A new record?

Did the Richland 2 school board establish a new record last night?

The public meeting was scheduled to start at 5:00PM, and I had initially considered attending. Then I figured that the most of the Board couldn't care less what I had to say, so I skipped it.

A one-hour Executive Session was scheduled for 5:30PM. It must have been held, because there wasn't a board member in sight at 6:25PM. Exactly at 6:30PM Mrs. Libby Roof politely announced to the audience that the Executive Session was running a little behind. At 6:32PM the board began arriving in the public meeting room, and at 6:35PM the meeting began. Although you might not know it, since Amelia McKie was speaking so softly into her microphone.

[The meeting ran to just before 10:30PM!!!]

The meeting kicked off with an Inspiration Moment. Somebody should define "Moment" for Amelia McKie, the pretend Chair of the Board, and tell her how long a Moment is and should be at the beginning of a meeting. How about one minute? Max of two minutes? Not five-six minutes, especially when the speaker cannot be heard.

Who fails to tell a speaker to speak INTO the microphone and to get his mouth close enough that his voice will be amplified in the room? Maybe the same people who fail to tell many of the board members the same thing.

(23:26) The School Focus was on the W.R. Rogers Center. I couldn't hear the name of the speaker (thanks, Amelia; SPEAK UP!), but I think he was Bobby Cunningham. He was the best presenter of the evening! He spoke loudly, clearly, firmly and without notes. It was crystal clear that he believed in his students and his Center. Students are lucky to be under his direction. Be sure to watch his presentation, when this week's meeting is posted to YouTube!

You can find it by dragging the counter forward. This article will be edited after the meeting video-recording is put up  on YouTube, and the time-counter reading will be added. For the time-being, you can find it following the Pledge of Allegiance. Watch for Principal Cunningham at the podium.

Frankly, it's embarrassing to look at the W.R. Rogers Center's webpage on the Richland 2 website. It appears the District considers the Center its stepchild. This Center deserves a much greater presence on the District's website!

Then it was time for Public Participation. Reporting on this meeting continues in a separate article.