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Richland 2 board approves district’s staffing eliminations over one trustee’s objection
Summary
After debate about process and potential impacts to staff, the Richland School District Two board approved administration’s recommendation to eliminate multiple professional positions (document 4.6) in a 6–1 vote; one trustee voiced strong opposition and urged more discussion.
The Richland School District Two Board of Trustees voted 6–1 on March 24 to approve the district administration’s recommendations to eliminate several professional positions, citing the changes in document 4.6.
The motion was made by Trustee Tameka Washington and seconded by Trustee Nikki Porter. After a period of discussion in which trustees weighed the district’s financial pressures and the likely personnel impacts, the board recorded the 6–1 outcome on the motion.
The vote followed an extended public exchange among trustees about how the eliminations were developed. Dr. Elkins Scott, the sole dissenting vote, told the board she was opposed to the timing and process: “When we're talking about eliminating jobs, that's taken people away from a possible income that they could have had… I don't think we had enough conversations about it.”
Trustees who supported the recommendation emphasized the multi-month review that preceded the proposal. Trustee Nikki Porter said staff and committees had worked through audits of positions and job descriptions for almost a year, thanked administrators for the work, and stressed the difficulty of the decisions. “I don't think anything has been taken lightly,” Porter said.
Chair called for the roll call after trustees confirmed the motion language on the screen; the chair announced the vote as 6 yes, 1 no and declared the motion passed. The motion referenced document 4.6 as the administration’s recommendation; board members discussed that the changes were part of a broader effort to align resources with district priorities.
The motion was taken after an executive-session review of personnel matters. The board did not enumerate specific job titles in the public discussion; trustees said the affected positions were part of district-level and professional staffing adjustments intended to realize cost savings and program efficiencies.
Next steps: trustees directed that the board and administration follow the established personnel and notification processes. The administration did not provide an immediate timeline for public posting of affected positions or staff notifications during the public session.
Actions at a glance - Motion: Approve district administration’s recommendation as outlined in document 4.6 (professional-position eliminations). - Mover: Trustee Tameka Washington. Second: Trustee Nikki Porter. - Vote tally (recorded on the screen): Yes 6, No 1. - Outcome: approved (motion passes).
The board will next work with administration on implementation details and follow the district’s personnel policies regarding notices and appeals.
