Ethics Commission files Judgment against McKie

On July 10, 2019 the South Carolina Ethics Commission filed a $51,750 Judgment in Richland County Common Pleas Court against Amelia McKie. The Case Number is 2019CP4003809.

This Judgment is to collect the $51,750 in fines and fees that she owes the Ethics Commission under Decision & Order No. 2017-023, which was issued on July 3, 2018.

That Decision was based on McKie's failure to file numerous required documents between 2015 and 2018, including Campaign Disclosure Reports and Statements of Economic Interests Reports.

Those reports are required; they are not optional. It would be hard for McKie to say that she didn't know they were required, because she did file at least one report when she was running in 2014 for her first term as a Richland 2 School District trustee.

The 2018 Decision & Order informed McKie that, if she didn't make payments as scheduled with due dates of December 31, 2018, and June 30, 2019, the Judgment would be entered.

And so the Ethics Commission followed through and promptly filed.

McKie can expect further collection attempts to be pursued. Will she pay?

School Board Meeting - Tuesday, July 23

The Richland 2 School Board will hold its one July meeting on Tuesday, July 23, at 6:30PM for the public and preceded by a 90-minute Executive Session that will begin at 5:00PM. The Board meets at R2i2.

This meeting will the first in the new school year, which started July 1. The Board Chair is James Manning, who has been a trustee since 2010 and is the longest-serving trustee.

Eleven Board Policies are up for decision, and FOURTEEN (14) Policies are being submitted for review but no action. How did the District ever survive with all the policies in place before so many came up for attention, review and vote?

Too many times last year decisions were avoided by the throw-away phrase "will of the Board". Rather than determining what the "will of the Board" was, business just moved on. Board members failed to demand a vote by making a Motion of the topic that had just been discussed or learning the consensus of the Board.

The Board should probably consider a Parliamentarian, which Richland School District One has. That person could help the Board Chair keep meetings moving along. When Board members ramble or are slow to consolidate their comments, the Parliamentarian could prompt them to speak directly and to complete their remarks.

Hopefully, meetings will no longer run two hours, three hours, or more than three hours.

The next Board meeting will be Tuesday, August 13, 2019. There will be two meetings in August, September and October. Then the Board will meet once in November and once in December.

Parents: tell the kids they are on their own for dinner and start showing up for these meetings.