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Richland County CUSD 1 board meeting, Sep 24, 2026

3 h 00 min · 3 public speakers

This board doesn’t post agenda times. Click a board member to jump to where they first speak; we list only members whose voice our check named. Video length 3 h 00 min.

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What happened

What happened at this meeting

Richland County board moves to seek independent counsel to review 2026⁠-⁠27 master schedule 2:43:45

  • Board members discussed the FY27 budget, and Jake Anderson said the district had a surplus of $13.5 million over the past 5 years; the board then took up a change order for the South Building. 1:30:15
  • The board also discussed a motion on holiday pay and 3 inclement weather days for support staff, and a motion to table that item was made and seconded. 2:27:02
  • The board took up a motion to employ an independent counsel to investigate the procedures, decisions and circumstances surrounding the creation of the 2026⁠-⁠27 master schedule, and a speaker later referred to the board having approved seeking counsel. 2:43:45

Until Nov 4, lines where a board member takes a side don't name the member. Why →

Item by item (15)
  1. Budget hearing and opening 0:55
    • The meeting opened with a public hearing on the FY27 budget, and the presiding speaker said the district was projected to exceed its target of 200 days cash on hand. 0:55
    • The board said the Pledge of Allegiance and a staff member called the roll. 2:09
  2. Recognition of new staff 3:00
    • A staff member said principals would introduce new teachers, counselors and administration, starting with the high school, and a staff member introduced new staff at Richland County Elementary School. 3:18
    • A staff member recognized a new administrator at the Early Learning Center. 7:15
  3. Public comment 7:48
    • A speaker at public comment cited district policy listing in-school suspension as an option and asked for the speaker's job back. 13:54
    • A speaker at public comment asked board members to talk with teachers and to open interviews for a proposed investigation beyond emails. 16:58
  4. Board comment period 18:26
    • Cindy Lockley asked why the in-school suspension room was taken away, and a staff member said, according to legal counsel, the room required a certified teacher with a license and the policy had not changed. 19:33
    • One board member asked why the explanation had not been shared with the board earlier and raised concerns about parents being kept off the field after games and children being yelled at. 21:38
    • A staff member said parents would enter through the north gate and wait in the north end zone until the teams finished, and one board member said any examples of inappropriate yelling needed to be provided so they could be investigated. 24:23
  5. Consent agenda 45:54
    • The board took a roll call vote on a motion to approve the consent agenda. 46:00
  6. Financial reports 46:37
    • A staff member reported a beginning cash balance of $31,901,516.95, August revenue of $11,218,824.39 and an ending August cash balance of $38,138,000. 46:41
    • The staff member said August 1% sales tax revenue was $207,718.44 and the district had already surpassed the roughly $2 million it planned for. 49:20
  7. Administrative reports 53:59
    • The superintendent's report listed a 10-day enrollment of 2,131 students, down about 82 from last year, and said the Early Learning Center was recognized for Accelerate Gold for the second time in a row. 54:01
    • A staff member said the athletic building was expected to reach substantial completion in the middle of November and that the project total was $689,838.56 below the original budget. 57:17
    • The district's food service director said average daily breakfasts at the high school rose from about 70 to 240 after a breakfast cart was added. 1:00:37
  8. District budget review 1:30:15
    • Jake Anderson said that over five years the district had a surplus of $13.5 million, with expenditures up 34% and revenue up 22%. 1:32:31
    • A staff member said the 34% increase included a little over $6 million for the pre-K building. 1:40:26
    • A staff member said there was concern state transportation funding could be significantly reduced and that no new buses were built into this year's budget. 1:44:33
  9. South Building change order 1:51:06
    • A staff member said Option 1 had a cost difference of $22,104.10 and that Option 2 would lengthen the building from 158 feet to 170 feet. 1:55:37
    • One board member said the wrestling program was growing and the board had the opportunity to do it right now. 2:05:50
    • Jeff Wilson moved to approve Option 2, and the motion was read as a change order with Grunlow in the amount of $159,021.22. 2:08:18
  10. Solar tax incentive agreement 2:10:00
    • Administration recommended an agreement with Alliant to work on tax incentives for the district's solar projects. 2:10:11
    • A staff member said the performance-based contract would cost 10% of the filing and audit amount or $25,000 maximum per project. 2:11:14
  11. Creation of board committees 2:15:15
    • A staff member suggested combining topics to create 4 committees instead of the 7 or 8 in the original document. 2:17:45
    • One board member said there was a risk of dividing the board by putting two members on a committee. 2:24:09
  12. Joint Annual Conference delegate 2:26:11
    • One board member said that they served as delegate last year and that the process was enjoyable, and a motion was made for that member to serve as delegate. 2:26:26
  13. Holiday and weather day pay 2:27:02
    • One board member said the intent was not to give one group of employees an extra benefit but to stabilize their checks. 2:31:14
    • One board member said it was a no tonight because the board had not done negotiations. 2:36:15
    • Jeff Wilson said the benefit would cost $20,461 per day for part-time non-certified employees and $80,796 a day for all staff. 2:40:53
  14. Independent investigation of master schedule 2:43:45
    • The motion called for an independent counsel to investigate the creation of the 2026⁠-⁠27 master schedule, including statements and actions at the August special board meeting. 2:43:45
    • The board president said an attorney estimated the investigation would cost between $10,000 and $20,000. 2:48:03
    • A staff member said guidance would be running all of the scheduling moving forward, and Dusty Kocher asked whether the person addressed had investigated the matter and knew all the facts and timelines. 2:50:07
    • A speaker later referred to the board having approved seeking counsel and said dates would be sent out for a special board meeting to pick an investigator. 2:59:06
  15. Executive session and personnel 2:55:54
    • The board entered executive session to discuss personnel, possible or pending litigation and closed session minutes, then reconvened in open session. 2:55:54
    • Administration recommended the board approve the personnel action as presented. 2:58:41

Written by software from the meeting's transcript and checked sentence by sentence against it.

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Other meetings of this board

Video: posted by the district as “September 24, 2026 Regular School Board Meeting”