"Safe Zones" - Will Richland 2 Obstruct Enforcement?

What is the position of the Richland 2 School Board, when it comes to Federal enforcement against children of illegal aliens?

Is the NEA (National Education Association) active among teachers in Richland 2?

Read about its "webinar on Jan. 17 instructing teachers on how to protect “undocumented” students from immigration authorities."

The Trump-hating NEA is giving advice to teachers and employees of school districts nationwide that will probably get them arrested.

Read this article on The Daily Signal, a publication of The Heritage Foundation.

NEA President Becky Pringle forgot to mention the legal obligation of teachers and school district employees. Maybe that doesn't matter.

How many children of illegal aliens are there in Richland 2 schools?

School Board Election Results

The following results of yesterday's Richland 2 school board election are being reported:

Monica Elkins                     24,889

Shelley Williams                 20,401

Gary Dennis                       14,350

Lashonda McFadden          13,989

Brenda Branic                     13,833

Dionne Sumpter Fleshman 13,229

Larry J. Smalls                    12,078

Brett Porterfield                    7,592

James A. Mobley                  6,781

Source: scvotes.org

Monica Elkins was re-elected. Shelley Williams and Gary Dennis join the board.

Assuming that the election results are certified by the Richland County Elections Commission by November 8th, the Richland 2 School Board will hold a re-scheduled Regular Board Meeting on November 15 to seat these three for their 2024-2028 terms.

Full Board Evaluations - Read Online

At the October 8th board meeting a very brief summary of trustees' self-evaluations was presented. On the recording of that meeting, fast-forward to 25:05.

Board members made no comments and asked no questions!

The full report of self-evaluations can be read on the District's website. NO ONE on the board made any reference to it. 

It is an eye-opener. Be sure to read it!

"Trust" on the School Board

During the October 8, 2024 Richland 2 school board meeting a very short topic was Item 8.2 Board Self Evaluation Summary.

If you would like to hear the Summary (and lack of board comments), go to the YouTube recording of the meeting and fast-forward to 25:10.

On September 27 a special-called board meeting was held to conduct self-evaluations. As an official "meeting", that cost the District $2,784 (($384x6)+ $480). If you want to watch that Zoom meeting, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tO-IwKwe6o The length is 2 hours 23 minutes.

When the Sept. 27 special-called meeting was convened, there was a motion to approve the agenda. The vote was 6-0. Somebody was missing, but the Chair did not announce who was absent.

This is why I have, for years, recommended to the Board that the roll be called. It's such a simple, short step for the small school board (seven members). How long would it take? Twenty seconds?

Trustee Porter presented the key findings on October 8th. I suggest listening to the findings. To me, they sounded like general, canned, off-the-shelf suggestions, rather than hard-hitting, specific recommendations.

Later in the week three items from the Self Evaluations were posted on Facebook with the responses from the seven trustees. The responses were in percentages. Below are the questions, with the percentages. I've added the number of trustees in parentheses.

1. There is a high level of trust among Board members.

Responses:

Strongly agree 0% (0)

Agree 0% (0)

Neutral 28% (2)

Disagree 57% (4)

Strongly disagree 14% (1)

2. We do a good job encouraging and dealing with different points of view.

Responses:

Strongly agree 0% (0)

Agree 14% (1)

Neutral 14% (1)

Disagree 42% (3)

Strongly disagree 28% (2)

3. I feel I can speak openly about issues without the threat of retaliation.

Responses:

Strongly agree 0% (0)

Agree 14% (1)

Neutral 28% (2)

Disagree 28% (2)

Strongly disagree 28% (2)

This degree of dysfunction should not be tolerated on a school board.

What it indicates is an unwillingness to work together. The phrase "disagree without being disagreeable" does not apply to this school board.

Too often there are snarky and passive-aggressive behaviors. You see them at almost every board meeting.

What the public does not see are the behaviors between trustees that are not at open, public board meetings.

This won't be corrected on November 5. But your vote can mark the start of correction. 

Vote for candidates with real, live, business experience. Upper-Management expertise. Decision-making experience. Vote for those with executive experience, skills, and talent, rather than those who would be Managers. 

Print Your Sample Ballot

Three trustees will be elected to the Richland 2 School Board on November 5, 2024.

