Houston Independent School District's Endless Battle Over Public Records Costs Reveals a Pattern of Resistance to Transparency
In the heart of Texas, the Houston Independent School District (HISD) is embroiled in an ongoing battle with journalists and citizens over public records requests. The latest chapter in this saga involves two cost increases for copies of Superintendent Mike Miles' emails, sparking outrage over the district's resistance to transparency.
The issue began when Jessi Heiner and Liz Silva submitted a request for 16 months' worth of Miles' emails, which they believed was his internal HISD address, not the one listed on the district's website. Their goal was to gain insight into decisions made at their children's school and understand the $4.4 billion bond that was on the ballot in 2024.
Initially, Heiner received an estimate of $2,446.80 for the emails, but the cost quickly escalated. The law firm hired by HISD claimed that it would take "substantial time" to compile and redact the emails, leading to a new bill of $8,172.00. This latest estimate has sparked concerns over the district's attempt to limit access to information.
The Texas Attorney General ultimately ruled that much of Miles' emails had to be turned over, but the cost continues to rise. Heiner filed a cost complaint with the attorney general's office, and HISD was forced to explain its labor estimates.
"This is not hard to speculate that the reason the cost keeps going up is to make it inaccessible," Silva said. "We're probably spending more as taxpayers than we are to just get the information."
The district claims that its estimates are based on documents deemed public and subject to the Attorney General's ruling. However, Heiner disputes this claim, stating that the process will take 52 full days of one person working full-time, which she believes is "absurd."
The battle over public records in HISD serves as a reminder of the importance of transparency in government institutions. As taxpayers, citizens have a right to know how their hard-earned money is being spent and the decisions that affect their communities.
As this saga continues, it remains to be seen whether Heiner and Silva will pay the updated cost estimate or challenge the district's estimates further. One thing is certain, however: the fight for transparency in HISD will not be easy, but the outcome could have significant implications for accountability and public trust in government.
In the heart of Texas, the Houston Independent School District (HISD) is embroiled in an ongoing battle with journalists and citizens over public records requests. The latest chapter in this saga involves two cost increases for copies of Superintendent Mike Miles' emails, sparking outrage over the district's resistance to transparency.
The issue began when Jessi Heiner and Liz Silva submitted a request for 16 months' worth of Miles' emails, which they believed was his internal HISD address, not the one listed on the district's website. Their goal was to gain insight into decisions made at their children's school and understand the $4.4 billion bond that was on the ballot in 2024.
Initially, Heiner received an estimate of $2,446.80 for the emails, but the cost quickly escalated. The law firm hired by HISD claimed that it would take "substantial time" to compile and redact the emails, leading to a new bill of $8,172.00. This latest estimate has sparked concerns over the district's attempt to limit access to information.
The Texas Attorney General ultimately ruled that much of Miles' emails had to be turned over, but the cost continues to rise. Heiner filed a cost complaint with the attorney general's office, and HISD was forced to explain its labor estimates.
"This is not hard to speculate that the reason the cost keeps going up is to make it inaccessible," Silva said. "We're probably spending more as taxpayers than we are to just get the information."
The district claims that its estimates are based on documents deemed public and subject to the Attorney General's ruling. However, Heiner disputes this claim, stating that the process will take 52 full days of one person working full-time, which she believes is "absurd."
The battle over public records in HISD serves as a reminder of the importance of transparency in government institutions. As taxpayers, citizens have a right to know how their hard-earned money is being spent and the decisions that affect their communities.
As this saga continues, it remains to be seen whether Heiner and Silva will pay the updated cost estimate or challenge the district's estimates further. One thing is certain, however: the fight for transparency in HISD will not be easy, but the outcome could have significant implications for accountability and public trust in government.
situation with HISD! They're basically trying to stonewall citizens from getting info about what's going on in their schools and how our tax dollars are being spent. It's ridiculous that they're charging exorbitant fees for emails that should be public records anyway. I mean, come on, it's not like they're hiding anything classified 
. The fact that the law firm is using vague language to justify the high cost is just a smokescreen. As a taxpayer, I want transparency and accountability, not some backdoor way of keeping secrets from me 
.
so like the superintendant of this school distric wants to keep his emails private? 
that's kinda shady if you ask me... i mean what's he hiding from the public? 
is it really that hard to just give out some info? 
52 days for one person to do the work? 
that sounds like a total scam. and the distric is trying to make us pay more and more money just to get the emails? 
that's not right at all. what's next? are they gonna charge us to look at our own tax returns? 
that sounds super fishy to me. why can't he just say what the cost is gonna be upfront instead of inflating it after the fact? 
I'm not taking sides here, but it's clear that there needs to be some middle ground found.
the fact that hisd is trying to make it "inaccessible" just adds fuel to the fire 
like, hello accountability! 
we need more people speaking out against this kind of resistance. and can we talk about the fact that one person supposedly needs 52 full days to work on those emails? 
anyway, fingers crossed that heiner and silva get some answers (and maybe a discount 
)
. the question remains, how much more will heiner and silva have to shell out for just a basic public record? 
. this whole ordeal is a stark reminder that our government institutions are not always as transparent as they should be 
. It's like, we pay taxes 
, so we should know what our money is being used for 
and it's crazy that they're trying to hide that from us 
. The law firm's estimate of 52 days to compile the emails is just ridiculous 
? It's all about accountability and making sure our voices are heard 
. We need more cases like this to push for change 
.
It's all about accountability and transparency in government, right? We need to hold our officials accountable and make sure they're not trying to hide anything from us. This whole thing has me curious - what's really going on behind the scenes in HISD? 
meanwhile, taxpayers are left footing the bill because some dude decided to be super secretive about how their tax dollars are being spent 
hisd is trying to charge like 8k for some emails thats crazy! its like they think we dont know how to do math or something. I mean whats next are they gonna charge us per breath or something? 
the fact that they claimed it would take a full time person 52 days to compile those emails is just absurd 
. It seems like the Houston Independent School District (HISD) is making it super hard for citizens to get the information they deserve about how their tax dollars are being spent 
.
. someone needs to hold them accountable for transparency, stat! 
. There have been other cases where governments and institutions have resisted providing information to citizens. It's essential to hold them accountable and ensure that they're acting in the best interest of the public.
. As someone who values accountability and public trust, I hope the court will see it through and bring this matter to a resolution 
so let's keep pushing for transparency and accountability, even if it means fighting an uphill battle