Following is a partial index and commentary on the beginning of the April 30, 2019 Richland 2 School Board meeting.
The official open meeting started at 5:00PM for "budget input". One (only one) in the entire district showed up to speak - most likely because no one knew this was a time for the Public to opine on the proposed budget. The budget input session could have been held as part of a regular meeting, instead of scheduling it at 5:00PM, when it was almost impossible for working parents to show up.
At the end of the 5:00PM session, it was announced that Trustee Lindsay Agostini was resigning as Board Secretary. James Shadd was elected by the board to succeed her. Mrs. McKie wasn't paying attention to the vote for Mr. Shadd and announced incorrectly that the vote was 6-1, although it was clear on the display monitor that the vote was 6-0-1; the "1" being the abstention by Mrs. Agostini. The Superintendent nudged Mrs. McKie, who then read the correct vote of 6-0 with one abstaining. Watch the video for Mrs. Agostini's full statement toward the end of yet another marathon board meeting. See the next article on this blog.
After the executive session, the open session re-convened.
The Inspiration Moment was a reading from a children's book by Mrs. McKie. The title of the book was Pete the Cat's Groovy Guide for Life (HarperCollins (2015)). She droned on as it she was reading to a kindergarten class, adding inflections and facial expressions suitable for children. This was embarrassing! My opinion is that it was also in violation of copyright laws. Even though she announced the title of the book, she read far more than just an excerpt. Did the District request permission from the publisher for such a lengthy reading?
A long period of recognition followed.
At (24:30) on the YouTube video-recording of the meeting, the Public Participation segment began.
Helen Derpinghaus spoke on behalf of More Justice, which will hold a public meeting on Monday, May 6, at Koger Center. Although this link was not provided at the meeting, you can learn more about Monday's More Justice gathering at https://www.morejusticecolumbia.org/projects
Parent Lena Brown discussed the dangers and risks of cell tower emissions and referenced a study by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Parent Angela Vanderlay spoke on the long-term health risk to children.
Following her presentation Supt. Davis applauded, along with members of the audience. Note: Board Policy is no acknowledgement of speakers' comments. What was his applause all about!
Then Elizabeth Bate, mother of four elementary school-age daughters and future Kelly Mill Middle School students, addressed the board to ask further consideration before building the cell tower at Kelly Mill MS or on any Richland 2 school grounds.
NOTE: The decision to allow construction and operation of the tower may have already been made.
By email today I requested the five legal members of the school board to create an Agenda item for a school board meeting to discuss publicly the exact status of the cell tower construction plan and to direct a District representative to respond to each of the women who spoke at the 4/30/19 meeting. If you want to know the status of the project, email the superintendent at badavis@richland2.org
At (38.08) on the YouTube video of the meeting I addressed the board regarding my outrage of the closing all the Richland 2 schools. District Administration (Superintendent, Principals and Board) should have planned ahead to limit the number of approved personal-leave days.
When I tried to continue on a second topic (the illegal composition of the School Board), Mrs. McKie cut me off and refused to allow me to have my full three-minutes.
Although I argued briefly for the balance of my three minutes, I learned later that it was probably a good thing that I sat down when I did. The new Richland 2 security chief was apparently heading for me with the intention to remove me forcefully. Since no instruction had been issued to him during the meeting, he must have been alerted before the meeting to be ready to silence me.
Saturday, May 4, 2019
Friday, May 3, 2019
Found keys
This morning I found a set of keys in the eastbound lane of Barony Place Drive between Autumn Run Drive and Barony Place Circle.
My guess is they belong to a Richland 2 student, perhaps at Ridge View High School. I suspect a passenger in a car tossed them out the window while Mary was being driven to school.
A cloth wristband with the name "Mary"
Ignition/door car key
Metal front-door key
Rewards Access keyring tag from a national retailer
AmEx Road Service keyring tag
Souvenir keyring tag from a beach city
I emailed Ridge View High School this morning, just in case Mary looks for her keys there. Someone from Ridge View HS called me at 2:52PM, let it ring a couple of times and was silent when I answered.
