More often than we like, the actions of Longview ISD administrators leave us with one burning question to be answered: What were they thinking? And so it is again now that the administration has made the incomprehensible decision not to release the district's preliminary scores from the state's STAAR test. The most recent round was one fifth- and eighth-graders must pass to get promoted to the next grade. For as long as we can remember, the district has released preliminary scores from the STAAR and its predecessor tests to the board and the public. But this year spokeswoman Sarah LeBus Pope said "we" were waiting to release the "official numbers that are final." First, the preliminary scores are official. How much they might differ from the final scores is anyone's guess but we would be surprised if those differences are significant. In any event, the News-Journal and other news outlets will report on those numbers too. But stranger than that is the fact the numbers already are available for all to see on the website of the Texas Education Agency. That's where the News-Journal got the data you can find in a presentation right now at news-journal.com. Yes, they are "official." Is the administration simply aiming to be as difficult as possible? Or is this another example of dysfunction in the administration, with one hand not knowing what the other is doing? In fact, asked last week about the situation, board President Chris Mack said he had not even been informed the scores were available. In another circumstance we might guess that holding back the information must mean this was bad news for the district. Not so. The numbers don't shatter any records for highest scores but they generally show slight improvements in most areas. So why not just tell district patrons the good news without all the rigamarole? We don't know the answer or even if there is one. But this situation again points out one of the single biggest problems Longview ISD has: communication. Time after time for months and months we have asked for explanations concerning various policies and decisions only to be told we would not understand. That attitude is what we don't understand. School policies are not so esoteric that they cannot be understood by those of average intelligence. We fear the real reason is that officials would rather the public not understand certain policies and procedures, or even be aware of them. But Longview ISD does not belong to those officials. They act as if we are intruding, thus refuse to provide any more information than they alone deem necessary. The district does a good job of sharing information on student awards and achievements — and that's important — but it is only a small piece of the story. The public is entitled to know about test scores, finances, hiring and firing and most other district business — and certainly is entitled to be treated with simple respect rather than so often being criticized for even raising questions.