Public puts pressure on R2 chair, board

COLUMBIA – Calls for the resignation of Richland Two school board chair Amelia McKie grew Tuesday night, with a fellow board member joining in those calls. Meantime, two other board members are suggesting publicity of missing school board ethics forms has been “racially motivated.” Board member Lindsay Agostini led the charge of those calling for […]

R2 board to discuss ethics issue again Thursday

COLUMBIA – Once again the Richland Two school board plans to discuss ongoing ethics issues behind closed doors. Only this time the board is also slated to discuss board policies that address how board officers are chosen, suggesting changes to one or more leadership positions. An agenda for Tuesday night’s meeting lists six executive session […]

R2 keeps ethics debate behind closed doors

COLUMBIA – Despite some members dismissing an ongoing ethics flap as merely a distraction at a meeting last week, the Richland Two school board spent 90 minutes behind closed doors Tuesday night discussing that topic. At a special meeting, the board immediately retreated into executive session to receive “legal advice regarding Ethics Act issues.” No […]

R2 ethics flap prompts call for resignations

McKie’s Ethics Fine Increases to $51K+ BLYTHEWOOD – Amelia McKie didn’t respond to a public call for her resignation Tuesday in the first Richland Two school board meeting of the year amid mounting ethics fines for the board chair. After missing a recent payment deadline, McKie now owes nearly $52,000 to the South Carolina Ethics […]

More questions dog McKie filings

Lobbyist Income Report Doesn’t Match SEI Filing, Investigation Reels in 19 More Late Filings BLYTHEWOOD – As the deadline to pay a hefty ethics fine nears, more questions are arising over reports filed by Amelia McKie, chairwoman of the Richland Two Board of Trustees. Meantime, more previously unfiled ethics forms have been submitted by another Richland […]

Richland 2 board members fail Ethics 101

BLYTHEWOOD – Most sitting members of the Richland 2 Board of Education have major gaps in their state-mandated ethics filings, a review of public records shows. Three board members failed to file Statements of Economic Interest forms for at least one calendar year. Two of those three board members also haven’t filed quarterly campaign disclosure […]

Richland 2 chair owes $41,000 in ethics fines

BLYTHEWOOD – Amelia McKie, chair of the Richland 2 Board of Education, owes at least $41,000 in fines to the S.C. Ethics Commission, according to agency documents obtained by The Voice. McKie has until Dec. 31 to pay the first $20,000. The remaining $21,000 is due June 30, 2019, documents state. The fines are spelled […]

R2 Chair McKie’s ‘lost’ ethics filings questioned

BLYTHEWOOD – Nearly a month after the November elections, two Richland 2 school board members still had not filed ethics disclosure forms required by state law, according to the South Carolina Ethics Commission. As of 1 p.m. Tuesday, the ethics commission’s online Statements of Economic Interest database listed all of the school board candidates who […]

Residents push back against R2’s $468.4M bond as excessive

BLYTHEWOOD – Before Richland 2 voters decide whether or not to approve a tax increase to pay for $468.4 million in various school projects, school officials are heavily promoting the referendum. One stop on the district’s information tour occurred Monday in Blythewood before a small crowd at Doko Manor. The public forum featured presentations from […]

Legal loopholes complicate R2 code

BLYTHEWOOD – It’s being billed as a way to simplify the school district’s procurement code. But loopholes in state law could pose legal and ethical complications to the Richland 2 school procurement policy. Approved at its July 24 meet­ing, the Richland 2 Board of Education voted to strike a se­ries of policy revisions, includ­ing one […]

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