The Dallas Morning News has a well-written piece today about a controversy that has boiled over in Plano.

Reporter Theodore Kim along with colleague Matthew Haag put the spotlight on how the trustees of the Plano Independent School District appeared to have hammered out a plan concerning school boundaries in a back room -- and giving parents only 10 minutes to review the complex plan.

From the story:

Plano ISD officials gave parents about 10 minutes to review the complex districtwide proposal.

After two hours of public comments, the seven-member board adopted the plan without debate.

"How are we supposed to know if we re-elect them if we haven't had the chance to truly feel and understand their opinions?" asked Steve Champion, a central Plano parent. "By having absolutely no discussion, it left the public with an empty feeling."

We appreciate the DMN reaching out to Texas Watchdog for our opinion. We love weighing in on items dealing with government transparency and are happy we got another chance to do so.

Again, from the piece:

Trent Seibert, editor of Texas Watchdog, a news Web site that investigates government, said that officials on any elected board should feel obligated, if not required, to explain decisions that affect the public.

Otherwise, he and others said, officials foster disenfranchisement and create the perception, deserved or not, that the public's opinion is not valued.

"The public understands that not every decision goes their way. There are winners and losers in every vote," Seibert said. "The problem is when parents and taxpayers are left wondering whether they got a fair shake and if they were really listened to."

Be sure to check out the whole story. It's a good read, and it addresses a problem that you can bet happens all too often across Texas.