The keys can be claimed by calling me at 847.971.7083. As soon as I get a callback from a Richland County deputy, I'll turn them over to him.
No good deed should go unpunished; right? I called the national retailer and wasted 30 minutes on the phone trying first to escape from its voice-tree menu and then getting transferred to a wrong department. I was given a different number to call and then, finally, was told that the retailer had closed its Rewards program last year and could not look up an account by the number on the keyring tag! I was hoping they could. I didn't expect them to give me the accountholder's name or phone number, but wouldn't it have been great customer service for them to call their accountholder and give her my phone number?
I wrote a book about customer service after I worked at the Sears, Roebuck headquarters for five years. The title is Unthaw It!, and it's an Amazon Kindle book. Grab a copy for $1.99 or read it free as part of KindleUnlimited. (One of the stories in the book explains the title.)
My guess is they belong to a Richland 2 student, perhaps at Ridge View High School. I suspect a passenger in a car tossed them out the window while Mary was being driven to school.
A cloth wristband with the name "Mary"
Ignition/door car key
Metal front-door key
Rewards Access keyring tag from a national retailer
AmEx Road Service keyring tag
Souvenir keyring tag from a beach city
I emailed Ridge View High School this morning, just in case Mary looks for her keys there. Someone from Ridge View HS called me at 2:52PM, let it ring a couple of times and was silent when I answered.
The keys can be claimed by calling me at 847.971.7083. As soon as I get a callback from a Richland County deputy, I'll turn them over to him.
No good deed should go unpunished; right? I called the national retailer and wasted 30 minutes on the phone trying first to escape from its voice-tree menu and then getting transferred to a wrong department. I was given a different number to call and then, finally, was told that the retailer had closed its Rewards program last year and could not look up an account by the number on the keyring tag! I was hoping they could. I didn't expect them to give me the accountholder's name or phone number, but wouldn't it have been great customer service for them to call their accountholder and give her my phone number?
I wrote a book about customer service after I worked at the Sears, Roebuck headquarters for five years. The title is Unthaw It!, and it's an Amazon Kindle book. Grab a copy for $1.99 or read it free as part of KindleUnlimited. (One of the stories in the book explains the title.)
The Voice covers Richland 2
Be sure to read this new article in the online edition of The Voice of Blythewood and Fairfield County. Just click on the link (it's safe). The article describes the resignation of Lindsay Agostini from the office of Board Secretary for Richland 2 School District. She continues as a board member.
It was The Voice that kicked off the mess at Richland 2 after the November 2018 election, when it questioned board members about required filings to the South Carolina Ethics Commission. Several board members and the Superintendent were remiss in the obligations and quickly squared matters away.
The Voice has been covering the debt of Amelia McKie (over $51,000).
But McKie's Ethics Commission debt is just part of the problem. A large part, but possibly not even the largest part.
Be sure to read The Voice (online or print) every week, and you can follow The Voice on Facebook.
It was The Voice that kicked off the mess at Richland 2 after the November 2018 election, when it questioned board members about required filings to the South Carolina Ethics Commission. Several board members and the Superintendent were remiss in the obligations and quickly squared matters away.
The Voice has been covering the debt of Amelia McKie (over $51,000).
But McKie's Ethics Commission debt is just part of the problem. A large part, but possibly not even the largest part.
Be sure to read The Voice (online or print) every week, and you can follow The Voice on Facebook.
Thursday, May 2, 2019
Recovering from day wasted
What advice and direction have been meted out by Richland 2 Administrators to teachers as they return to classrooms today about discussing the reason(s) that school was closed yesterday?
What are teachers to answer, when students (all the way from 1st Grade to 12th) ask, "Why didn't we have school yesterday?"
Will teachers merely pick up where they left off on Tuesday at 3:00PM, assuming they hadn't already mentally checked out that day?
