Draft and Final Meeting Materials for 03/29/2023

To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the New York Freedom of Information Law, I hereby request the following records:

Pursuant to the New York Freedom of Information Law, I am requesting copies of any draft or final materials that will be presented or discussed during the annual board meeting on March 29, 2023. These materials include, but are not limited to, meeting agendas, meeting minutes, presentations, reports, and any other related documents.

I have not been able to locate any of these materials on the Capital Region BOCES website, and I am requesting them in advance of the meeting to ensure that I am fully informed about the topics that will be discussed.

Furthermore, I would like to remind Capital Region BOCES of its obligations under the Open Meetings Law (OML), which requires that final meeting materials be posted in advance of the meeting. Please ensure that any final materials related to the March 29, 2023 meeting are posted on the Capital Region BOCES website in accordance with the OML.

If any part of my request is denied, please provide a written explanation for the denial, including a reference to the specific statutory exemption(s) upon which you rely.

The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.

In the event that there are fees, please inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request to be filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available, or by CD-ROM if not.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 5 business days, as the statute requires.

The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.

In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 5 business days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Jackson Parker

I would like to remind you on your website that you have the following noted:

"What notice must be given of the BOCES annual meeting?
Notice of the time, date, and place of the annual meeting must be given to each of the members of the board and the clerk of each of the component districts by mail at least 14 days prior to the meeting (§ 1950(4)(o)). The BOCES must also publish the notice at least once each week within the two weeks preceding the annual meeting, the first publication to be at least 14 days before the meeting in newspapers having general circulation within the BOCES (§1950 (4)(b)(4)).

In addition to the date, time, and place of the meeting, the notice also must contain the following:

A statement that the tentative BOCES budgets will be presented to the component school board members at the meeting (§ 1950 (4)(b)(4)). · A summary of the tentative BOCES capital and program budgets in a form prescribed by the commissioner (§ 1950 (4)(b)(4)).
A summary of the tentative BOCES administrative budget in a form prescribed by the commissioner that includes the salary and benefits payable to supervisory and administrative staff of the BOCES and the total compensation payable to the district (BOCES) superintendent of schools (§ 1950(4)(b)(4)).
When and where the tentative budgets will be available to the public for inspection ((§1950(4)(b)(4))."

https://www.capitalregionboces.org/about-us/board-of-education/board-of-education-faqs/

Dear Esteemed Appeals Officer,

I pen this missive with the earnest intent of appealing the lamentable withholding of the "Amendment to DS Employment Contract" and other germane materials mentioned in the agenda for the annual board meeting of March 29, 2023, at the Capital Region BOCES. As a steadfast pursuer of truth and justice, I have observed an unfortunate pattern of concealing essential information from the citizenry, both prior to, during, and after the board's meetings.

Pursuant to the New York Freedom of Information Law (FOIL), I submitted a request for all draft or final materials presented or discussed during the annual board meeting, which encompassed the amended agreement between the Albany-Schoharie-Schenectady-Saratoga BOCES and District Superintendent Anita M. Murphy. Despite receiving a response containing a presentation related to the budget, notice of meeting acknowledgment, and agenda, the document in question and other vital materials were not provided.

This practice of obscuring material information from the public is not only incompatible with the values of openness and accountability, but it also erodes the people's confidence in the board's decision-making process. The Open Meetings Law (OML) obliges public bodies to make available to the public all materials discussed or presented during a meeting. The non-disclosure of the "Amendment to DS Employment Contract" and other significant materials is a clear contravention of this imperative.

In light of these concerns, I humbly request that you reconsider the initial decision and furnish me with a copy of the "Amendment to DS Employment Contract" and all other pertinent materials mentioned in the agenda. Furthermore, I entreat the board to adopt appropriate measures ensuring that all relevant information and documents are made available to the public in a timely and transparent manner, consonant with the requirements of both the FOIL and OML.

As an additional observation, it has come to my attention that the following link on BoardDocs, which ought to provide details on the "Amendment to DS Employment Contract," remains devoid of any information: http://go.boarddocs.com/ny/crboces/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=CQ7QCV67C36B. This absence of information serves to further underscore the necessity for prompt action in addressing the aforementioned concerns.

I thank you for your attention to this matter of considerable import and eagerly anticipate your prompt response in accordance with the statute's requirement.

Hello Sharon,

Thank you for taking the time this morning to discuss next steps regarding these requests and appeals. This is one of the appeals that requires follow up. Please let me know if you need anything else.

Sincerely,

MuckRock Staff

Hello Sharon,

Just touching base on this request. Please let me know what the status is on this appeal dated April 30, 2023.

Thank you for your assistance.

Sincerely,

MuckRock Staff