The Williston School Board learned more about Robert’s Rules of Order this week during special meeting held Monday, August 30.
Dr. Paul Krohne of the S.C. School Board Association gave a workshop for the board on the basics of procedure.
“It’s a tool to get to an endpoint,’ said Krohne in presenting effective methods of using Robert’s Rules of Order. He said the rules “are a means to make sure that even if there is disagreement, it is handled fairly.”
“When you try to get to a decision on an issue, there’s going to be conflict,” he said. We can’t do anything about that.”
The rules are a means for a meeting to be “efficient and fair, moving things along,” he said.
For approximately an hour Krohne reviewed Robert’s Rules of Order and the most common motions, actions and mistakes boards make as well as the responsibilities and scope of power of the chairman.
Krohne answered questions from individual members who posed specific “What if?” situations.
While some may think the workshop was a result of a procedural disagreement during the last regular meeting, board members say the workshop had been previously scheduled.
Following the workshop chairman Ronald Brown and five-member board put their newly-honed skills into action.
They voted unanimously to hire two teachers following a recommendation by Superintendent Alexia C. Clamp. Eric Young was hired at the high school and Megan Boylston was hired to teach at the elementary school. Both are first year teachers.
Next they discussed the cost of a well to irrigate the football field or sports complex.
Superintendent Clamp said she had received bids on providing the wells. “Basically you are talking about $8,000 for each well,” she said.
Board member Chris Rivers said, “It looks like there are some long-term savings” but questioned where the money would come from. District Director of Finance Sally Kardes said it would come out the district’s bond money.
Board member Calvin Melton said he had done some research and “it will take at least eight years to recover the cost and see that savings.” He said, “I don’t necessarily object to this” but asked the board to consider the time to recover the savings.
Clamp said she wasn’t ready to make a recommendation on the issue.
Board member Alan Mulligan said, “It is a worthwhile savings.”
Rivers moved to postpone the issue to the September meeting “to get more information.” Chairman Brown seconded the motion which was agreed to by the entire board.
Rivers also asked that Clamp gather the best information on the cost of installing and running the well “annually, five years and ten years.”
In the final agenda item Clamp discussed two proposals provided at the Aug. 17 meeting for janitorial services.
She recommended that the board pursue a request for proposal (RFP) on janitorial services which would detail the actual services to be provided and the costs for those services.
“This is the only way to get specific information on how much it would cost our district,” she said.
At the last meeting the board had heard presentations from The Budd Group and St. Moritz to provide those services.
Alan Mulligan moved and Doris Young seconded the motion to accept the superintendent’s recommendation.
Calvin Melton said the two companies “are going to save the money by taking our employees who may or may not be hired.”
“I’m convinced they will lose their state retirement, their state insurance,” he said.
He said, “The bottom line is that a lot of time will be spent to put together this RFP and in the end, I’m convinced, the people who are going to feel the impact are the employees we have here today.”
“Our job is to take care of our employees and do the best we can do,” he said. “I think we need to put together a program to change things.”
Chris Rivers said, “This is just an RFP to get the information. We can’t evaluate the savings until we gather the information so we can make an educated decision.”
Rivers, Brown, Young and Mulligan voted in favor of getting the RFP. Melton voted against it.
Clamp and the board members all said the RFP is a fact-finding mission and not an effort to harm employees.
Clamp said when she talked with the two companies previously “I made it perfectly clear that we have 10 employees and we did not want them negatively affected. I want to go on record that it is not the intention that we would impact our present custodial staff in a negative way.”
Young added that in order to have her support, “It would have to be a tremendous savings. I don’t want anyone to think we are trying to put anyone out of a job. We are just trying to get information.”
Rivers said “there’s no harm in getting an evaluation.”
Mulligan suggested the board give all the maintenance staff a copy of what the companies provided the board at the last meeting. “Nobody in this group wants anyone to lose their jobs.”
The actions were taken before a group of maintenance staff who attended the meeting but made no comment.