Solicitor reports about $6,396 in legal fees tied to board-originated Right‑to‑Know requests

The district solicitor reported to the Southmoreland School District Board of Directors that the legal office’s fees attributable to Right‑to‑Know (RTK) requests originating from the board totaled $6,396.75 for the current and prior school year. The solicitor said district staff estimated an additional $10,183.84 in employee time spent responding to RTK requests.

The solicitor told the board the amounts were calculated from invoices and from a district‑wide analysis of staff hours devoted to responding to RTK requests. He said his office compiled hourly rates for the staff groups and multiplied those by the estimated hours spent on RTK responses to produce the staff‑time figure.

The solicitor reminded board members that anyone may file RTK requests. He said board members also have non‑RTK options to obtain information, such as requesting it through the board president or administration; in his description, an internal request that the administration provide materials can restrict the use of the RTK process and the legal costs associated with it.

Board members exchanged questions and examples about particular RTK responses. One board member disputed an RTK response’s content about a school “coffee shop” schedule; staff clarified that the document provided showed study hall coverage and not a daily open coffee shop. The solicitor said appeals filed to the Office of Open Records (the state appeals office for RTK matters) had not yet resulted in a finding against the district, to his recollection.

The solicitor’s report was informational; no formal action was required or taken at the meeting.