adding that the vote came “in the direction of the Council to determine his collective team position. “

What does the law say

Like any set of laws, the Wyoming Transparency Act may become cumbersome at times, but the two basic sets of laws can be considered: Government authorities should only vote for public meetings, and the government should provide government data according to request.

When the selected employees are facing a crisis, the Wyoming Act has a solution: hold a special meeting.

Special meetings include calm public notice requirements that allows selected employees to be nimble in making timely decisions.

Asked if district leaders were considering calling such a special meeting to vote on his position on HB 100, Ibach said they did not, adding that the issue was not an “emergency”.

Will the vote for “ratification” eliminate the violation?

The decision was taken, the letter was provided and then the Council took the necessary public vote on the issue as part of its program for consent on Tuesday. But was it enough?

In the case of the Supreme Court Gronberg against the housing body of Teton County, the housing body tried to cure such a violation after illegally voted in an executive session, after which he tried to correct it by voting again during a public part of a meeting.

In this case, the Supreme Court outlined how such a violation can be eliminated.

The governing body must conduct “a new and significant review of the action in a way that corresponds to the law”, and a review should allow the public “a broad opportunity to know the facts and to be heard with regard to the question. “

More violations

The Lander School Board has taken such actions on email in violation of state laws on public meetings when discussing whether to formally support or oppose several education bills.

The issue was discussed through an individual e -mail exchange with the chairman in an obvious attempt to avoid discussing a quorum by members of the board. Members obviously cannot reach consensus, and instead agreed by email to prepare a generic letter in support of teachers in the field in the light of “the present political environment [in which teachers can feel] attacked, depreciated and undervalued. “

The publisher of the news magazine Bob Bonar has helped to develop some of the laws on the transparency of the state, and also serves ten years in the school council # 1 of the Weston County.

He said that both Lander’s school advice and Riverton are obviously aware of the law, and the attempt on the Lander’s board to avoid the requirements by avoiding a quorum, making this violation of the law seems to be deliberate.

“This is evidenced by the online distortion they have joined to try to circumvent the law in order,” he said. “This clearly deprives the public of their right to know what their government is doing.”

Bonar said there are laws of transparency to ensure that the selected employees express their opinion and reach consensus on public issues and before their voters.

In particular, he undertook Lander’s attempt to avoid open disagreement.

“This is the biggest type of institutional cowardice, and voters should ask their chosen representatives why they are not ready to express themselves at a public meeting instead of leaving the debate on these important issues to be guided by keyboard warriors on social media,” -” -” He said. “It doesn’t sound like a leadership to me.”

Curtain

Wyotoday Media has filed a data request to review the River’s school council email and conversation about legislation.

Ibach provided emails without costs for less than 24 hours.

This news organization also made a similar request on February 3 for Lander’s school council emails. As of February 11, this request has not yet been completed.

This story was published on February 12, 2025