Chaos - Again!

Board meeting chaos!!

At 7:52PM I bailed out, when the superintendent began his Highlights.

The board was late starting the public session, which commenced at 6:39PM (after ending at 6:31PM, according to trustee-elect McKie's motion. Extreme discourtesy is shown to those attending in person and virtually, when the board runs late in its executive sessions without any message or apology to the public.

Once again, the Inspirational Moment was a performance, and it was not inspiring. McKie's introduction seemed more like an audition for Toastmasters. All she needed to do was introduce the Moment. Same with following the Moment. Thank those who were involved and move right into the Pledge of Allegiance.

Trustee-elect and acting Chair Holmes announced a Special-Called Board Meeting for Thursday, April 28, 2022, 4:30PM at R2i2 to address safety and security issues, in consideration of TWO guns having been confiscated at Blythewood High School this week.

Holmes lost her place several times in the agenda. Maybe she would work better with a printed agenda and then check off what has been completed. 

Holmes read Consultant Liz Guthridge's report on the two Executive Coaching sessions. Holmes couldn't even read the whole thing coherently. She stumbled many times while trying to read the report. You'd think that an educator with the 35 years' experience (to which she referred tonight) would have learned to pronounce "asks" by now; it's not "aks". The first executive session must have been a wing-dinger, based on the comments by board members after that report was read. The claws must have come out during the executive session, and they were still out. Trustees Agostini and Scott were right. Those two training sessions provided little or no value. 

Trustee Scott asked what the cost was for those "trainings". My estimate? $13,000. ($8,000 for the trainer plus $5,000 for the trustees plus staff time to prepare and set-up)  Another businessman and I watched them. Almost NO value.

Chaos reigned supreme when the Board tried to discuss forming a committee. It should have been a three-minute discussion. Instead, it went on and on, and it was clear that most on the board had no idea what the purpose of a committee is. And then Holmes made a HUGE and DISRESPECTFUL error when she referred to Christine (Christine Lewis, the Special Assistant to the School Board?) as "my girl". Ms. Lewis is NOT Holmes' "girl". She is an administrative assistant to the entire seven-member school board.

And then, as the Executive Coaching Update ended, Holmes announced it was time to move on to Item 9.1, Executive Coaching. "Oh, no. We just did that..."

McKie made several unnecessary and inappropriate comments during the first portion of the meeting, including her comment when voting on the Committee was underway. Trustee Agostini raised a Point-of-Order, but Holmes allowed McKie to continue. There's The Core Four for you. Sticking together.

Gary Ginn Grievance - TONIGHT

Do NOT miss tonight's board meeting - Tuesday, Aril 28.

When you look at the agenda, you'll see just one item in the short Executive Session that starts at 5:30PM.

BUT - look down further on the agenda for tonight's meeting and you'll see a SECOND Executive Session. That one lists a grievance to be heard. That grievance is the matter of Rihland 2 vs. Gary Ginn.

Gary is the second white man who was kicked out of the Jasnuary 25, 2022 board meeting, after Pamela Davis, wife of Supt. Baron Davis, created a disturbance prior to the beginning of the 5:30PM meeting.

The first part of the disturbance was shen she shouted at me after I introduced myself.

I was not in the board room when Pamela Davis is reported to have uttered profanities at a 14-year-old student who was seated behind her. He told me what she said to him. Ginn intervened, and Ginn told me that he was told by Marq Claxton, Safety & Security Director, that Baron Davis had told him to Trespass him (Ginn) and kick him out.

I was either in the hallway speaking (voluntarily) with a RCSD deputy, or I had already left the meeting after Claxton put me on Trespass. I was not "escorted" out of the meeting! In fact, I asked the two security officers if they were going to walk out with me.

Board Chair Teresa Holmes and Supt. Baron Davis set the agenda for board meetings. What was their planning (scheming?), when they decided to schedule Ginn's grievance after what has been the normal ending of the meeting? They certainly could have scheduled the grievance in the First Executive Session. If they thought they needed extra time, they could have started the first Executive Session at 5:00PM, instead of at 5:30PM.

Or do they think that the audience - the interested and conerned public - will not stay around until the middle of the night for the second session and the public vote on Ginn's grievance.

We all know what the decision will be. Let me predict it.

To uphold the Trespass Notice and vote against Ginn: Holmes, McKie, Caution-Parker, Manning

To vote in Ginn's favor: Agostini, Scott, McFadden

Lay in your supply of NoDoz. Don't miss it. Of course, you won't get a chance to view the fireworks that will take place IN the Executive Session, but you can watch the vote (if you can stay awake that long).

Another Gun at Blythewood High School

Today, Tuesday, April 26, another gun was confiscated from a student at Blythewood High School.

Today's suspect is a 17-year-old girl, according to one reader of this blog.

What in the world is going on at BHS?

I'm working on getting the girl's name.

I got the boy's name from yesterday's gun seizure. As soon as I can confirm it, I'll post it here. Then I'll invite comments from readers about why he would take a gun to school.

Same with the girl.

As I asked yesterday, why hasn't there been a peep out of Richland 2 about that "wonderful" Be SMART program, about which they were so excited in December?