'So We Just Keep Taking It?': Hinsdale D-86 Official

BURR RIDGE, IL – A top official in Hinsdale High School District 86 is blaming higher legal bills over the last year on the increase in public records requests.

At the same time, board President Erik Held said last week that it would be hard to hold a public discussion on ways to cut those costs.

He was referring to the secrecy of communications between clients and their lawyers.

At last week's board meeting, Held spoke about the bills in response to member Jeff Waters' concerns.

Held said he didn't believe there was an exception under the state's open meetings law to close a meeting for the board to discuss cutting legal bills.

Waters replied, "So we just keep taking it, huh?"

Held said he would be willing to answer individual board members' questions about legal bills outside of meetings.

Held added the district was obligated to answer records requests.

"We don't want people to feel that they can't FOIA," Held said, referring to the Freedom of Information Act.

Last budget year, the district spent $106,000 on legal bills associated with public records requests. That was about equal to the previous two years. Only$12,941 was spent in the 2018-19 year.

In total, the district has logged $2.1 million in legal bills over six years.

It is unclear which public records requests go to the attorney. Some documents – such as financial ones – are virtually all considered public under state law.

In January 2020, Patch emailed Superintendent Tammy Prentiss and then-board President Nancy Pollak about which records requests go through the lawyer. Patch asked them whether all requests run through the district's law firm, Arlington Heights-based Hodges Loizzi.

They never responded. Patch forwarded the email again on Thursday to Prentiss and Chris Jasculca, the district's communications director.

In an email, Jasculca said not all requests are processed with the assistance of an attorney.