When a school board votes in public session to approve a document, it's supposed to become public immediately. But when the Baltimore school board approved a new contract with the city's union for principals and other administrators two weeks ago, officials said they would not release a copy of the agreement until the union membership had voted to adopt it.

The membership vote came and went later that week, and still the contract was not released. Last week, The Sun was told that a school system lawyer had to review the contract before it could be made public, and a copy would be available by Monday.

On Monday, word came that the contract won't be available until it has been printed and distributed to all members of the union, maybe by late this week. A school system spokeswoman wrote in an email: "According to our legal department we have 30 days to give it out but of course we are not waiting anywhere near that time." She said the decision to hold off was made out of respect to the union members, who shouldn't have to read about the details of their contract in the newspaper before receiving the document themselves.

Nevermind that the members already got the details of the contract when they voted to adopt it.