Lexington 1 trustees are making themselves look like rubber stamps for whatever the administration desires. And the superintendent and board chair appear to be in lock step.

This is unfortunate for parents, children and voters who elected the trustees to be watch dogs – not lap dogs.

As a leading authority on the Freedom of Information Act, attorney Jay Bender said, “This board seems content to rely exclusively on information ladled out by the administration with no interest in seeking confirmation of the basis for a report. ber stamp whatever the administration proposes.

Lexington 1 is not alone in this. It unfortunately goes on elsewhere in government.

Look at the debacle the watchdogs at the Public Disservice Commission allowed SC Electric & Gas to get away with in its $2 billion nuclear fiasco fleecing of its 725,000 ratepayers.

Or look at what our lawmakers are doing in handing millions of dollars in tax concessions to the billionaire owner of the Carolina Panthers.

Compared to these governmental excesses and taxpayer abuse, denying a Lexington 1 trustee access to information she requested may seem like small potatoes to many people.

In reality, Jada Garris’ fellow board members, board chair Cindy Smith and Superintendent Greg Little are denying her information she needs to do the job to which she was elected.

Oversight of administrative decisions, actions and handling of taxpayers’ money is vital not only to her but all of those elected to the Lexington 1 board.

Taxpayers and voters are entitled to no less than that.

– Jerry Bellune@yahoo.com

“Scoundrels always find the price of openness too high to be borne by government.”

In the early days of US public education, wise leaders envisioned a system in which elected trustees oversaw the administration of schools and how taxpayers’ money was handled.

That works well in many school districts. In Lexington 1 – an otherwise excellent school district – trustees seem to rub-

Denying information may seem like small potatoes compared to other abuses.