Horry County School Board approves $500 net holiday bonus from reserve funds, holds superintendent interviews in executive session

The Horry County School Board voted to approve a one-time holiday bonus under "scenario number 5," a net $500 payment intended for full-time, part-time and positive-pay employees, and immediately recessed to conduct superintendent candidate interviews in executive session.

Board member Shanda Allen introduced the proposal and described scenario 5 as "to give ... a net bonus of $500 for full time, part time, and positive pay employees throughout the school district" to show appreciation for staff. Allen moved to adopt scenario 5 and said she would recuse herself from voting on bonuses for several employees who are in her immediate family; Miss Graham seconded the motion.

The proposal was presented as payable from the district—s undesignated fund balance. Mister Edwards, identified in the transcript as chair of the finance committee, asked about the fund balance; a district official stated it was "in the neighborhood of about $31,000,000" available, and another staff speaker noted the district had borrowed roughly $32.07 million from that reserve in the past year. Board members said they wanted to be cautious about spending from the reserve so as not to create pressure for higher millage in future budgets.

Miss Edmonds questioned whether funding for additional assistant principals would come from the same pot; staff and Edwards said the bonus would come from the undesignated fund balance and noted that adding assistant principals would add several million dollars in recurring costs (the transcript included an approximate figure discussed around $5,600,000). Another board member reminded colleagues that after giving a district-wide salary increase earlier, staff had been told there might not be funds for holiday bonuses.

Before the vote, several members disclosed potential conflicts of interest and recusals. The board used its voting machine; the chair announced that Mister Cook, Miss Edmonds and Mister Barnard were recorded as voting no, and that the motion nevertheless carried. Allen, Graham and other members voted to approve the block bonus while stating they would not participate in votes on specific relatives.

Earlier in the meeting the board voted to enter executive session to conduct superintendent candidate interviews; upon return a board member noted for the record that "no votes were taken, no decisions were made" during the executive session. The meeting concluded with the board—s adjournment.

The transcript does not specify the exact December date of the special meeting. The district described the bonus as funded from the undesignated fund balance; the record does not include an itemized payout list, nor a precise tally of total payroll cost for the bonus beyond the $500 per-employee net amount discussed.