MSCS charging more than $7,000 to see public records
by: Jessica Gertler
SHELBY COUNTY, Tenn. — Memphis Shelby County Schools wants us to pay more than $7,000 to see public records that show how your taxpayer money is being spent.
This all started when the owner of a local security company was going through a recertification process to prove she’s a woman and minority owned business. The portal she logs on to complete that process lists her previous contracts.
She scanned over it and noticed her company was listed as a subcontractor on Memphis Shelby County Schools’ contract with a bus company called First Student.
“We’ve never spoken with First Student. We were never utilized by First Student. First Student never called us,” Certified Defenders of America owner Kim Watkins said in an interview in March.
Despite her never providing services to the bus company, the portal claimed MSCS cut First Student a check for $34,779 for her services in July 2023.
“How can we be added as a subcontractor without being contacted first? Without signing a contract with First Student?” she stated.
The district called it all an error. The bus company added in a statement they explored using the security company, but didn’t move forward.
In a joint statement, they both assured, “A total payment to First Student in the amount of $34,779.92 for the month of July 2023 was partially distributed to a number of approved subcontractors, none of which was Certified Defenders of America.”
We wanted to know more.
WREG Investigators filed an open records request asking for all of the payments MSCS made to First Student and its subcontractors since 2021, when the district entered into a contract with First Student.
Two months later, MSCS sent us a response that the custodian of records will need additional time to process this request, and it will cost us.
They want to charge $37 an hour for 4 hours a day for 5 days a week for approximately 8 to 10 weeks or longer.
It will cost approximately $7,363 to see those records.
They noted the first hour is free, but labor costs are subject to increase. That means it could cost more than $7,363 to see those public records.
So if we want to see the payments MSCS made using your taxpayer money to the company that has one of the largest contracts with the district, we will have to pay big bucks.
We asked the district why the record retrieval is so labor-intensive, but did not hear back.
Nearly a week later, a day after a WREG Investigators story detailing the costs of record retrieval aired, MSCS sent a spreadsheet of the disbursement we had asked for. MSCS noted that 5,214 items were reflected in the spreadsheet.
Also, state lawmakers signed off on a $6 million dollar forensic audit set to start this summer. It’s aimed at uncovering how taxpayer dollars are being spent.
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