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Residents accuse board of favoritism and warn of cuts to special-education services
Summary
Three public commenters raised concerns: Violet Douglas alleged a board member allowed preferential testing for her child and said she had reported the board to the Inspector General; E.L. Johnson urged follow-through on superintendent candidate feedback; Tim McNeil urged the board not to balance the budget on special-education students.
At the public comment portion of the meeting, several residents raised allegations and policy concerns directed at the board and district leadership.
Violet Douglas told the board she had reported ‘‘a board member that is abusing power’’ to the Inspector General after alleging that the board member had allowed her child to be retested when others were not. Douglas also criticized recent staff reductions, saying the district had cut federally funded staff and left two social workers with caseloads she described as roughly 1,500 students each. “The district continues to turn a blind eye on corruption,” she said.
E.L. Johnson (introduced as Jonathan) thanked the interim superintendent for holding a public meet-and-greet but urged the district to follow up with the public on how candidate evaluations (for superintendent and other positions) ultimately turned out. “It’s our dollars,” Johnson said, urging transparency on outcomes.
Tim McNeil spoke during Autism Awareness Month and urged the board to avoid balancing the budget on students who need special-education supports. McNeil noted staffing separations and said many students rely on PCAs and other supports; “please don't balance the budget on these children,” he said, and asked the district to coordinate with SC Works to help displaced employees.
Board members acknowledged the comments and asked staff to prepare documentation of cuts and savings. There was no recorded formal board action in response to the specific allegations during the meeting; the comments were entered into the public record.
