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Residents urge board to address band director turnover and make book-challenge lists public
Summary
Two public commenters told the board they want action: one urged the district to examine high turnover among band directors; another asked the board to post a public list of titles formally challenged after state regulation changes.
Two community members used the meeting's public-comment period to press the Beaufort County Board of Education on personnel and transparency issues.
Jim Miller, a volunteer who has worked with band directors for a decade, told the board he has tracked high turnover in music programs and said the median tenure for band directors in recent years is about one year. 'Half of the band directors quit after a year,' Miller said, urging the district to have Human Resources investigate causes and to address recruiting and retention.
Mary Foster, program director for Families Against Book Bans (FAB) and a professional educator, spoke during National Banned Books Week and asked the district to make a list of any titles formally challenged in the district 'easily accessible to all citizens' (for example, on the district website). Foster said state regulation 43-1-70 raises the risk that titles returned to school shelves could be permanently removed and that volunteers are willing to serve on review committees.
Both speakers asked for follow-up from the board: Miller for HR attention to staffing and Foster for transparent public access to challenge records and an invitation for community involvement on review committees. The board did not take immediate action during the meeting but received the comments for future consideration.