Ten are in the race. Have you picked out three yet?

Print your sample ballot at www.scvotes.org  I suggest you not wait until you are at the voting booth.

There are three Questions to be voted on. You'll want to read them carefully before you vote.

This election may be a chance to begin undoing the dysfunction that has permeated the school board for the past two years. Elect strong candidates who will lead.

Because only three will be elected, they will not be a majority. However, they can be a strong influence for common-sense leadership and direction of the board. The rest of the problem can be fixed in November 2026.

Oct. 8, 2024 Board Meeting - Part 3

This is a continuation of comments about the October 8, 2024 board meeting.

Item 8.3 Budget Update starts at 27:56 on the YouTube recording.

Item 8.4 Internal Auditor's Update starts at [53:44].

Item 8.5 2023-2024 Middle School Achievement Report starts at [1:01:05]. "It was a rough year." "You have to touch Math to learn it."

"Reading on a screen is different from reading on a page."

You'll want to look at the charts presented to the Board. On my scorecard, "Achievement" should be the Number 1 Priority of the District. THAT is where the focus should be. 

Item 8.6 on the Agenda was "Discussion: Enrollment and Staffing at Pontiac Elementary." The discussion begins at [1:29:15] on the YouTube recording of the meeting. 

Wil Anderson discussed a chart of enrollment numbers for five years, starting with 2020/2021. The summary of growth to 2024/2025 is:

PK        69-  76

K          84-147 (+75%)

1st        97-134

2nd     107-141

3rd       90-142 (+58%)

4th     102-129

5th       95-117

Totals                     644-885

Building Capacity 700-786

One interesting slide is the Projection (Spring 2024) of number of students versus the Actual number of students at Pontiac Elementary. A new subdivision (Ashcroft) provided 59 new students.

Franklin Foster continued the presentation.

If you are interested in Pontiac Elementary, watch this presentation. 

At the point I stopped watching; there was still 40 minutes left in the meeting.

Oct. 8, 2024 Board Meeting - Part 2

For comments on the beginning of the board meeting, please see Part 1.

At [23:40] on the YouTube version of the October 8, 2024 board meeting, the board addresses Item 8.1 (Policy Revision Proposal) Policy BID - Board Member Compensation and Expenses.

The Superintendent said that the Policy BID "has been updated" to reflect changes discussed at a Special-Called Board Meeting. I suspect what she meant to say was what they were going to look at would be the proposed change to the Policy.

Be sure to go to Board Policy BE and learn how "Board Meetings" are defined. When you read BE closely, it gives examples of Meetings but does not define them. 

Is the Board trying to get trustees paid for planning meetings? committee meetings? These are not defined as Meetings. 

The trustees are being paid well for Meetings. Six trustees each earn $384 per board meeting and the chair receives $480 per board meeting. Most months have two meetings; some have more. Plus expenses. Last night's meeting cost the District $2,784.00. Did the taxpayers get their money's worth?

Item 8.2 on the Agenda was Board Self Evaluation Summary. Trustee and Vice Chair Porter presented a summary of key findings. You can hear this at [25:09] on the YouTube recording. 

Areas for Improvement

"The Board could be more mission-focused and effective in carrying out its duties." Well, duh!

"There are concerns about trust among members and the overall climate could be improved."

Recommendations

"Define the roles of the Board and the Superintendent more clearly."

"Address trust issues and create a more positive and inclusive environment to improve the overall climate."

Action Steps

Board development and coaching.

Amazing! No questions or comments from any of the board members. Were they listening? Did they understand what Niki read? Do they agree? Disagree? Care?

To be continued.

Oct. 8, 2024 Board Meeting - Part 1

The Board meeting started at 5:30PM and went into Executive Session.

When the trustees returned from Executive Session, Chair Monica Elkins-Scott asked for a Motion to end Executive Session. Trustee McFadden made a Motion that the Executive Session was concluded at 6:01. Trustee Nash seconded the Motion.

When the Chair re-stated the Motion before the vote, she added "and resume public session". That was not part of the (verbal) Motion. When the Motion was displayed on the screen before the vote, it showed that Niki Porter had made the Motion and it included the Chair's added words, which were not part of the verbal motion. 

No one commented on the error of who made the Motion or on the addition of words to the verbal motion.

