Inspirational Moments

 Could we just have an inspirational moment?

Is it really necessary to give an extended introduction?

Are we hearing a commercial tonight by the man who is speaking?

How about something inspirational?

Consultants' meeting with board 5/8/23

This morning I continued watching last night's board meeting with the consultants from McPherson & Jacobson.

This is too slow and painful. It was a typical round-robin approach. Board members were asked to write down what qualities and characteristics each board member wanted. That could have been done before the meeting.

Then each board member recited one from his list. Each consultant wrote down long-winded answers on poster board. I was surprised that not one board member spoke up and said, "Let's move this along faster. We'll be here all night."

"Someone who is competent" was one of the responses. Seriously? 

At 58:10 on the Livestream recording I gave up. Two hours to go.

How can I get the Cliff Notes' version of the next two hours of the meeting, without having to endure the pain of slogging through it?

Why didn't M&J show up with a list of qualities and characteristics to suggest to the board? They should have done their homework on this school board, and they should have learned of the level of (in)experience in making executive decisions.

Surprise! Open Meeting; no Executive Session

When tonight's board meeting (May 8, 2023) started (scheduled starting time of 4:30PM), the chair asked for a motion to approve the agenda.

Trustee Trapp made the motion. Trustee Nash, instead of seconding the motion, wanted to amend the primary motion to have the meeting in the open, rather than in executive session.

Hello? Protocol! Chair Agostini explained there was a motion on the floor that needed a second. After the second, Trustee Nash made her secondary motion and it was approved 6-0-1; that's One Not Present. Trustee Washington was absent.

Then the primary motion was approved as amended.

Trustee Scott was called on. She explained that Trustee Washington would be arriving late, and then she introduced "Mac and Jake", the consulting firm for the superintendent search.

The name of the search firm is McPherson & Jacobson LLC, not "Mac and Jake". Their internet domain is "macnjake.com" which, to me, sounds more like a burger joint.

That introduction occurred at 18:15 on the recording at   https://livestream.com/richland2/events/10850332/videos/236139017. 

The recording ends at 3:21:16. 

For me it is 9:30PM now, and I can't imagine what took three (3) hours to discuss. The consulting firm should have shown up with recommendations; maybe it did. If it did and this meeting still took three hours, by now they'll know they are going to lose money on the Richland Two superintendent search. 

Gender equity - coming soon?

Check out this PragerU Kids video titled "When Equity Removes the Words 'Boy' and 'Girl' from 5th Grade Lessons".

Jill Simonian does a great job of ripping Essex Westford School District, in Essex Junction, Vermont, for its April letter to fifth-grade parents and caregivers, in which the school district informed them of new terms to be used in the fifth-grade sex-ed class.

The new terms?

"Person who produces sperm" in place of boy, male, and assigned male at birth.

"Person who produces eggs" in place of girl, female, and assigned female at birth.

Is any of this nonsense going on in Richland 2?

Lawsuit really filed?

Last week there was a big hoop-dee-lah about a lawsuit being filed by Attorney John Mobley on behalf of one of the students stabbed (allegedly) by 17-year-old Ridge View High School student Tony Abrams.

That lawsuit does not appear yet in the Public Index of the Richland County Fifth Judicial Circuit.

Mobley would not reveal the name of his client. Will it be shown in the court records?

Wouldn't it be nice if the Public Index was sortable by Name or Filed Date? And if it was kept up to date with Next Court Date? I guess that's too much to ask of a government agency.

Safety Committee Meeting 5/2/2023

The Safety Committee of the Richland 2 School District met yesterday (Tuesday, May 2, 2023). 

Five Committee members in attendance were Angela Nash, chair; Lashonda McFadden, board member; McGee Moody, parent participant, Marq Claxton, R2 director of safety & security; Capt. Verlon Rhodes, RCSD liaison.

Four Committee members were absent, judging by the empty chairs and places set: Monica Scott, board member (she apparently was attending by telephone but did not speak up until 37:45); female parent participant, whose name is unknown; teacher-of-the year (name?); ; and an unknown fourth person. (Three places were set to the left of the head table.)

The committee heard a presentation about metal detectors by Will Anderson, R2 Chief Operations Officer. His presentation begins at 5:00 on https://livestream.com/richland2/5:00events/10847395/videos/236055739

In 26 random (pop-up) screenings since February 2, 2023 there were 21,796 students screened. 21,756/26 = 856 students per school (average). What percentage of students attending those schools was screened?

The following were found: 1 gun, 1 taser, 1 pocket knife, 1 screwdriver, 1 ½-pair of scissors, 1 sharp edge weapon, 9 keychain mace; also, vapes, drugs, marijuna [sic], alcohol.

Staffing required for those 26 pop-ups were 241 school personnel; 111 contracted security; 181 R2 (security) Officers.

Only the direct cost for contracted security personnel was disclosed: $21,805.48. $21,805.48/111= $196.12 average for each contracted security person. $21,805.48/26= $838 average for contracted security per screening.

The indirect costs for 241 school personnel and 181 R2 Officers was not estimated; nor was the cost for the equipment, transportation, etc. HOW MUCH WAS THAT?

See the estimate of costs at 10:57 on the livestream recording. For five high schools (only), $2,601,576 for 2023/2024 school year.

At about 37:45 Trustee Scott was recognized with a question, and the committee chair said she was attending by phone. About time! She stated emphatically that teachers will not be asked to "man" the metal detectors. She referred to conversations she has had with teachers and said they are "very fearful" they will be asked to do so.

My response to that is that many teachers will be ready to man metal detectors. We have to stop living in fear! 

Board makes Statement about new search firm

I believe the Richland 2 school board was shocked to learn that Baron Davis is a consultant with the superintendent-search firm that the board selected.

McPherson & Jacobson LLC, of Omaha, Nebraska, was selected last Tuesday (April 25) at the Special-Called Board Meeting.

Trustee McFadden made a statement at the end of tonight's Special-Called Board Meeting that the board will NOT be working with any South Carolina consultant of the search firm.

When the selection of that firm was announced in local media today, I examined its website and was horrified to see Baron Davis listed as its S.C. consultant. I wondered why Richland 2 would ever select that firm.

When did Baron contract with McPherson & Jacobson?

Maybe he called them yesterday and told them he'd like to hook up with them. And today? Voilà! He's on board and some speedy I.T. person pasted his name up on their website?

If you believe that, call me. I'll still got that bridge in New York I'd love to sell you.

It takes a few days to put together a deal like that. A business ought to be curious why an applicant or potential contractor left his last position. Did he leave on good terms? Is he eligible for re-hire?

A young HR person in Denver told me in 1975 that the one question he would ask a former employer was, "Was there a great sigh of relief when that person left your organization?"

What would the answer be at Richland 2?

Should McPherson & Jacobson have informed the Richland 2 board that it was in negotiations with Davis?  Of course they should have! It might have cost them the Richland 2 deal. And it might not have.

But, in my book, McPherson & Jacobson gets low marks for integrity. In fact, the mark is so low that there won't be any mark at all!