Transparency Bill Finds Favor With Wardlow, Anderson

The sudden, $255,000 payout to the Burnsville school district's former human resources director, Tania Chance, outraged dozens of Burnsville taxpayers, .

But they aren't the only ones upset at the size of the severance package—or the district's decision to withhold information on the settlement and Chance's abrupt departure.

Burnsville Rep. Pam Myhra (R) introduced a new bill that would reform a segment of the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act—the same statute district officials say prevents them from releasing for information about the settlement.

Both Rep. Doug Wardlow (R) and Rep. Diane Anderson (R) of Eagan are listed as co-authors of the bill, which debuted on March 5 in the Minnesota House of Representatives. It is currently under review by the House Civil Law Committee.

If passed, Myhra's bill would make any settlement agreement that includes a payout to public employees available to the public. The bill also classifies agreements pertaining to dispute resolution as public documents.

"Parents and taxpayers alike have wanted transparency. The school district has wanted transparency within constraints of the law, but there are many questions left unanswered," Myhra told the House's Education Finance Committee earlier this month.

Anderson, who represents portions of Burnsville, said she received multiple complaints from constituents who were unhappy with the district's decision and the lack of transparency about the settlement. Myhra's proposed bill, she said, was " totally constituent-driven." Wardlow wasn't immediately available for comment on the bill.

“I had lots of complaints, and it’s a large payout amount when schools are hurting for money, and the money needs to be spent in classrooms," Anderson said on Monday.

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