Richland 2 trustees postpone vote on minority utilization plan after heated debate

The Richland School District Two Board of Trustees on Aug. 12 declined to approve a proposed minority utilization plan and voted 7-0 to postpone further action to the board’s Aug. 26 meeting after extended public and trustee criticism that the report lacked an actionable presentation and sufficient data.

Board members said the plan — which the district says aims for a minimum 10% of certain contract dollars to go to certified minority businesses — arrived in board materials without the presentation and context trustees said was necessary for an informed vote.

Trustee Nikki Porter moved to approve the plan; that motion failed on a 2-5 vote. Porter then moved to postpone the item, asking the superintendent to prepare a more detailed action plan and bring the item back to the Aug. 26 meeting; that motion passed 7-0.

Why it matters: the board’s procurement choices shape which local contractors and vendors receive district contracts and can affect minority-owned and small businesses seeking public work. Trustees repeatedly asked for clearer outreach steps, certification counts and a public-facing explanation of the district’s approach before voting.

Discussion and critiques

Trustee Doctor Elkins Scott said the board should not vote on the plan without a presentation and concrete steps. “I think it would have been great if this was more of a presentation than something that's placed in board docs,” she said, and added, “I think it's a shame that we can't meet a minority percentage of only 10%.”

Trustee Williams urged an educational approach for potential vendors: “1 of my suggestions would be is that we have a workshop for how to go through the process... because I think sometimes it’s not that we don't have the people who could be eligible,” she said. Trustee Porter likewise asked for specific action steps in the plan, more frequent reporting and follow-up so the board can track progress.

Superintendent response and data cited

Superintendent Doctor Moore explained the district’s legal and practical constraints and supplied figures the board requested. Moore said the board’s referendum added a 5% goal for capital projects and that the district “has exceeded that 5% for capital, and we're at 15.2 for capital.” She added that when certified and noncertified minority business spending are combined the district is at 9.2% overall, and that the statutory target applies to certified vendors only.

Moore described procurement staff outreach, including the district’s use of a “reverse vendor” model and one-on-one assistance by the procurement executive director, Luana Robinson Lee, who has worked with noncertified vendors and state certification offices to move businesses toward certification. Moore said some vendors signed up for certification help did not complete required steps with the state office.

Direction from the board

Trustees asked for a more detailed action plan, more frequent progress reports and one or more public workshops to explain vendor certification and the procurement process. The board directed staff to bring an expanded, actionable minority utilization plan and related procurement materials to the Aug. 26 meeting and to align that discussion with the procurement update already scheduled.

Formal actions

- Motion to approve minority utilization plan (mover: Trustee Nikki Porter; second: recorded in board minutes). Vote: 2 yes, 5 no — motion failed. - Motion to postpone consideration of the minority utilization plan until the Aug. 26 regular board meeting (mover: Trustee Nikki Porter; second: recorded in board minutes). Vote: 7 yes, 0 no — motion passed.

What remains unanswered

Trustees asked the administration to report vendor-level counts (certified vs. noncertified), which contract categories are underrepresented, and a set of concrete outreach steps, including potential quarterly updates and community vendor workshops. Superintendent Moore and procurement staff said they will bring those items back at the Aug. 26 meeting and during the scheduled procurement update.

Ending

The board’s vote to postpone gives district staff time to assemble vendor data, a proposed outreach schedule and an actionable set of criteria trustees can review. The Aug. 26 agenda will include the minority utilization report alongside a procurement update; the board asked for specifics on outreach, certification counts and recommended next steps to increase certified minority participation.