State Representative Alec Ryncavage announced on April 1 that he has filed a Right-to-Know request to obtain full details of a settlement agreement approved by the Crestwood School Board after the resignation of its superintendent. The move comes after the school board declined to share information about the cost, terms, or use of taxpayer funds related to the agreement.
Ryncavage said that transparency is required by law when public money is involved. “Taxpayers should never be kept in the dark about how their money is being spent,” Ryncavage said. “If public dollars are involved, the public has a right to know the full details. That is not optional. That is the law.”
He referenced Pennsylvania law and past court rulings, saying they make clear that settlement agreements involving public agencies are considered public records and must be disclosed. He cited an appellate court decision stating: “A public agency may not contract away the public’s right of access to public records because the purpose of access is to keep open the doors of government, to prohibit secrets, to scrutinize the actions of public officials and to make public officials accountable in their use of public funds. A confidentiality clause contained in a settlement agreement that runs afoul of the RTK law violates public policy and is unenforceable.”
Crestwood School Board President Lauren McCurdy acknowledged in an April 1 article from The Wileks-Barre Citizens’ Voice that little information was provided publicly due to legal reasons: “The taxpayer ends up paying for a lot of things that they’re unaware of and that’s not the way government should be. But for legal reasons, we often don’t provide a lot of that information to the public. It’s not a good reason, but I feel like that’s as much as I can say on the subject.” Ryncavage responded by saying this view misrepresents state law: “That is simply not accurate under Pennsylvania law,” he said.
Ryncavage called on Crestwood School Board members to immediately release details including total costs, funding sources for any payments made under settlement or severance agreements, and descriptions of any related legal claims or disputes.
“Public service comes with a simple obligation: accountability,” Ryncavage concluded. “If you are asking families to pay taxes, you owe them answers, not silence.”
