Tag: School District

A Winnsboro man was ejected from a May 29 School Board meeting after his end of an exchange with the interim superintendent, Dr. David Eubanks, grew heated.

Andrea Harrison, Board Chairwoman, asked Thomas “Tony” Armstrong to calm down or she would have him removed after Armstrong became visibly agitated during a discussion with Eubanks.

“You don’t have to remove me. I’ll remove myself,” Armstrong said before being escorted from the Board room by a Fairfield County Sheriff’s deputy.

Armstrong, a mainstay of the public comment session of Fairfield County School Board meetings for many years, addressed the Board earlier that evening on what he said was the “Buddy-buddy system,” which he claimed prevented the hiring of a more experienced Fairfield County native to a principal position at a District elementary school. Instead, he said, someone with connections to a high-level District employee got the job.

At the end of Armstrong’s comments, Harrison asked Armstrong to provide Eubanks with whatever information he had regarding the hire and that Eubanks would investigate the matter. A review of the video recording of the meeting shows Armstrong approach Dr. Eubanks just as the Board was preparing to retire into executive session. After a brief conversation between the two men, Armstrong began raising his voice.

“I heard Mr. Armstrong say, ‘We brought you into this District and we can take you out. I’m your boss’,” Harrison told The Voice. “I asked him to calm down or he would be removed.”

“I told him how I felt as a taxpayer,” Armstrong said later.

Harrison said she did not know if the Board could prevent Armstrong from speaking at future Board meetings, but she did say the Board would have to monitor what he had to say.

“If he gets off track or says something that isn’t true, we’ll have to call him on it,” she said.

As for Dr. Eubanks, he said he had already forgotten about the matter.

Armstrong took to the podium again June 5, this time to announce his candidacy for the District 6 School Board seat, which is currently held by Marchella Pauling. His announcement was ruled out of order by Harrison at the behest of Board member Beth Reid.

Although at least one member of the Fairfield County School Board has gone on record against the possibility, the Board is currently looking at a 2012-2013 budget that could include a tax increase of 3 mills.

The proposed budget for the 2012-2013 fiscal year is $33,068,140, a 0.5 percent increase over the 2011-2012 original operating general fund budget of $32,905,211.

The original proposed budget presented by administration to the Board two weeks ago would have required no tax increase, but several changes suggested by the Board left them $114,000 shy of a balanced budget. The revised budget, presented last week, included a millage increase that more than made up the difference.

The proposed tax increase would inject an additional $279,000 into the budget, leaving approximately $165,653 to be earmarked.

“For the record, I am opposed to any tax increase at this point,” Board member Bobby Cunningham said during the May 29 meeting.

Cunningham asked Kevin Robinson, Director of Finance, if the difference could be taken out of the District’s fund balance in order to avoid a tax increase. Robinson said he could not recommend such an action.

Robinson later told The Voice that District policy requires a fund balance that is between 12 and 14 percent of the budget. Taking money out of that pool would not only require a policy change, but could also make it more difficult for the District to borrow money in the future.

Dr. David Eubanks, interim superintendent, explained some of the line item changes by the Board that led to the need for a millage increase. Those changes included:

$9,000 in software licensing fees for BoardDocs;

$56,940 for student field trips;

$107,707 in legal fees;

$18,600 for five summer interns;

$40,000 to open school libraries during the summer;

$5,600 to implement the random drug testing policy for extracurricular activities; and

$10,500 to contract with USC for an athletic trainer.

One of the budget items discussed May 29 was the athletics budget, which includes $269,500 in stipends.

“I don’t think we’re saying athletics is not valuable,” Andrea Harrison, Board Chairwoman, said, “but how many students do we have going to college on academic scholarships versus athletic scholarships? Given our present state of finances, what would be available to offer incentives for academics?”

Robinson said the more than $165,000 left over from the proposed millage increase would be available.

“Is our only viable option to increase millage?” Harrison asked.

“It’s not the only option, but probably the most feasible,” Robinson said. “We don’t want to take money out of the fund balance.”

Board member Danielle Miller said the athletic stipends were just that, and not salaries. For most of stipend recipients, this is the only money they receive all year for their efforts.

“Is it possible to go back through this budget and squeeze wherever we need to squeeze?” Harrison asked. “I’m not by any means beating up on the athletic department, but it doesn’t make sense if I played football in high school, but when I graduated I couldn’t read.”

Contrary to Robinson’s assessment of the fund balance, Eubanks suggested a one-time dip into the fund balance would not be such a bad idea.

“One option you have is to balance the budget using cash,” Eubanks said. “Last year, you gave out bonuses using cash. If you busy up the budget with incentives, something else will have to go; the budget is that tight.”

The Board voted 5-0 May 29 to accept the first reading of the budget.

“We feel very positive about our budget,” Eubanks said this week. “Our approach was to bring a balanced budget to the Board and we will move forward as the Board deems appropriate.”

A public hearing on the budget is scheduled for June 19 at 6 p.m. at the District Office.