House Bill 366 — you may want to remember that.
House Bill 366 is the reason you won’t be able to read the annual financial statement of local school districts, including Mason County Schools, in the your local newspaper like The Ledger Independent.
House Bill 366 was a bone thrown to school districts as some appeasement for pension fund shortfalls. In other words. House Bill 366 is the price you will pay for the state not living up to its obligation to pension funds.
So — because of House Bill 366, you will only be able to read the complete annual financial statement of Mason County Schools and others online. If you don’t have access to a computer, the district is required to print a notice in the newspaper telling readers a public location, like the public library, where they can access the information. If you can’t get to the library and don’t have access to a computer, you are out of luck.
We, perhaps more than most, understand it is a new age and technology has become the go-to source for information. But, having said that, it is vitally important that public information remains available to all of the public, even the portion that doesn’t have a computer or a car.
So, thank House Bill 366 and your local representatives who all voted in favor of the bill when you realize you won’t have what we believe is important information delivered to your doorstep.
And that’s nothing to be thankful for.
