APS policy committee delays new "Request for Information" rule after debate over timelines and transparency

The Albuquerque Public Schools Policy Committee on Jan. 13 postponed final action on a proposed addition to the APS Board of Education Governance Manual titled Section 4R, “Request for Information Policy and Process,” after extended discussion about language, timelines and how requests from board members would be reviewed.

The proposed policy would set a 20-business-day target for providing requested materials that are "not readily accessible," allow a 30-business-day extension for certain burdensome requests, and add a review step in which the superintendent would share difficult requests with the board executive committee for a determination of appropriateness. Committee members agreed to change inconsistent wording from "readily available" to "readily accessible" and to revisit other language before the policy returns to committee.

Board Member Courtney Jackson, who moved to add Section 4R and led several suggested edits, asked that the draft use a single phrase throughout the document: "I would like to request that up in 4 r 4, where it says…