Finally - an Inspirational Moment

At tonight's board meeting the wrestling team from Richland Northeast High School was recognized and praised for their past season.

I'm not familiar with the challenges they faced, but they succeeded.

I wish I hadn't heard "athaletics" and "wrassling" in the introduction.

I myself would prefer a short introduction, such as "Tonight's Inspirational Moment will be presented by the RNE wrestling team and coaches." That's all we need to hear.

Watch this segment of the board meeting. It's worth it.

Livestream: https://livestream.com/richland2/events/10813202/videos/235603761

Fast-forward to 1:24:43.

10:31PM Meerting Adjourned

For a couple of minutes, I thought the board was going to beat my estimate of a 5-hour meeting. Tonight's meeting times were 5:30-10:31PM.

They adjourned at 10:31PM, after a second executive session which was not discussed or commented on, when they re-convened at 10:24PM.

I can appreciate that they were all tired after another l-o-n-g meeting. The motion to adjourn the executive session and re-convene in public session didn't get a prompt vote, but a vote did happen. 

What did the board learn learn Thursday from Attorney Story's presentation? Anything?

Tune in on Wednesday for comments on 

-  the board's insane vote on special bonus checks before spring break;

- the Auditor's report;

- the D.A.R.E. Conference vote on Trustee Scott's attendance.

Where is the Board?

Another late start for the school board meeting!

It's 6:48PM, and the board is finally about to re-convene in public session.

The board should conclude its executive sessions, so that the public meeting can convene at the announced starting time of 6:30PM.

One look at tonight's agenda for the executive session guaranteed that they would not start the public meeting on time.

The board should conclude its executive sessions at 6:20PM and allow time for members to "freshen up" before calling the public meeting to order - on time - at 6:30PM.

When they are running late, an announcement should be made to those waiting in the audience and online, apologizing for the delay. An explanation for the delay should be given every five minutes.

Do you agree? Email the superintendent and the board and tell them what you think

Bets anyone? 3/28/23 Board Meeting - 5 hours?

Look at the agenda for the 3/28/2023 board meeting. Note that a second Executive Session already has one item in it.

I predict that the 3/28/2023 meeting will be at least five hours. The board will convene at 5:30PM, go into executive session, and then re-convene in open session at 6:30PM.

I estimate that the agenda will require the board to stay awake until 10:30PM, plus the drive home. Prove me wrong.

Not only the board will have to stay awake. The numerous staff members who are required to show up for "face time" will have to struggle to look interested. I don't know why the Chair and the Superintendent don't eliminate attendance for most of the staff. If they have an active role in the meeting, they need to be there. Or they could be available by phone for the ten minutes they are needed.

Do those staffers get overtime or compensatory time?

If they don't have a role during the meeting, then somebody could clue them in for that small portion of the meeting that pertains to their function, and they could watch that on the Livestream recording.

And then there are the deputies from the Sheriff's Department who are hired to be there, and ALL the security staff who are paid to be there. How much is that (waste) costing the District?

Any ordinary business would have all that security there only if needed. But, since Richland 2 is a school district with a huge budget and piggy bank, all that unnecessary security is there because it's your money being spent, not the money of a District employee.

$1,000,000 CrisisAlert System

At the last school board meeting I told the board that I'd prefer they spend $1,000,000 on a Crisis Prevention Program than on a Crisis Alert Program. 

At the time I did not know what they had up their sleeves.

The cat is out of the bag now. With the publication of the agenda for the March 28th board meeting, Item 9.1 is a Safety/Security Update: Centigix Crisis Alert Badges and the attachment.

You can review the pitch that the board will receive at  https://go.boarddocs.com/sc/rsd2/Board.nsf/files/CQ7L2Y548283/$file/Centegix_Board_March.pdf

This is Unfinished Business - No Action Requested. I haven't paid as close attention to agendas this year as before, and I don't remember a previous board discussion about this program.

Look at this Program and form your own opinion. 

Did you know? Board Retreat tonight (3/23/23)

A board retreat was scheduled for today at 4:00PM. And I just found the announcement on a Special-Called Board Meeting, when I viewed the Agenda page for board meetings.

That Special-Called Meeting was to be held at 3:00PM, with the only topic of Superintendent Search.

Neither meeting was live-streamed.

Part of the 4:00PM Retreat was a presentation of "The Role of the Board". Be sure to look at the attachment, which can be found at Item 3.2 of the agenda. The presentation is well-organized.

Examine the attachment here: https://go.boarddocs.com/sc/rsd2/Board.nsf/files/CQ6S3M6CDC0E/$file/The%20Role%20of%20School%20Board%20Members_Richland%202.pdf

I hope all board members were present, awake and alert. Attorney Ashley Story of White & Story, LLC was primed to present solid information to the board. Her presentation and discussion could have been "the" single topic for a full workshop.

Yet there were eight other items on the agenda under New Business - No Action Requested. Did they get to all of them? How long were they there?

I wonder why the decision was made not to live-stream that retreat. The public certainly would have been interested in Attorney Story's presentation!

Safety and I.G. Committees, March 21

I wanted to attend both meetings held on Tuesday. The Safety Committee met at 6:00PM, and the I.G. Report Committee met at 6:00PM.

I started out at the I.G. Report Committee. I was the only visitor. In addition to the three board members (Washington, Porter, Trapp) two staffers were there. 

I was immediately unimpressed with how the meeting started, so I left and went to the Safety Committee. 

Two board members (Nash, Scott) were present; McFadden was absent. Two parents had been chosen to be on the Committee, and the Teacher of the Year was there. A young woman (student?) was seated with the Committee.

I lasted 20 minutes there. 

Apparently, I define and understand "Safety" differently than the Committee.

Perhaps something productive happened after I left. I hope so.