COLUMBIA – Richland 2 voters elected an incumbent and two new at-large school board members from a field of 10 candidates. The district includes all Blythewood schools. Incumbent Lashonda McFadden was not re-elected, and Board Member Lindsay Agostini did not seek re-election. The top three vote getters will be seated. Longtime board member Monica Elkins […]
R2 Board pay increases with more meetings
July 18, 2024 By
Bender: Invoking FOIA to Increase Pay is Creative Interpretation COLUMBIA – Richland Two school board members say they aren’t enriching themselves at taxapayer expense by meeting more often. Until recently, district policy set trustee pay at $395 per person, per meeting, according to Chair Joe Trapp. The policy also caps the total number of meetings […]
Gregory named R2 interim super
January 26, 2023 By
COLUMBIA – Former Blythewood Middle School Principal Nancy Gregory has been named Interim Superintendent for the Richland Two School District just two days after the board voted 6 – 1 to accept the resignation of the district’s former superintendent, Baron Davis. Gregory has more than 40 years of experience with Richland Two and served most […]
McKie guilty of ethics violation
December 8, 2022 By
COLUMBIA – Guilty. That’s the determination of the State Ethics Commission in response to Richland 2 school board member Amelia McKie’s latest campaign law violation. In an order filed Nov. 30, the ethics commission said McKie violated state law by not disclosing her government salary of $9,600 on her 2021 Statement of Economic Interest (SEI) […]
R2 School board candidates share views at forum
October 6, 2022 By
COLUMBIA – School safety, teacher shortages, diversity, fiscal transparency, and the importance of civility in leadership were among the issues discussed Monday night during a forum for Richland Two School Board Candidates. There was no argument or debate among the 12 candidates on stage, each of whom gave answers to four questions created by the […]
Richland 2 to vote on 22-23 budget July 12
July 7, 2022 By
COLUMBIA – Richland School District Two will hold second reading and board vote on the FY 2022-2023 general fund budget on Tuesday, July 12. Because the South Carolina General Assembly did not finalize the Appropriations Act for FY 22-23 until June 15, the district is currently operating under a continuing resolution until the budget is […]
Manning elected R2 board chair
June 30, 2022 By
COLUMBIA – The Richland School District Two Board of Trustees elected new officers Tuesday night, with the majority four voting as a block to seat three of their own. James Manning was elected chair; Amelia McKie, vice-chair and former chair Teresa Holmes, secretary. Board member Lindsay Agostini voted against McKie and abstained from voting for […]
Will Governor McMaster remove R2 board members?
June 2, 2022 By
COLUMBIA – With the recent passage of a state law enabling the governor of South Carolina to remove school board members for misconduct in office, some parents in Richland School District Two are asking if the law will be applied here and, if so, to what extent. According to the governor’s office, that question is […]
Critics call for removal of R2 board members and super
May 19, 2022 By
COLUMBIA – A cacophony of voices can be heard on the recording, the participants becoming more and more shrill as they compete for volume. Bystanders echo and boo. It sounds like it could be a hallway fight among a group of middle or high school students, but it isn’t. The participants are all grown adults […]
R2 board overspends thousands on travel
May 19, 2022 By
COLUMBIA – After Richland Two School District Superintendent Baron Davis refused, during a recent meeting, to share information about school board members’ travel spending, members of the public did what is their right under South Carolina’s freedom of information law: They asked for the information. According to records released by the school district in compliance […]