The Chair then gave a lengthy introduction (2:36 minutes), including many mispronounced words, to the woman who would give the Inspirational Moment. I've always wondered, "Why not just briefly introduce the presenter? Why give a lengthy advertisement for the person's business?" 

An Inspiration Moment is supposed to be, in my opinion, a "moment"; that's a minute or two. Maybe three, at the most.

Last night's speaker, wearing a t-shirt promoting her organization, took 4:02 minutes to promote her organization and an upcoming event. Was there anything inspirational about those four minutes?

The Chair should have disclosed her personal interest as a volunteer in the speaker's organization.

I suppose it would have been rude to interrupt the speaker by calling a "Point of Order" and object to the advertising and promotion of the speaker's organization. Should one of the trustees been rude?

Last night it took 1:39 minutes to display the vote on the Consent Agenda. That's after the vote was called. The District seems unable to use electronic voting to speed up voting. 

It should be simple. Call for the vote. The trustees press a button on their tablets: Yes or No. The vote displays. Should take about 15 seconds. The Board should tell the Superintendent: "Fix this."

The Board then voted on Item 5.1 (Consent Agenda).

At this point the Chair skipped over Item 5.2 (Approval of the Minutes) and Item 5.3 (Releases and Transfers) and proceeded to Public Participation. Because these Items are listed separately on the Agenda, they should have been voted on.

Is it really necessary to read all the rules for speakers at every meeting?

There was one speaker, Kanisha McCray, a speech therapist. She made a plea for more money, smaller caseloads, and other conditions for improved employment at Richland 2. Was that an appropriate use of Public Participation?

To be continued.

How safe is DEI in Richland 2?

What is the future of DEI in Richland 2?

You know, Diversity - Equity - Inclusion?

With the current board, it is very safe.

With the likely result of the November 5 election of three trustees, unfortunately DEI is probably assured in Richland 2 for two more years.

Richland Two's slogan, "PURPOSE DRIVEN, FUTURE READY" is a joke. Just look at the test scores.

Be at tomorrow's school board meeting. Item 8.5 on the Agenda is "2023-2024 Middle School Achievement Report". 

You can preview the presentation that will be made to the board at the October 8th board meeting. Go to the District's website at www.Richland2.org   Hover over SCHOOL BOARD, then click on Agenda. Under Meetings, click on "Tuesday, October 8, 2024 Regular Board Meeting". Click on "View the Agenda". Scroll down to 8.5, then click on "2023-2024 Middle School Achievement Report". Then click on the Presentation. 

ELA? That's English Language Arts. Google it or go to the S.C. Department of Education website. ELA includes reading, writing, listening, and speaking.

Hopefully, someone will ask tomorrow night what caused the surge in 2023 that is shown on the first slide.

The numbers shown on the second slide (the percent not meeting standards) is inexcusable!

By the time I got to Slides 7-8, I was wondering who prepared those PowerPoint pages and failed to preview them! Is it a case of too much work to be done in too little time by too few people?

Does poverty cause low scores? Chronic absenteeism certainly contributes to them.

Maybe the DEI office should be shut down and that money funneled in academics.

R2 Candidate Forum

Did you attend the school board candidates' forum on Tuesday night, October 1?

If you didn't, you can watch it at https://www.richland2.org/school-board  Then scroll down.

Or go to www.Richland2.org; hover over SCHOOL BOARD and click on "Watch Board Meetings Live". It won't be "live", of course. But that's where archived recording is.

The District has not posted the forum to YouTube (yet).

Eight of the ten candidates showed up. James Mobley and incumbent Lashonda McFadden did not.

After watching the self-introductions, it wasn't hard to pick my top three.

Decide before you go to vote. The future of Richland 2 is very important.

Do you want more DEI?

Or do you want less DEI?

"Implicit Bias" training in Richland 2?

You may be interested in this article about the $3,000 spent by a North Carolina school board for "implicit bias" training.

Is any of this nonsense going on in Richland 2?

Either on the school board or anywhere else in the school district?

Check out this article, titled "EXCLUSIVE: North Carolina School District Spends $3K for ‘Implicit Bias’ Training".

What in the world is "culturally responsive teaching"? Sure sounds racist to me!

