Behavior plan fails to pass
Policy would have regulated board members' conduct
By Diette Courrégé
The Charleston County School Board failed on Monday night to revise a policy that would regulate the behavior of its members.
The Post and Courier/File
As school starts, school board member Arthur Ravenel is advocating merging two schools to provide a building to accommodate the expansion needs of the Charleston Development Academy. The district headquarters, 75 Calhoun St., is shown.
Schools Superintendent Nancy McGinley also fell short on her pledge to ask the board to discuss inconsistencies in the board's address-verification policy that treats Buist Academy differently than other magnet schools.
On the issue of board members' conduct, the board was set to amend an existing policy as a result of an incident involving board member Arthur Ravenel Jr. and McGinley in which he used the word "bitch" and reportedly threatened her job.
The board's policy committee recommended the board add to the existing policy by requiring members to conform to a "standard of civility in interactions." Profanity specifically was prohibited, and potential consequences could be public reprimand or removal from office.
The vote on the policy was split 4-4. Board members Nancy Cook, David Engelman, Ray Toler and Ravenel were the dissenting votes, while members Hillery Douglas, Toya Green, Ruth Jordan and Gregg Meyers were in favor of it. Brian Moody was absent.
Related story
Ravenel said he wasn't opposed to the amendment, but he took issue with other parts, such as a clause that stated members would refuse to play politics. He said all the board's interactions are political, and those words were "feel-good stuff."
"I don't have any great objection to it," Ravenel said. "I'm not going to fall on any sword. But I think it's a little silly."
Other action
The school board also:
-- Approved hiring Perren Peterson as principal of Fraser Elementary.
-- Gave conditional approval for the renewal of the charter for Greg Mathis Charter High.
-- Approved renewing the charter for James Island Charter High for 10 years.
He also criticized language in the policy that prohibited members from making promises on how they would vote and that required confidentiality on issues discussed in executive session. Ravenel said the board frequently violates both provisions.
The policy will go back to the board's committee, and Douglas said members would discuss potential changes so it would be approved.
In other business, the board gave unanimous initial approval to a revised policy that would require annual address verification for every student in a magnet school. Those enrolled in non-magnet schools only would have to prove their residency when they enroll or at the principal's discretion.
McGinley said earlier this month that she would talk to the board July 21 about the conflicting manner in which schools were verifying addresses to see what the board wanted to do, but she did not bring up the issue. She said after the meeting that she forgot, but that the issue should be discussed by the board policy committee at its next meeting.
Buist Academy, a magnet school, checked the veracity of its students addresses in a different way than other magnet schools. Buist only verified whether its students were enrolled in the county, although some students are required to live downtown for acceptance; four other magnet schools verified that its students still lived in the address used for admittance to the school.
Reach Diette Courrégé at 937-5546 or dcourrege@postandcourier.com.
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Comments
tellthetruth (anonymous) says...
Could these clowns do anytyhing else except create and foster confusion? Sound like the day to day operations at CCSD. Confusion.failures and blame someone else for you problems. Are we sure Nancy Gregory is'nt running the show? JMO
July 22, 2008 at 7:23 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
watchdog (anonymous) says...
Tar and Feather That old nut job. Incarcerate all the Ravenal's.
July 22, 2008 at 7:57 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
charleston_girl (anonymous) says...
The school board has been this way from day one! It's a joke!! Too many big egos getting in the way and not concentrating on the important issues at hand.
July 22, 2008 at 8:16 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
SCgal (anonymous) says...
When will CCSD and board members get down to the real business of educating the children, building the schools, ample supplies for the teachers/classrooms, increased pay for staff, adherence of an effective discipline policy, et. al?
July 22, 2008 at 9:49 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Buffy1 (anonymous) says...
I CANNOT wait until my boy John Graham Altman joins the school board- he does not have much time or patience for incompetent people, and is not afraid to say it like it is- remember this interaction:
Altman again, "You're really not very bright and I realize you are not accustomed to this, but I'm accustomed to reporters having a better sense of depth of things and you're asking this question to me would indicate you can't understand the answer. To ask the question is to demonstrate an enormous amount of ignorance. I'm not trying to be rude or hostile, I'm telling you."
Gormley, "It's rude when you tell someone they are not very bright."
Altman, "You're not very bright and you'll just have to live with that
McGinley's days are numbered- he will have her in tears from day one!!! Ahhh- I cannot wait!!!
July 22, 2008 at 10:49 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
belovedbliff (anonymous) says...
Yes, whenMcGinley is gone, then the incompetent administrators downtown will go, too. I don't know why she is protecting them, probably because they are her lapdogs.
July 22, 2008 at 11:46 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
snafu (anonymous) says...
It strikes me that most of the clowns are writting the comments. CCSB hired her to do a job, when will they let her try?
July 22, 2008 at 1:55 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
charlestonnative1963 (anonymous) says...
I FIRMLY SUPPORT public education. However, I do not support Chas. County schools. As long as the school board is willing to allow that type of behavior from A. Ravenel they are no better than he. And that is not saying very much. If I could hold a special election myself I would vote everyone of them OUT OF OFFICE and start with Ravenel. There are a few positives going on in Chas. The arts and magnet schools being the few. CCSD school board. You are about as embarrassing as the rest of our so called elected leaders.
July 22, 2008 at 2:54 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
charlestonnative1963 (anonymous) says...
who ever wrote that comment about John G. Altman...God help you if you think that moron is the great hope. He is worse than Ravenel-at least Ravenel had his son to worry about-Altman is just a plain jack A..
July 22, 2008 at 2:56 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
charlestonpride (anonymous) says...
What has Dr. McGinley done that she is getting so much hatred? She is doing the best she can with what she has and who she has to work with. I agree that the school board needs to be replaced by persons who care about the schools and children. Most of the present board's bloated egos are getting in the way of getting the job(s) done. I believe that whoever runs for the board needs to spend 2 full weeks just sitting is different grades of classrooms in different districts. That would give them just a tiny insight.
July 22, 2008 at 4:06 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
ChasCarolinaGirl (anonymous) says...
Yes! Mr John Graham Altman .. I LOVE how he tells it like it is! That quote above is pretty funny ...
I admire every bit of is sarcasm and how he tells it like it is. Not many people like him!
July 22, 2008 at 7:19 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
lowcountrylover (anonymous) says...
JOHN GRAHAM--- GET IT GOING AGAIN WE NEED YOUR HELP. A NO BS MAN JUST LIKE CUZ AUTHER.. The CCSD needs to stop playing games and kick the lil black thugs out of the schools. Yes, let the police take care of them.
July 22, 2008 at 10:32 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
captivated (anonymous) says...
lowcountrylover - lil black thugs? What's up with that?
July 23, 2008 at 7:15 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Carolina_Politics (anonymous) says...
It would seem to me this Stalinist plan was nothing more than a way to keep certain board members from expressing their honest opinions because it might be too politically incorrect for the ears of the wusses on the school board.
Instead of a behavior plan for board members, how about the students? Maybe the school board should actually worry about the public schools failing our children instead of dealing with petty political bickering.
http://www.carolinapoliticsonline.com
July 23, 2008 at 8:54 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
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