Jefferson County Commission Addresses Transparency Issues With School Board

Image Credit: RomanDeckert / CC

By David Seal (Special to The Tennessee Conservative) –

Jefferson County Commission addressed an ongoing issue with school transparency by approving a motion by Eighth District Commissioner Terry Dockery, which made a non-binding recommendation that Jefferson County schools post certain documents on their district website for citizen access. 

Citing questions concerning special education, Fourth District Commissioner Greg Byrd, requested that “Special Education Funding and Disbursements” be added by amendment, Dockery agreed. The majority vote was 12 in favor, 7 against with 2 absent.

The motion came as a response to multiple citizens and public officials alike citing problems with cost effective access to public records in Jefferson County Schools, and the practice by the school board of publicly “tracking” citizens who make records requests. 

The practice of “tracking” was initiated at their January 13, 2022 meeting, considered by some as a means of discouraging records requests. 

*** Click Here to Support Conservative Journalism in Tennessee. We can’t bring you articles like this without your support!***

First District Republican School Board Candidate Doug Ibbetson was quoted $60 for an electronic copy of the Perkins Vocational Education Grant Application, a document that Jefferson County CTE Director Dr. Rebecca C. Campbell admitted (in a March 9, 2022 email to David Seal) was transmitted electronically to state officials, and one that Ibbetson declined to pursue because of the estimated cost. 

Tenth District County Commissioner Marcus Reed was charged by the school system for multiple requests that he made in the execution of his official duties as an elected county commissioner. 

David Seal was charged, and paid, $389.72 for a set of requested documents related to teacher in-service training on Social and Emotional Learning conducted in July 2021.

Former County Commissioner David Seal, who spearheaded the effort, was given the floor to close the motion for Dockery. His statement was delivered as follows: 

“All citizens have a sacred right to participate in their government. To do this, they need access to valid, up-to-date information on what their government is doing. Essentially, they need similar information to what you have in order to understand the inner workings of government and to better understand policy. Transparency places all of us on an even playing field, allows us as citizens to make informed decisions, and serves as the basis for state sunshine laws and the federal Freedom of Information Act.

Let’s consider citizen participation, in the state of Tennessee, under Article I of our state constitution, we have a few noteworthy rights:

1)   Remonstrance

2)   Address Government

3)   Assemble Peaceably

4)   Instruct our Representatives

The Jefferson County School District, its local, state, and federal funding comprise over half of the total county budget. It has the responsibility of educating over 6800 students in a given school year; and it interfaces with every other department in county government. It stands to reason that our school system makes certain documents easily accessible to the public without the burdensome requirement of formal records requests. That is the crux of Commissioner Dockery’s motion. Access to documents enables us to better exercise our rights.

As a [former] teacher, I routinely uploaded documents that were made available to school administrators and other state officials. It only takes a few seconds and a few keystrokes to post documents. If the school system implements this recommendation, the process of providing documents will be greatly streamlined; school system managers will have less burden of producing documents for records requests; and taxpayers, parents, and teachers will have greater access to important information. Don’t let anyone tell you this is a cumbersome process for school officials. Citizens can always make requests for items that may not be routinely posted to the website.

This motion is a simple non-binding recommendation. It places no requirements on the school system. However, if you approve it, and the school system accepts it, transparency will prevail in Jefferson County, and our citizens will have the information they deserve to properly instruct their representatives.

I pray that you find favor with the motion.”

About the Author: David Seal is a retired Jefferson County educator, recognized artist, local businessman, and current Chairman of the Jefferson County Republican Party. He has also served Jefferson County as a County Commissioner and is a lobbyist for the people on issues such as eminent domain, property rights, education, and broadband accessibility on the state level.