I almost fell out of my chair at the Board meeting on Tuesday night, when somebody announced that the schools were being closed for the "safety and security" of the children. I know my facial expression gave away my feelings. And I believe that some on the board thought it was a pile of nonsense, too.
Richland 2 schools closed because Administration failed to see the (absentee) snowball rolling downhill. It apparently had no action plan and had not adequately considered its option well in advance of the one-day walk-off-the-job plan pushed by SCforED.
I hope that Richland 2 will calculate and publish the cost of the one-day closing.
Teachers should be prohibited from discussing their reasons for walking off the job. Just like they would not what they did on a day of personal leave, if they went to the dentist or gynecologist or had their car serviced. Today is a Teaching Day. So, teach!
Gov. McMaster, Education Supt. Molly Spearman and S.C. House Speaker Lucas are right. Teachers should have stayed in class.
Lest some read my writings as wanting to keep teachers impoverished, I do not suggest that. They are NOT impoverished. A starting salary of $32,000 (and proposed to increase to $35,000) for a first-year, 22-year-old teacher is excessive. Let them start for less and work their way up. They knew the compensation picture when they headed for their degrees.
Plus school districts should regain control over salary adjustments for advanced degrees. Why should a district pay an elementary school teacher to get a Ph.D.? And then pay her more because she has a Ph.D.? And then, after paying her to get the degree and more for having it, watch her leave to go to a different district or stop working? A kindergarten teacher does not need a Ph.D.!
How long is the teacher-contract year? Still nine months? Maybe all districts should pay teachers on a nine-month basis, for the months they work, instead of allowing a 12-month pay program for nine months of work.
The District also should re-examine its number of administrators and lop off about 60% of them. Is Richland 2 starting to look like the Federal Government?
What are teachers to answer, when students (all the way from 1st Grade to 12th) ask, "Why didn't we have school yesterday?"
Will teachers merely pick up where they left off on Tuesday at 3:00PM, assuming they hadn't already mentally checked out that day?
I almost fell out of my chair at the Board meeting on Tuesday night, when somebody announced that the schools were being closed for the "safety and security" of the children. I know my facial expression gave away my feelings. And I believe that some on the board thought it was a pile of nonsense, too.
Richland 2 schools closed because Administration failed to see the (absentee) snowball rolling downhill. It apparently had no action plan and had not adequately considered its option well in advance of the one-day walk-off-the-job plan pushed by SCforED.
I hope that Richland 2 will calculate and publish the cost of the one-day closing.
Teachers should be prohibited from discussing their reasons for walking off the job. Just like they would not what they did on a day of personal leave, if they went to the dentist or gynecologist or had their car serviced. Today is a Teaching Day. So, teach!
Gov. McMaster, Education Supt. Molly Spearman and S.C. House Speaker Lucas are right. Teachers should have stayed in class.
Lest some read my writings as wanting to keep teachers impoverished, I do not suggest that. They are NOT impoverished. A starting salary of $32,000 (and proposed to increase to $35,000) for a first-year, 22-year-old teacher is excessive. Let them start for less and work their way up. They knew the compensation picture when they headed for their degrees.
Plus school districts should regain control over salary adjustments for advanced degrees. Why should a district pay an elementary school teacher to get a Ph.D.? And then pay her more because she has a Ph.D.? And then, after paying her to get the degree and more for having it, watch her leave to go to a different district or stop working? A kindergarten teacher does not need a Ph.D.!
How long is the teacher-contract year? Still nine months? Maybe all districts should pay teachers on a nine-month basis, for the months they work, instead of allowing a 12-month pay program for nine months of work.
The District also should re-examine its number of administrators and lop off about 60% of them. Is Richland 2 starting to look like the Federal Government?
Wednesday, May 1, 2019
S.C. Senate and S. 419
This morning I sent an email to all South Carolina Senators, expressing my opinion on the current educational reform legislation.
Many use the boilerplate auto-response: "Thank you for your email. Please know that I read all of my emails..." Yeah, sure...
