PLCS Public Records Request: Policy 1409 Violation
What is the goal of this fundraising campaign? To help Patricia Conway Boyd pay for the cost of a public records request. ($4293.24 charged by the Papillion La Vista Community School District for access to public records.)
This is public information that may be requested by any Nebraska citizen under Nebraska Public Records Law. However, Ms. Conway Boyd was told that accessing this public information would be extremely difficult for the district and would take more than 30 hours of IT staff time costing $1323.35 and administrative staff time costing $2969.89 so she was billed $4293.24.
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About the Public Records Request
Who is Patricia Conway Boyd? Pat is a Papillion resident and former Papillion La Vista School Board of Education member who served the district for 12 years.
What does the request involve? Ms. Conway Boyd requested access to public board of education and administration records about the Titan Performance Center and the violation of District Policy 1409. (This is public information that may be requested by any Nebraska citizen under Nebraska Public Records Law.)
Why did she request these records? Ms. Conway Boyd requested these public records to access information not being shared with the public by the Board of Education at its meetings. Many other Papillion-La Vista residents are also concerned about this lack of transparency.
When did she request these records? Ms. Conway Boyd requested these public records in early July and received a bill from the district on July 7 totaling $4293.24 for access to this information. On July 11, 2020, Ms. Conway Boyd paid a deposit of $2146.62 to begin the public records request. ($4293.24 is the total amount she can be billed by the district when the public records search is completed. See the full PLCS invoice here .)
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Why are these Public Records important?
These records relate to the Titan Performance Center being built at PLSHS and the violation of District Policy 1409.
Ms. Conway Boyd is a former Papillion La Vista Board of Education member. She has requested access to the Board of Education’s public records to learn more about the situation. (This is public information that may be requested by any Nebraska citizen under Nebraska Public Records Law. )
What is the Titan Performance Center?
The Titan Performance Center is a 9,700 square foot athletic performance center being built at PLSHS. It was publicly announced in a February 22, 2020 Omaha World Herald article and was a surprise to both the Board of Education and many Papillion La Vista citizens.
At the March 9, 2020 Board of Education meeting many district voters expressed their concerns about this athletic facility being kept a secret from the general public and asked the Board of Education to investigate the matter further. The Board promised additional public discussion but has offered no further public comment on the matter since March 9 - more than 127 days ago. At the same time, construction and fundraising for the Titan Performance Center have continued.
The fundraising video for the Titan Performace Center featuring PLCS Superintendent Andrew Rikli can be viewed here .
What is District Policy 1409 Special Projects Fundraising?
District Policy 1409 Special Projects Fundraising says, “Donations of funding or materials for site or facility modifications in excess of fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) require Papillion La Vista Board of Education approval. Special projects are defined as changes, updates, additions or enhancements to current district owned facilities financed through fundraising efforts. Special projects require a process for obtaining Board of Education approval.” Read the full policy here .
The Titan Performace Center privately funded changes and enhancements will cost $350,000 and were not approved by the Board of Education.
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More Fundraiser Details
- Ms. Conway Boyd paid a deposit of $2146.62 on July 11, 2020 to begin the public records request. $4293.24 is the total amount she can be billed by the district when the request is completed. See the full invoice here .
- If Ms. Conway Boyd is charged less than $4293.24 we will donate any excess funds raised to the Papillion-La Vista Monach Booster Club.
- We will share the final itemized bill Ms. Conway Boyd receives from the district indicating the amount she was charged.