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Parents and taxpayers press Sumter board on bus routes, rising security costs and a proposed agricultural magnet school
Summary
Public commenters at the June 8 meeting urged the board to address transportation staffing and equipment failures, questioned security spending for athletic events, and promoted a Rapton Creek agricultural magnet-school proposal backed by a community coalition.
Several residents used the board’s public-participation period to press trustees on transportation, security spending and school-choice proposals.
A taxpayer who later identified himself on the record as Randall Free said the district "doesn't have a line item in the budget" for transportation and that drivers are leaving for neighboring counties that pay "$2 to $4 more an hour." He also listed operational concerns — broken bus cameras, nonworking radios, and uncertainty about how new routing software will be taught to drivers — and questioned why the district pays officers to escort buses to athletic events, calling nearly $1 million in security overages "concerning." The board asked staff about ongoing talks with county leaders and said a meeting was scheduled to discuss staffing expectations for events.
Another commenter, Mr. Freeman, spoke about accountability and rising legal expenses. "I've seen this add up to over $170,000," he said of legal fees tied in part to records requests, and urged the district to consider hiring an in-house general counsel to reduce outside legal costs.
Community members also advanced school-choice proposals. Dan Blondo, identified as a former board member, urged support for transforming Rapton Creek Elementary into an agricultural magnet school. He described plans for gardens, greenhouses and hands-on learning, saying such programming could attract families and partnerships and help retain military-connected families. Ken Rose, a pastor and longtime educator, presented a similar pitch and described a grassroots coalition backing the effort, noting the proposal’s possible alignment with workforce needs and Shaw Air Force Base families.
The administration responded to the transportation and security questions by describing near-term routing work: the contracted routing vendor is expected to analyze routes by the week of July 27 and the district plans bus-orientation and registration events to ensure drivers and families have updated route information. On security, staff said discussions are scheduled with county leaders to determine event staffing expectations and hour-minimums for officer coverage.
The public-comment period concluded with the board moving on to the superintendent’s report and later to formal votes on personnel and capital items.
