Judge: School board session violated law

Portland Press Herald, August 22, 2007

(excerpt) A judge on Tuesday ordered the Portland School Committee to release documents from a closed-door meeting last month, ruling that parts of the executive session were illegal.

Cumberland County Superior Court Justice Roland Cole said the committee must release notes from its attorney and two members, along with a written statement from Superintendent Mary Jo O'Connor that was distributed at the meeting.

Barring an appeal, the ruling ends a dispute between the school committee and the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram over whether a July 25 meeting, held amid concerns about a $2.5 million budget gap, should have been open to the public.

The decision puts other public officials on notice that they must meet specific requirements to hold a private meeting, said Jonathan Piper, the newspaper's lawyer.