Editorial: Require recording of all school board sessions

From The Denver Post:  What a shame that a school board transparency bill, a matter of simplicity and common sense, fell victim to heavy lobbying.

One of the sponsors, state Sen. Mary Hodge, D-Brighton, asked her peers to kill the bill Wednesday since she didn’t have enough votes to get it through the Senate.

The measure contained the hardly radical requirement that school boards fully record what goes on behind closed doors during executive session.

That’s record, mind you, not divulge the details of what had transpired during these sessions, typically used to discuss personnel matters and real estate deals.

The recording requirement would have given citizens recourse — albeit through the court system — to challenge whether the discussions truly were the type that should be secret. A judge could order release of a recording if it were deemed not to be privileged.

Opponents claimed the bill would “chill” candid conversations between lawyers and their school district clients.

That sounds like a convenient accountability dodge to us, and we hope this measure — or one like it — is reintroduced next session.

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