Lakeland school trustees voted on an undisclosed agenda item during a July 29 meeting, raising concerns over transparency and potential violations of Idaho’s open meeting laws.
According to Idaho Code § 74-204(4), an agenda must identify an item as an “action item” when it requires a vote, providing notice to the public that action may be taken. However, in this case, the item was not listed as an action item, and no details were posted.
Previous Incident
This is not the first time Lakeland trustees have voted on an undisclosed agenda item. In June, they voted to extend Interim Superintendent Jake Massey’s contract without proper notice. After a complaint was filed with the Kootenai County prosecutor, the trustees self-cured by holding a noticed vote on July 17.
Lakeland is one of the few school districts that are not part of the Idaho School Boards Association, which provides legal support and training to trustees. The board has met 37 times so far this year, including 26 executive sessions, with potential action items listed regarding six of those sessions.
Original reporting: Idaho Education News — read the source article.
