Disgusting Display or Dubious Promotion

Richland 2 School District published a disgusting display of promotion and aggrandisement of Amelia McKie on January 4, 2021. A two-page announcement was made of McKie's election by the South Carolina School Boards Association as Region 8 Director. That followed her controversial appointment by the Richland 2 School Board.

The District failed to mention that McKie has made zero payments toward her $51,750 fine levied by the S.C. Ethics Commission and enforced by a judgment filed on July 10, 2019 in the Richland County Common Pleas Court.

The District also failed to mention that McKie's legitimacy to serve as a School Board has been questioned since March 2019. McKie violated South Carolina Code of Laws Section 8-13-1110(A) on November 13, 2018 by taking the oath of office before she filed her Statement of Economic Interests. She got "caught" by The Voice of Blythewood & Fairfield County.

Because McKie has not been a legal member of the School Board since November 13, 2018, she was ineligible to serve as Board Chair. Her claim of the title of Board Chair and signature on bond documents resulted in the resignation of the Board Secretary in April 2019. The Secretary was unwilling to risk personal liability by attesting to potentially false claims in the documents.

Because McKie is not a legal member of the Richland 2 School Board, she cannot be a Region 8 Director for the SCSBA. Apparently, that is just a minor inconvenience to the SCSBA.

The Richland 2 School Board has been requested numerous times to hold a public discusssion at a board meeting of the questions surrounding McKie's serving on the board. The Board has refused to do this.

Late in 2020 SLED and the FBI were requested to investigate Richland 2 School District for disbursing public monies to the two women (McKie and Teresa Holmes) who are not legally on the board. McKie and Holmes are usurping public office. One of the penalties is to pay back all of the money they have improperly received.

Richland 2 states (proudly) that McKie is a graduate of FastTrac, 

What is FastTrac? According to the City of Columbia's webpage, "FastTrac is a course designed to support the entrepreneur seeking to take their existing business to a higher level. This program assists entrepreneurs in analyzing their current business condition to identify the best opportunities for growth. Budgeting, sales strategies, management team roles, operational systems and business plan implementation are key areas of emphasis. The course also facilitates networking between entrepreneurs and experienced professionals."

Perhaps McKie could put some of that training to real use and pay off her debt to the S.C. Ethics Commission. You think?

Should McKie and Holmes be removed from the school board?

Should Teresa Holmes and Amelia McKie be removed from the Richland 2 school board?

Why do the Board Chair, James Manning, and the other trustees treat her as one of their own, even appointing her to a position on the South Carolina School Boards Association?

Holmes and McKie have never taken the oath of office legally; therefore, they are not legitimate members of the school board.

Should the recent action by the S.C. State's Attorney's Office against County Councilwoman Dahli Myers worry them? Are they next, now that the Myers' matter is almost out of the way?

Steps are underway to learn how to file an injunction against the Richland School District Two to prevent the District from continuing to use public monies for compensation payments to McKie (and to Holmes), dues payments to the S.C. School Boards Association, and other expenses associated with duties of a trustee. 

Last year SLED and the FBI were asked to investigate Richland Two's payments of public funds to persons not entitled to receive them. Will agents swoop in this year and arrest the parties involved?

A local attorney asked me in December what it would take to put my complaints to rest.

It's simple. The first thing is McKie and Holmes must raise their right hands and take the oath of office legally. Only then will they become legitimate members of the Board.

The next step will be to square up on the moneis they have received from Richland Two for monthly compensation and benefits.

What about that oath that they took on November 13, 2018? It is invalid, because they had not filed their Statements of Economic Interests with the S.C. Ethics Commission.

S.C. Code of Laws Section 8-13-1110(A) reads, in part: 

ARTICLE 11

Disclosure of Economic Interests

SECTION 8-13-1110. Persons required to file statement of economic interests.

(A) No public official, regardless of compensation, and no public member or public employee as designated in subsection (B) may take the oath of office or enter upon his official responsibilities unless he has filed a statement of economic interests in accordance with the provisions of this chapter with the appropriate supervisory office.

To simplify the law for those on the board who struggle with long sentences.

"No public official ... may take the oath of office or enter upon his official responsibilities unless he has filed a statement of economic interests ..."

McKie and Holmes took the oath on November 13, 2018.

McKie and Holmes filed their Statements of Economic Interests on December 4, 2018.

Is November 13, 2018 before December 4, 2018? (Ask a second-grader in one of Richland 2's elementary schools.)

Because they are not legitimate board members, the District should not be paying them or paying for any benefits for them!!!