In a June 16 letter, the AG's office says it disagrees and that information responsive to the request must be released:

"The Texas Supreme Court (has) stated information is excepted from disclosure if it (1) contains highly intimate or embarrassing facts, the release of which would be highly objectionable to a reasonable person, and (2) is not of legitimate concern to the public. ... We note that the submitted information pertains to current or former employees and their alleged wrongdoing in the workplace. As we have explained on many occasions, information concerning public employees and public employment is generally a matter of legitimate public interest."

The actions of these three HISD employees have resulted in unnecessary cost for the Houston Independent School District, so much so that the district fired them. Funding under the E-Rate technology program was frozen, causing the district to lose $105 million in federal funding.

E-Rate is a federally funded program that brings cut-rate telecommunications services to public schools, nonprofit private schools and libraries.

The Federal Communications Commission filed a lawsuit against the district in 2006. More than three years later, the district paid $850,000 to settle the suit with the FCC.

A subsequent compliance agreement required HISD to hire an E-Rate compliance officer, who makes $150,000 annually. HISD hired Richard Patton in February using a headhunting firm that reportedly charged $67,200.

The fallout has been somewhat dizzying. But after the almost million-dollar settlement, costly staff additions and the need to purchase additional resources, we think it's a win for transparent government that the law is on the side of knowing whose actions may have triggered all this.

Lynn Walsh can be reached at lynn@texaswatchdog.org or at 713-228-2850.