But, within one hour, I received this individualized response from one Columbia-area Senator (not my own, Mia McLeod, whose office doesn't reply to emails from me or return phone calls). On behalf of this one outstanding Senator came this message:
"Thank you for your email. By all accounts, S. 419, the Education Reform bill, will not be voted on in the Senate this session. More stakeholders must have a say in the bill if we truly want educational reform in this state. Meaningful amendments are needed if Sen. (redacted) is to support S. 419 once it hits the floor of the Senate. Currently it is still in the Senate Education Committee, which he does not a member. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any further concerns."
I removed his name from the email, so that he does not end up being targeted, harassed, doxed, or picketed by the loud advocates clamoring for passage.
At an educational reform forum held at Dent Middle School on March 25th S.C. Sen. Mike Fanning (D-Dist. 17; Great Falls) said the education bill (S.419) should not be passed; instead, it should be worked on further over the summer and fall and then voted on in 2020. I remember his words: "It's better to do it right, than to do it right now." He seemed to dancing to a different tune last week, when SC for Ed was planning to be dancing around the May Pole today.
Kids today, and many parents, don't know the significance of May 1st. Why did SC for Ed pick May 1st for its day of protest? Maybe this explains it.
"May 1 was a symbol of class struggle in Russia for about 100 years (1890-1990). Workers held annual protests on this day from 1890 to 1917, demanding better work conditions and higher wages. In 1918, May 1 became an important public holiday, known as the Day of the International Solidarity of Workers, in the Soviet Union. Most Soviet cities had parades and obligatory workers’ marches on this day until 1990."
Source: timeanddate.com
Got it, Komrade? Think this is taught in schools today?
Many use the boilerplate auto-response: "Thank you for your email. Please know that I read all of my emails..." Yeah, sure...
But, within one hour, I received this individualized response from one Columbia-area Senator (not my own, Mia McLeod, whose office doesn't reply to emails from me or return phone calls). On behalf of this one outstanding Senator came this message:
"Thank you for your email. By all accounts, S. 419, the Education Reform bill, will not be voted on in the Senate this session. More stakeholders must have a say in the bill if we truly want educational reform in this state. Meaningful amendments are needed if Sen. (redacted) is to support S. 419 once it hits the floor of the Senate. Currently it is still in the Senate Education Committee, which he does not a member. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any further concerns."
I removed his name from the email, so that he does not end up being targeted, harassed, doxed, or picketed by the loud advocates clamoring for passage.
At an educational reform forum held at Dent Middle School on March 25th S.C. Sen. Mike Fanning (D-Dist. 17; Great Falls) said the education bill (S.419) should not be passed; instead, it should be worked on further over the summer and fall and then voted on in 2020. I remember his words: "It's better to do it right, than to do it right now." He seemed to dancing to a different tune last week, when SC for Ed was planning to be dancing around the May Pole today.
Kids today, and many parents, don't know the significance of May 1st. Why did SC for Ed pick May 1st for its day of protest? Maybe this explains it.
"May 1 was a symbol of class struggle in Russia for about 100 years (1890-1990). Workers held annual protests on this day from 1890 to 1917, demanding better work conditions and higher wages. In 1918, May 1 became an important public holiday, known as the Day of the International Solidarity of Workers, in the Soviet Union. Most Soviet cities had parades and obligatory workers’ marches on this day until 1990."
Source: timeanddate.com
Got it, Komrade? Think this is taught in schools today?
Board wasted 30 minutes
At 5:00PM yesterday the Richland 2 School Board held a 30-minute "budget input" session.
What a waste of valuation time of the Board and of the Superintendent.
The opening comments by the Chair were inaudible, as were following comments.
Apparently I was not the only person in the territory of Richland 2 who did not know that this was a time for the public to appear and speak on the budget. Richland 2 should offer mind-reading courses for adults in the District.
I was there to observe. One parent finally spoke about 5:20PM for, maybe, two minutes. The District did a lousy job of publicizing that that 30 minutes was for the public to speak about the proposed budget. What did the board it? It scheduled that part of the meeting for 5:00PM, just when people are leaving work and driving home. Or maybe having an early dinner, in order to be at the board meeting at 6:30PM.
