Policy committee votes to send elimination of technology committee to full board; tables safety committee pending superintendent review

The Horry 01 Policy Committee voted Feb. 24 to forward a motion to eliminate the district’s Technology Committee to the full school board and tabled a proposal to create a Safety and Security Committee until Superintendent Jones completes a 90-day review of safety efforts.

The committee’s action on the technology committee came after Velena Allen, who identified herself as head of the technology department, told members the panel’s sole, ongoing function was to oversee the district’s PDL initiative and that learning services now handles device selection and related work. “If we're gonna continue, if that is still the sole purpose of the technology committee, we really could collapse that committee and take that work under learning services,” Allen said.

The committee then approved a motion to eliminate the Technology Committee and carry that recommendation to the full board. Tracy Winters made the motion to eliminate the Technology Committee; Wendy Hodges seconded the motion. The committee chair announced the motion would be carried to the full board for final action.

Pam Dawson proposed creating a Safety and Security Committee and asked for committee responsibilities to include budget oversight, review of memoranda of understanding with law enforcement, and definitions of school resource officer duties. Dawson told the committee it had previously transferred $25,000,000 from the general fund into a dedicated security fund and said board members had been seeking a spend plan and detailed accounting. “We sent $25,000,000 over from the general fund to the, secured dedicated to security,” Dawson said.

Superintendent Jones said he had initiated a 90-day review of safety measures and would present findings to the board. “I will be making a presentation to this board around those findings,” Jones said. Committee members then moved to table Dawson’s proposal until Jones completes that review; the motion to table was seconded and passed.

Members debated the safety proposal’s scope and oversight. Howard Barnard cautioned against micromanaging security operations and said district security staff have technical knowledge the committee may lack, while other members cited the need for budget oversight and timely implementation of security improvements — Barnard gave the example of door hardware procurement that he said remained uninstalled despite expense and urgency.

The committee also discussed a separate governance exploration and evaluation project. Members reviewed past efforts to hire an outside evaluator, noted that a previously selected vendor later withdrew because the vendor said it lacked governance expertise, and raised the cost of an outside review as a concern. The committee agreed to table further action on the governance review for 90 days to allow the superintendent and staff to provide input and to consider the matter during an upcoming board retreat.

Finally, the committee tabled work on the board self-assessment until the full board’s retreat, where superintendent and board members plan to review the survey results together.

Votes at a glance - Motion to eliminate the Technology Committee: moved by Tracy Winters; seconded by Wendy Hodges; committee approved forwarding the proposal to the full board (committee-level approval to carry to full board; full board decision pending). Vote tally not specified in committee transcript. - Motion to create a Safety and Security Committee: moved by Pam Dawson (proposal introduced); motion to table pending superintendent’s 90-day review moved by Tracy Winters and seconded by Wendy Hodges; motion to table passed. (Proposal not adopted; tabled.) - Motion on governance exploration and evaluation: motion to table for 90 days (to allow superintendent input and to consider at retreat); motion passed. - Motion to delay board self-assessment until retreat: motion passed.

Why it matters The committee’s vote to advance elimination of the Technology Committee would reduce standing committee meetings related to technology and consolidate device-selection oversight under the district’s learning services if the full board agrees. The safety committee proposal — and the board’s request for a spend plan for the district’s dedicated security funds — signals the board’s interest in budget transparency and in clarifying who oversees security strategy and expenditures. The governance review discussion reflects ongoing questions about the district’s governance model, vendor selection, and potential costs for an outside evaluation.

What’s next The full school board will consider the policy committee’s recommendation on the Technology Committee. Superintendent Jones is expected to complete and present a 90-day review of safety initiatives to the board; the Safety and Security Committee proposal remains tabled until that presentation. The committee expects to revisit governance-review planning after a 90-day pause and to address the board self-assessment at the upcoming retreat.