Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Transparency Governance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board waives privilege on trustee-lawyer communications from Dec. 2022 to present
Summary
After public comment, the board adopted a resolution directing disclosure of communications between trustees and district legal counsel from Dec. 1, 2022 through the present, with redactions for students/staff and exclusions for active litigation; trustees said some review and redaction costs are expected.
The Sunol Glen Unified board adopted Resolution 24-2025-14 instructing the superintendent or designee to make public communications between any trustee and the district's legal counsel arising from Dec. 1, 2022 to the present, subject to redactions for student or staff identifying information and to exclusions for communications related to active litigation.
Supporters during public comment — including Matt Sylvester and Kelly Goldsmith — urged the waiver to restore transparency after what they described as prior secrecy. Kelly Goldsmith told the board the disclosures were necessary because "multiple communications that have disclosed what we now know were direct lies and lies of omission perpetuated by [former trustees]…" and she said the community "deserves to know if any other malfeasance transpired."
Trustees debated operational cost and scope; one trustee asked whether collecting and redacting years of communications would be a heavy lift. The board concluded the potential cost is justified by transparency goals and voted to adopt the resolution by voice vote. The resolution specifies the superintendent or her designee will make available communications meeting the criteria and that redactions will be applied to student and staff identity information and any disclosures otherwise prohibited by law.
Board members noted there will likely be administrative costs to gather, review and redact documents but said making the materials available could reduce duplicative PRA requests made later. The board recorded the motion and the vote as "Aye" and adopted the resolution.
