OPB did some excellent reporting about a religious nonprofit earning up to $2,916 a day for every child placed in its care by the Department of Human Services.

That’s more than 100 times what DHS pays foster parents to care for vulnerable children.

After OPB’s reporting last month, DHS announced this month it was canceling the contract. “State officials declined to say why the contract was being canceled, other than it was ‘convenient for the state to cancel the contract,’” OPB reported.

That puzzled us.

We asked DHS for clarification about why it could not say why the contract was canceled.

We remain puzzled.

DHS did provide us with a lengthy statement. But it did not answer that question directly.

Was it a state law or rule that prohibited DHS from being forthcoming? Was it a DHS policy? Was DHS being careful about what it said to avoid potential legal action by Dynamic Life, the religious nonprofit?

We don’t know. Isn’t the public entitled to know why its government cancels a contract, especially when it involves children?

If not the exact reason why the contract was canceled, how about the reasoning for the non-explanation?

The contract could apparently be canceled at any time. And DHS took that option after OPB raised questions about it.

Was that convenient for Dynamic Life? No. Was that convenient for DHS? It has had to look for new options to care for some of the state’s most vulnerable children. And if you have been following this issue at all, you know the state of Oregon and DHS has had an understandably very difficult time finding good solutions.

Oregon paid millions for the now-canceled service provided by Dynamic Life and the nonprofit still continues to care for some people with developmental disabilities. Legislators and/or Gov. Tina Kotek should insist that a state agency is more transparent.