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Trustees debate elections policy and board pay; policies on transportation and homeless students updated
Summary
Board members debated changes to election rules after a residency question, tabled revisions to board‑membership language, approved first reading of student‑transportation and unanimous changes for homeless‑student admission, and voted to pursue a plan to compensate trustees pending policy/legal review.
Trustees spent substantial time on governance matters Feb. 3: members proposed and debated revisions to election residency rules after a recent contested race, tabled a pair of policy changes on board membership and elections, approved first‑reading changes to student transportation (to meet federal requirements for homeless students), and voted to pursue a trustee compensation plan subject to further legal and policy review.
Board member Hagood led a read‑aloud and explanation of proposed revisions to Policy BBB (Board membership) that would add domicile language and require trustees to be domiciled within their board seat area; Hagood cited South Carolina case and statutory language (including a citation staff read from South Carolina Code) to support the change. He said the revisions were prompted by a November 2024 election where he argued an opponent was not domiciled in the board seat area. The presentation included a staff recommendation to delete a conflicting legal reference and to explicitly require domicile within the seat area.
Several trustees objected to the scope and asked for additional wording addressing partisan behavior and campaign activity near polling places. After discussion, the board voted to table Policy BBB and related policy BBA to the next meeting so members could draft additional language; the roll call shown in the meeting transcript was 5 in favor of tabling and 4 opposed.
On student‑support policies, the board approved additions to Policy EEA (Student Transportation) on first reading. The added wording clarifies that the district will provide transportation for homeless students and unaccompanied youth “in accordance with federal law” and that districts must agree on cost‑sharing for school‑of‑origin transportation when students cross district lines. The board also approved revisions to the admission policy for homeless students (JFA/BD) to add language ensuring homeless and unaccompanied youth receive equal access to programs, that homeless students are not segregated on basis of homelessness, and that living‑situation information be treated as an educational record (not directory information). The motion to accept the homeless‑student amendments passed unanimously.
A separate, lengthy governance debate concerned trustee compensation. Board members discussed precedent from other South Carolina districts, conflict‑of‑interest rules and public perceptions. One trustee proposed amending district policy to allow trustee pay of $300 per month for each trustee and $350 per month for the chair (equivalent to $3,600 and $4,200 annually, respectively), with a requirement that staff and legal counsel review related policies and any necessary legal steps before payments begin. The board voted on that proposal after discussion; the motion carried with a close vote (transcript shows five in favor, four opposed). The board directed staff to prepare the legal and policy work needed to implement the compensation if the board confirms it later.
No ordinance or statutory change was adopted by the board at the meeting; the policy modifications to EEA and the homeless‑student admission language were recorded as approved or accepted for the specified reading level, and the board instructed staff to return with revised text for board‑membership language and with legal analysis related to trustee compensation.
