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Board approves Band of Blue and welding overnight trips after questions about late notice for welding
Summary
The board approved two overnight student trips — a 40-student Band of Blue trip to Rock Hill and a six-student welding competition trip to Jacksonville — and asked staff to confirm bookings and improve timelines after the welding trip was submitted close to its departure date.
The Colleton County School District Board of Trustees approved two overnight student trips at its March 18 meeting: a Band of Blue trip to the CWEA Scholastic A competition in Rock Hill, S.C., and a Tulsa Welding Competition trip in Jacksonville, Fla.
The Band of Blue trip (March 22–23, 2025) was presented with paperwork showing 40 students and four adults; the board approved it unanimously. The welding trip (March 21–22, 2025) was presented one week before departure; the board also approved that trip unanimously but raised procedural concerns.
Trustees asked administration to confirm whether hotel rooms and registrations had already been reserved for the welding trip because the request arrived close to the travel dates. One trustee said approving an overnight trip three days before departure raises process questions and asked staff to check how hotel and registration arrangements had been handled. The board asked staff to improve the timetable for approval of overnight trips so transportation and other logistics can be planned earlier.
Tom Finnegan, identified in the meeting as the band sponsor, provided itinerary details for the Band of Blue trip. For the welding trip the sponsor listed in the packet was Jerry Edens at TCTC; trustees praised the educational value of the TCTC opportunities and also encouraged staff to share scholarship information that could assist students with costs.
Ending The board approved both overnight trips and directed district staff (TCTC and activities directors) to confirm logistics and report back to trustees.
