I'm not sure what a SENSE school is but I thnk I know why AWS is reluctant to give out information. Any RFI (request for information) would be considered as an opinion from an authority. As the developers of the code standard the AWS is not that sort of authority. Every case is unique and left up to the discretion of the designer, engineer or specifier for a particular project. I work for a municipality and cannot get a code interpretation from AWS, ASTM, ICBO, ACI or any other "authority" because it is a matter to be "decided by the engineer or jurisdictional authority."
Of course that just MY opinion.
And as for the bills, they are getting bigger. AWS is a non profit organization and must be paying some hansome salaries to maintain that status.