Video surfaces of voting discrepancy at Richland 1 school board meeting

A video showing a voting discrepancy during a Richland 1 school board meeting has surfaced on social media among parents upset with the district.

The video, from Richland 1’s Aug. 27 meeting, shows board member Beatrice King making a motion to delay the vote on a $550,000 contract for EngenuitySC, which teaches soft skills and provides mentors to low-income students. King wanted to delay the vote, she said, because she wanted to wait until they were later in the budget process, something other board members said was not necessary.

There is a brief pause and then board chair Jamie Devine declares the motion dead because no board member had seconded it.

As Devine was saying that, then-Commissioner Darrell Black seconded the motion. Devine began to move on and King protested, saying that since Black had seconded the motion, a vote should be allowed.

“This is completely unacceptable,” King said in the video.

Devine said in the video he had moved on because Black’s second came after the motion was already dead. The Board approved Engenuity’s contract in a 5-1 vote with King voting no and Yolanda Anderson abstaining.

Devine said the board acted in accordance with procedure and has since undergone training to make sure board members know proper meeting procedure.

“It is unfortunate that this appears to be another example of the board being distracted from the vision, mission and goals of the district,” Devine said in an email. “I truly wish we could be focusing on what is in the best interest of our students and community, not constantly elevating issues that are meant to be a distraction.”

Black, who resigned from the board in September to accept an out-of-state job, told The State on Monday he remembers that before the vote he had committed to seconding King’s motion. He didn’t speak up during the exchange between King and Devine because he was confused as to what was going on, he said.

While the board often follows proper procedure, it is also common for the board to have vote discrepancies, Black said.

Later in the meeting, Devine referred to King’s questioning of the contract as “micro-management,” according to the minutes.

“We are here to govern. We are here to pass a budget. We are here to hire and fire the superintendent. And we are here to offer community relations with our community,” Devine said, according to the minutes.

Devine and King have publicly butted heads on district matters, in which King would criticize something the district did and Devine would defend it. Most recently, the two traded barbs in the pages of The State newspaper regarding the district’s purchase of custom windbreakers, which cost $100 each. The issue, dubbed “jacketgate,” became a rallying cry for parents critical of Richland 1, according to a previous article from The State.

The video is available on Richland 1’s website at https://rotv.viebit.com/player.php?hash=S41axO0i1YCN. The exchange between King and Devine begins at 31:30.

The State has reached out to King for comment.

This story was originally published February 4, 2020 at 5:00 AM.