How did the Board members spend their time? Side conversations. Texting. Emailing. Some appeared to be doing Board work of reviewing documents.
This was a public meeting. The Board was on the clock.
Some board members were observed using their cell phones, probably to text or email. What does Board Policy say about this?
Everything said by a Board member during the public session is to be audible to the public. The public cannot know what is being communicated by text or email, because the public cannot hear it.
This Policy is fairly fresh: September 2017. Everyone on the current board, with the exception of one, was on the board when this Policy was updated.
Who is responsible for policing the board? The members themselves? The superintendent? I suppose he could "remind" them, but he has no authority to insist that they obey board policies. He works for them, not the other way around.
Job security = "don't make waves".
Side conversations?
There must (or should be) something in Board Policies regarding conversations and remarks between board members during a public session. Such remarks are to be audible to the public. That's why it is called an Open Session. The Chair should halt side conversations; but what about those in which she engages?
There were a couple of times last night when the board and superintendent spoke right into the microphone. Supt. Davis is often good about doing so. Often, I say; not always. Teresa Holmes speaks up and right into the microphone. Sometimes. Last night she wanted every teacher in South Carolina to know he or she has her support. Voilà! Mouth up close to the microphone; loud voice! And that night when she took board comment time to sling barbs at me.
Every board member needs to be told and reminded to lean forward; pull the microphone toward you; speak into the microphone with your mouth very close to it; don't turn away from the microphone and continue speaking to another board member. Whose job is it to train them?
What a waste of valuation time of the Board and of the Superintendent.
The opening comments by the Chair were inaudible, as were following comments.
Apparently I was not the only person in the territory of Richland 2 who did not know that this was a time for the public to appear and speak on the budget. Richland 2 should offer mind-reading courses for adults in the District.
I was there to observe. One parent finally spoke about 5:20PM for, maybe, two minutes. The District did a lousy job of publicizing that that 30 minutes was for the public to speak about the proposed budget. What did the board it? It scheduled that part of the meeting for 5:00PM, just when people are leaving work and driving home. Or maybe having an early dinner, in order to be at the board meeting at 6:30PM.
How did the Board members spend their time? Side conversations. Texting. Emailing. Some appeared to be doing Board work of reviewing documents.
This was a public meeting. The Board was on the clock.
Some board members were observed using their cell phones, probably to text or email. What does Board Policy say about this?
Policy BEDL Board Members and Electronic Communications
Issued 9/17
What's the penalty for violating Board Policy? The board has created arduous punishment for teachers, staff and students, but none for itself.
"Board members will not communicate electronically during meetings with members of the public, other board members, or school district staff regarding official school board business, agenda items, or other board matters that are properly discussed publicly during board meetings, as such communications are subject to public disclosure under the state open meeting laws. Board members will refrain from such electronic communications during board meetings on both personal and district owned devices. Electronic communication means, but is not limited to, email, tweets, texts, phone calls, web posts, and other similar electronic communication."
Everything said by a Board member during the public session is to be audible to the public. The public cannot know what is being communicated by text or email, because the public cannot hear it.
This Policy is fairly fresh: September 2017. Everyone on the current board, with the exception of one, was on the board when this Policy was updated.
Who is responsible for policing the board? The members themselves? The superintendent? I suppose he could "remind" them, but he has no authority to insist that they obey board policies. He works for them, not the other way around.
Job security = "don't make waves".
Side conversations?
There must (or should be) something in Board Policies regarding conversations and remarks between board members during a public session. Such remarks are to be audible to the public. That's why it is called an Open Session. The Chair should halt side conversations; but what about those in which she engages?
There were a couple of times last night when the board and superintendent spoke right into the microphone. Supt. Davis is often good about doing so. Often, I say; not always. Teresa Holmes speaks up and right into the microphone. Sometimes. Last night she wanted every teacher in South Carolina to know he or she has her support. Voilà! Mouth up close to the microphone; loud voice! And that night when she took board comment time to sling barbs at me.
