6/14/22 Board Meeting 5:30PM/ Sound off?

Where was the sound when the Richland 2 school board meeting was called to order?

It looked to me like Teresa forgot to turn on her microphone. Did anyone else see the red light on her microphone that indicates it is on?

There was no chaos when the meeting was called to order but the public, as well as all board members, are entitled to hear everything said during the meeting.

This Is a GREAT Message

This is a great talk by Carol Swain.

EVERY black student needs to sit down and watch this - and study it. 

She was spared from "life-sapping, negative messages about America that are crippling a generation of young people."

She describes as "poison" such messages as "white supremacy, whiteness as a form of property, unconscious racism, reparations, micro-aggressions, police have it out for blacks, that the United States was created to create and protect slavery".

Sound familiar?

Maybe ALL kids need to watch this video, but many of Richland County's blacks definitely need to.

Open Letter to Governor and Attorney General

The following email has been sent to Gov. Henry McMaster and S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson. If you agree, will you please send your own letter to them this week?

Gov. Henry McMaster: governormcmaster@governor.sc.gov

AG Alan Wilson: agwilson@scag.gov

Gov. McMaster and Attorney General Wilson,

On June 28, 2022 the Richand 2 School Board will elect its officers for the 2022-2023 School Year.

I ask writing to ask you to intervene and to urge or demand that the Board members nominate and elect only fully-qualified, legitimate board members as officers for the coming year.

Two women on the board are not legitimate board members, and each serves as an officer in the 2021-2022 School Year. I have addressed the school board numerous times about this issue since February 2019; it has never taken corrective action.

Teresa Holmes and Amelia McKie were elected on November 6, 2018.

The election was certified on November 9, 2018.

They took office on November 13, 2018 (three days before the start of their terms). An oath-of-office was administered to each, and they were seated. They attended executive session that night and voted on board Motions.

The problem is that neither had filed her Statement of Economic Interests (SEI) with the S.C. Ethics Commission. Neither was eligible to take the oath on November 13, 2018.

On December 4, 2018 each filed her SEI and first became eligible to take the oath of office.

Neither has taken the oath of office on or since December 4, 2018. Therefore, each is an illegitimate member of the Richland 2 school board. This is Fact.

I approached Sheriff Lott and Attorney General Wilson's office in 2019 about Holmes' and McKie's usurping public office.

On June 29, 2021 I implored the Board during Public Participation to nominate and elect only fully-qualified board members as officers. Later in the meeting when it was time for board elections, Trustee James Manning immediately nominated Teresa Holmes as Chair. Trustee Caution-Parker nominated Amelia McKie as Secretary.

Amelia McKie owes $57,100 in debt to the S.C. Ethics Commission and is subject of a Judgment in Richland County Common Pleas Court. That should eliminate her from consideration as an officer of the Board. 

Will you please take such action as you can to prevent their holding Board office in 2022-2023?

Thank you in advance for any action you will take.

Sincerely,

Gus Philpott

www.Richland2.info

847.971.7083

What if no Holmes and no McKie?

What would the Richland 2 school board look like if

Holmes could not vote, be on the board or chair it?

McKie could not vore, be on the board of be Secretary?

The Core Four who rule the roost are Holmes, McKie, Manning, and Caution-Parker..

The Three who get out-voted on every significant issue are Agostini, Scott and McFadden.

What if Holmes and McKie were finally determined to be ineligible board members? What would the teams look like.

Legal board members: Manning, Caution-Parker (2)

Legal board members: Agostini, Scott and McFadden (3)

The board would have voted to investigate what happened on January 25, 2022.

The board would have voted to investigate what happened on April 28, 2022.

The board would have sanctioned Supt. Davis for approving excess spending by trustees on travel and training.

And many other actions of the board and district would have become transparent.

How would their replacements be selected? Would there be a Special Election? Would the seats remain empty, if their eviction occurred within a certain number of days of the November 9, 2022 election?

Do Not Remain Silent

Take six minutes right now and watch this 5/3/2022 senior speech by Harvard University student Julie Hartman.

Watch it as a family.

Board Meeting - June 14, 2022

The next school board meeting will be this Tuesday, June 14, 2022. 5:30PM at R2i2.

Be sure to sign up to speak before the 6:15PM deadline. And do show up and speak. 

The Board must be evaluating the superintendent now. Express your opinion on his performance.

Are you unhappy about his trip to Australia? Ask how much that will cost Richland 2 and if he is going on his own time.

Are you happy about the state of security in Richland 2? Disappointed at the number of guns being found in schools?

Ask how many teachers have not renewed their contracts and what the District is doing to find out why they are leaving.

Ask why he didn't insist that the Board investigate what transpired on January 25, 2022 just before the board convened.

Ask why the Media Relations Dept. put out the statement that it did. And why it did not comment on the April 26 Executive Session.

Ask why the superintendent did not inform ALL board members of Sheriff Lott's press conference on May 26. Richland County Sheriff's Dept. told me that Notice of the meeting was provided to school superintendents. Holmes, McKie and Manning knew about it. Agostini, Scott and McFadden did not know about it. 

Remember the line in Cool Hand Luke? "What we've got here is a failure to communicate."

What evaluation will the board give the superintendent this year?

And express your opinions about the board officer election to take place on June 28, 2022. Should only fully-qualified board members be nominated and elected? Remember: Holmes and McKie are not legitimate board members and are not eligible to be officers. Neither has ever taken the oath-of-office legally.

Committee of the Whole meeting: 6/14/22 3:30PM

The Committee of the Whole on Safety & Security is scheduled to meet at 3:30PM on Tuesday, June 14, 2022 (election day) at R2i2. The meeting is open to the public, and no executive session is scheduled. For some reason it is announced as a "Special Meeting" (whatever that means).

The chairperson of the Committee is School Board Trustee Monica Scott. 

It is my understanding that she requested that the meeting be livestreamed. Nothing about livestream is included in the announcement. 

Who denied her request? The superintendent? The board chair? So much for wanting to include the public!

Take a look at the bland agenda.

2.1 Safety and Security

2.2 Safety Survey Results

2.3 Presenters

I've seen many meeting agendas over the years. This gets the prize for insufficient and incomplete information.

I, of course, would like to attend. Back on February 27, 2018, just two weeks after the shootings in Parkland, Florida, I requested a survey of parents, teachers and staff on the topic of arming teachers . I also suggested a parent and community members' advisory committee on school safety.

Perhaps I shouldn't assume that a request to attend Tuesday's meeting will be denied. It seems reasonable to me for permission to attend this important meeting could be granted. (My sentence to "Richland 2 Jail" is up on June 30, 2022 at 11:59PM.) I'll submit it right now.

To view and hear my remarks on February 27, 2018, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiJD_czDeh8 and fast-forward to 30:08.