By the way, if you haven't seen "Am I Racist?" yet, you'll want to speed things up a little. The last day for showings at local Regal Cinema theaters (Sandhills is close) is Wednesday, October 2. 

Gun at Spring Valley H.S.? NO

"Does everyone know one Spring Valley High School student, who had a gun on him, was arrested TODAY during school hours? The 2 other students who accompanied him, with the intent to shoot up the school after entering through a back door (to get around metal detectors), got away on foot. This is according to the threats made prior to the incident.

"I think parents and the public should be aware of this, but it is nowhere in the news and the school never went on lockdown!! I have 2 children at this school, I’m appalled and highly concerned."

This was posted on NextDoor at approximately 3:50PM.

The same poster made a second post that supported the first.

Nothing about this is posted on WIS-TV yet.

There is a reason for the metal detectors at schools. NO student (or teacher or staff) should admit anyone from the outside through side or back doors. Period!!!

[Edited 9/25/2024}

Following is a letter that Jeff Temoney, Principal at SVHS, sent to parents:

Dear Spring Valley High School Parents and Guardians,

I hope this email finds you well. I'm writing to address a situation that occurred yesterday and to clarify some misinformation that is circulating in our community on social media.

Yesterday afternoon, we had an incident involving two of our students. The students were off campus during school hours and allegedly took items from a nearby store without paying. Richland County Sheriff’s deputies pursued the students back to an area near our campus and additional law enforcement responded to the situation.

I want to emphasize that at no point was there a weapon involved in this incident. I understand there may be rumors suggesting otherwise, but I can assure you with absolute certainty that there was no gun on our campus yesterday or at any time during this event.

The safety and well-being of our students and staff are always our top priority. We take all security matters seriously and respond swiftly to any potential threats. If a weapon had been on campus, you would have heard that information from me. Confirming important information and not spreading rumors helps keep our campus safe. As always, we're committed to maintaining open communication with our school community.

If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out to my office. We appreciate your understanding and continued support in making Spring Valley High School a safe and positive learning environment for all our students.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

Jeff Temoney

Principal, Spring Valley High School

"Am I Racist?" Have you seen it?

"Am I Racist?"

This is a great movie! Have you seen it yet? 

Get over to Regal Sandhills and see it. Soon!

And don't leave before the very end. It's not over when the credits start rolling. Sit through the credits and wait for what happens after the credits.

When you see others leaving, tell them, "Stay. It's not over yet."

This interview with Matt Walsh and Kevin Roberts, President of The Heritage Foundation, is very good. It's worth the time to watch it. Click on the video at the top or hit   https://www.youtube.com/live/ECWfCniYBTM

What's the best thing to do, when DEI raises its ugly head in the classroom or a faculty meeting? Speak up. Don't sit there silently. Stop worrying about your grade or your job.

Challenge these stupid DEI ideas. Now!

SCDE and PragerU Partnership

WIS-TV announced a new partnership between the South Carolina Department of Education and PragerU. 

Three cheers to Ellen Weaver and her staff for approving this.

But how did WIS-TV announce it through its reporter, Kevin Connaughton?

He wrote, among other words, "The conservative media organization and nonprofit, founded in 2009 by radio talk show host Dennis Prager, has generated controversy through its provocative educational videos."

"controversy"? "provocative"? 

To me, that's opinion, not news.

I emailed the reporter this morning:

"Was your article on the SCDE and PragerU intended to be News or Opinion?

"Why would you write that PragerU has "has generated controversy through its provocative educational videos"?

"Isn't that your opinion which, I would suggest, doesn't belong in a news story? I suggest that only The Left will consider PragerU videos as "provocative". PragerU presents information that is too often left out of curricula in our schools. I invite you to view a number of 5-minute videos and Thursday Fireside Chats on http://www.prageru.com and then write another article about this partnership."

You can read his article on wistv.com

SC Superintendent announces partnership with conservative media organization PragerU

Which school bus stop?

Just another day in the Life of a School Bus Driver...

Which route is this on?

https://www.facebook.com/reel/8237243493000264 (Be sure to turn on the sound.)

Spring Valley SRO escapes jail time

No doubt you saw the news about the Spring Valley SRO who escaped jail time for his misdeeds at Spring Valley High School. Just exactly why did Judge Daniel Coble not send him off to prison???

