Ain't it the truth?

Many thanks for one of the followers of this blog, who sent this to me this morning. Need I say more?

ICYMI: Combine R2 and R1???

In Case You Missed It (ICYMI): 

On August 25th The State newspaper carried an article by reporter Chris Trainor, in which he reported (well down in the article) that Columbia City Council candidate Joe Taylor has suggested that Richland 2 and Richland 1 school districts be combined.

I can guess how well this will go over with Richland 2 parents and taxpayers, not to mention with school officials, staff and teachers! 

Who would ever be excited about dumbing down Richland 2 by diluting it with Richland 1? Taylor supposedly thinks that money could be saved and services could be streamlined. What could possibly be a duplication of services? 

The next dumb thing that will come down the pike will be to expand the city limits of Columbia to include all of Richland County.

NO, THANK YOU!!!

Why THREE Deputies AND R2 Security?

At the August 24, 2021 school board meeting why were there THREE Richland County deputies AND a number of Richland 2 security officers?

What is the board worried about? What is the cost to taxpayers? Is it a show of intimidation?

The board obviously (well, maybe not) is paying attention to what is happening around the country with regard to masks and Critical Race Theory. Some school boards are finding hundreds of parents attending - actually paying attention to what the board is doing and demanding that the boards do otherwise.

At Richland Two? Were there even a dozen parents or community members at the August 24th board meeting?

At some past board meetings, two-three deputies have been stationed IN the meeting room. I think that started after three community members accosted a school board member in the lobby after a meeting and provoked her to respond angrily. I watched the video. One man jammed a cell phone (screen lighted, perhaps indicating it was recording) right in her face. Did he get charged with assaulting a public official? He should have been. But he wasn't. 

What does it cost Richland Two to have one deputy there for the meeting? $50/hour? $80/hour? For the evening - $400? And for three deputies? $1,200? More?

Out of an annual budget of $330,000,000, that's not a lot. But why?

The board has never discussed security of the board (or the public) during a public meeting. So the superintendent is the one who has ordered the deputies and authorized the expense. Did he ever discuss it with a board member? The board should address this in public and make a decision - in public. 

If Richland Two security officers can keep the peace long enough to dial 9-1-1 and request reinforcements from the sheriff's department, why are there any deputies there at all?

If a community member or parent has something to say to the board, she or he can say it. I don't ever remember a meeting where a speaker was out-of-control or abusive or profane. 

Of course, there was that one night when I tried to mention two topics during my three minutes. Amelia McKie was Chair then. That would have been after the November 6, 2018 general election. She was an illegitimate board member then and also illegitimate chair. When I began to mention my second topic about 30 seconds into my three minutes, she cut me off. 

When I objected, she insisted my time was up. Later I was told it was probably a good thing that I had stepped away from the microphone when I did, because a deputy was coming up behind me to remove me. When was that arranged? 

I'm glad the deputy was there to protect me from McKie.