Every board member needs to be told and reminded to lean forward; pull the microphone toward you; speak into the microphone with your mouth very close to it; don't turn away from the microphone and continue speaking to another board member. Whose job is it to train them?
Mob rule forces school closures
Teachers lost my respect, when their mob-rule tactics forced closure of Richland 2, Richland 1, Lexington 5 and many other schools in South Carolina, so that the grown-up kiddies could march in Columbia.
The gross irresponsibility of the teachers and the weak-kneed management of school districts is resulting in huge financial losses for school districts, income losses for parents and for hourly staff of school districts, and major and unnecessary inconvenience of parents, not to mention the loss of an important school day and lesson for students.
What's the lesson for students? Strike, if you want something you are not getting. Mob rule works (maybe).
Let's see how that works for them, once they get to the workplace. When an employee tells a normal employer that he is taking a day off, the employer examines the business' workload and determines whether it can do without the employee that day.
That isn't what happened today. SC for Ed stirred up teachers statewide and pointed them at the S.C. Capitol. So teachers put in for a day of personal leave, which is probably negotiated as a paid day off in the teacher's employment contract. Those "leave" days are commonly thought of as necessary for medical appointments and other important tasks that cannot be completed outside of normal working hours.
What a novel "coincidence" that hundreds (thousands?) of teachers would need a day of leave on May 1!
As soon as the May 1 march was announced, school districts and superintendents should have addressed how to handle it. The first step should have been to announce a limit on the number of personal-leave days that would be available at each school.
They didn't do that, and they got caught with their pants sagging down to their knees. And it was too late to pull them up.
The loud expressions of sympathy for the teachers' cause at last night's Richland 2 School Board meeting was a joke. I thought about laughing out loud and rolling on the floor while holding my sides, as one trustee (but not all) spoke more and more loudly in favor of the teachers.
The trustees needed to be smacked on their backsides and reminded that they are elected executives of a multi-million dollar business - the School District. They are responsible to voters, students, parents, and employees. To listen to some of them, you'd think they were union bosses.
This is why a school board should be composed of experienced business people capable of understanding the facts and factors of running a business, not bleeding-heart liberals following sheep over the cliff.
The gross irresponsibility of the teachers and the weak-kneed management of school districts is resulting in huge financial losses for school districts, income losses for parents and for hourly staff of school districts, and major and unnecessary inconvenience of parents, not to mention the loss of an important school day and lesson for students.
What's the lesson for students? Strike, if you want something you are not getting. Mob rule works (maybe).
Let's see how that works for them, once they get to the workplace. When an employee tells a normal employer that he is taking a day off, the employer examines the business' workload and determines whether it can do without the employee that day.
That isn't what happened today. SC for Ed stirred up teachers statewide and pointed them at the S.C. Capitol. So teachers put in for a day of personal leave, which is probably negotiated as a paid day off in the teacher's employment contract. Those "leave" days are commonly thought of as necessary for medical appointments and other important tasks that cannot be completed outside of normal working hours.
What a novel "coincidence" that hundreds (thousands?) of teachers would need a day of leave on May 1!
As soon as the May 1 march was announced, school districts and superintendents should have addressed how to handle it. The first step should have been to announce a limit on the number of personal-leave days that would be available at each school.
They didn't do that, and they got caught with their pants sagging down to their knees. And it was too late to pull them up.
The loud expressions of sympathy for the teachers' cause at last night's Richland 2 School Board meeting was a joke. I thought about laughing out loud and rolling on the floor while holding my sides, as one trustee (but not all) spoke more and more loudly in favor of the teachers.
The trustees needed to be smacked on their backsides and reminded that they are elected executives of a multi-million dollar business - the School District. They are responsible to voters, students, parents, and employees. To listen to some of them, you'd think they were union bosses.
This is why a school board should be composed of experienced business people capable of understanding the facts and factors of running a business, not bleeding-heart liberals following sheep over the cliff.
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