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Publication Sneak Peek
Our Two Cents
This segment features content from other AAEA publications. Our Two Cents is a monthly publication available to subscribing districts. The following excerpt comes from the June 2023 issue.
Department of Finance & Administration Revenue Report for May 2023
Tax revenue in the first 11 fiscal months of the year (July 2022-May 2023) totaled $7.898 billion, up $28.9 million (0.4%) compared with the same period in the previous fiscal year and up $25.5 million (0.3%) over the forecast, which was revised upward on May 17. Sales and use tax revenue in the first 11 months was $3.105 billion, up 8.3% compared with the same period in the previous fiscal year and up 0.4% above the revised forecast. Corporate income tax revenue in the first 11 months was $720.2 million, up $16.5 million compared to the same period last year, and 0.2% below the forecast.
The revised budget indicates the state will end the fiscal year in June with a $1.03 billion surplus. It will be the third consecutive year for a budget surplus near or more than $1 billion if the estimate holds true. The surplus in the fiscal year that ended June 2021 was $945.7 million. In FY22, the budget surplus was $1.628 billion. The full report can be viewed here.
Attorney General Opinion 2023-038
In Opinion 2023-38, the AG certified the popular name and ballot title submitted by the CAPES group for a proposed ballot measure, A Referendum to Approve or Reject the LEARNS Act. Full text of 2023-38 is included.
Attorney General Opinion 2023-027
In Opinion 2023-037, the Attorney General responded to two questions. Q1) Since there is significant risk regarding the disclosure of sensitive information during a public meeting discussing how to respond to a cyberattack, can a school board meet privately or in executive session to discuss how best to respond to threat actors in a situation of this nature? (Q2) Would the meeting described in the above question be allowed if the school board recorded the meeting for viewing by the public as soon as the emergency caused by the cyber-attack was over? The AG’s response to both questions was "no." The FOIA does not allow executive sessions to discuss cybersecurity for school districts under any circumstance. Full text of 2023-027 is included.
Attorney General Opinion 2023-040
In Opinion 2023-040, the Attorney General responded to ATRS regarding whether or not their decision to release certain employee-related records is consistent with the FOIA. The opinion reviewed two sets of decisions, “classification of records” and “disclosure.” The AG opined that the classification and disclosure decisions were only partly consistent with FOIA. Full text of 2023-040 is included.
Attorney General Opinion 2023-041
In Opinion 2023-041, the AG responded to a request from DESE regarding a FOIA request for a letter of termination for a former employee who objects to the disclosure of the record. DESE asked if the decision to release the letter of termination was consistent with the FOIA. The AG’s response was “yes,” the custodian has correctly decided to disclose the letter. Full text of 2023-041 is included.
