12-IIB04: Freedom of Information Act Regarding the Board of Education

Petitioner alleged that the Caesar Rodney School District violated FOIA by (a) posting only tentative agendas; (b) failing to inform the public that it was planning to increase personnel salaries during the December 2011 meeting; (c) failing to include specific grounds for executive sessions in the agendas; and (d) failing to provide adequate Board minutes. Held that (a) the District violated FOIA by posting tentative agendas, but that the District agreed not to label future agendas as “tentative”; (b) because the salaries in question were set through contracts previously agreed to by the District, notice of such salary increases was not necessary; (c) failing to specify the purpose of executive sessions violated FOIA, but the District agreed to include specific grounds for executive sessions in the future; and (d) the minutes were adequate so the District did not violate FOIA as to the minutes.