If you only read the local media or watched it on TV, you missed the whole story.

Read the long article on the Washington Post website. Read it slowly and carefully.

Ask why. Ask WHY!

What kind of investigations were done that allowed Jamel Bradley to get away with it for so long?

Where were the breakdowns in Richland 2? Where were the breakdowns at the Richland County Sheriff's Department?

Here's the link to the WashPo story:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/interactive/2024/south-carolina-sro-child-sexual-abuse-jamel-bradley/

Georgia School Shooting

I found a shocking statement in one of the CBS News' online articles.

"FBI Atlanta said on social media Wednesday night that county authorities had interviewed the suspect last year about online threats to commit a school shooting."

It's my guess that school officials, SROs, and other law-enforcement personnel know who the future shooters are.

And that they are reluctant to "profile" them.

The school-to-prison "pipeline" can be shutdown. Implement the right programs of respect and discipline. It's way past time for "Tough Love".

The Social Justice Warriors, at least around here, will scream racial profiling. I say, "So what?"

Look at the photos of the troublemakers in your schools. Look at the photos of the criminals and suspects in the news? What do you see? 

National BeSmart Week was August 26-30. I'll tell you, folks. Gun locks will not solve the gun violence problem in schools or in Columbia or in this country. Wimpy approaches to the problems will solve none.

All the "Did you know..." questions are worthless. I don't want to hear that pitch one more time. 

Surely there are some smart people around Richland 2 who can figure this out. It's time to stop talkin' the talk and start walkin' the walk. 

R2 School Board Race

The race is on. The filing period for the school board election closed on August 15. As I recall, there are at least eight hats in the ring.

What should the qualifications be to win one of the three Trustee positions that will be elected this November?

First and foremost, the person should have executive leadership and decision-making skills and experience. Help elect these people, not just the ones with the most friends.

The Trustees on the Board are in charge of policy-making. They don't operate the District; that is the job of the superintendent. They should leave the "dirty work" to the superintendent.

Give direction to the superintendent and then monitor her performance.

Too many board members have been "in the kitchen" too often. Can you imagine what would happen if Directors of Ford Motor Company spent time on the factory floor, listening to employees who put fenders on cars or operate robots?

The persons elected should understand finances and the "big picture". 

They should understand that "they" make the decisions for Richland 2, not the South Carolina School Boards Association. They should stop wasting so much time on revising Board  policies.

Splashed on the District's website is "Purpose Driven, Future Ready". Seriously? Look at the grade-level reports. 

Abdullah Mustafa was the sole speaker in the Public Comment period on August 13. To view Mr. Mustafa's comments, go to this board meeting and scroll forward to 20:44 on the timer.

R2 Board Members - how much pay???

Do you, a taxpayer, really know how much pay a Richland 2 School Board trustee receives?

Be sure to read this article from The Voice of Blythewood & Fairfield County (July 15, 2024).

Pay special attention to this sentence in the article: "Invoking FOIA to justify higher school board trustee member pay is 'a very creative interpretation of state law and accounting practices,' Bender said."

Jay Bender is an attorney with strong skills in school board matters. Read that comment again, and then read "between the lines". What does "creative interpretation" mean to you???

Apparently, Richland 2 trustees have found a way to earn more than $395/meeting times 30 meetings in a year (is that a school year or a calendar year?).

A while back it was pretty clear that they got paid only for School Board meetings. Then some of the trustees wanted to have committee meetings - lots of them. Why not scarf up $395 for a 2-hour meeting?

And agenda-setting meetings? What the heck! "It's my time; I should get paid." Seriously?

Who is watching? Anyone?

2024 School Board Race

I almost hate to put the word "race" in the same sentence as "school board", but there it is.

Who will be filing to run for the three seats that are up for election?

The terms of Trustees Agostini, McFadden, and Scott expire in November. 

The filing period is August 1-15. Who will be filing?

The voters should pick the very best three, but they should have excellent candidates from which to pick. Unfortunately, there are few qualifications for the office other than getting the most votes. 

Should successful candidates have good critical-thinking skills? Be free from bias and influence? Be free of identity-politics?  Have a clear understanding of business management? Business finances? Think as executives, not as management (or, worse, as employees)? Understand the role of Trustee is to direct, not "do".