An image-conscious Orangeburg Consolidated School District 5 Board of Trustees met Tuesday at Rivelon Elementary School and approved a new logo.

Also approved was an "audience comment form" designed to rein in the sometimes-freewheeling remarks made during public comment time at monthly meetings.

The old logo is boxy, with a contrasting-color arrow in the corner. The new logo is a more dynamic, oval shape, with the arrow positioned in the center.

"It looks like we're moving," board Chairman Melvin Crum said.

The audience comment form could make its debut as soon as the Feb. 25 board meeting. Citizens who would like to speak during the public comment time will be asked to indicate the topic they would like to address.

Until now, a person only had to show up, be recognized and -- if many people wanted to speak -- stick to a time limit. But some speakers have raised issues that the board was unaware of, and others have spoken on matters over which the board has no control, Crum said.

Some citizens have used public comment times to inform the trustees of their complaints or concerns about district employees or incidents.

They "don't need to make a scene about that" at board meetings, Crum said. Most of the time, "the board has no knowledge of" the incident that sparked the complaint, and therefore cannot address it.

Some folks in the North area have been inquiring about the status of their request for renaming North Elementary and its gymnasium.

But the board has nothing to do with that yet, Crum said, explaining that the board is waiting on a recommendation from an ad hoc committee. (Trustees have named the committee's members, but they have never met because the board has not activated the committee.)

So when a concerned citizen addressed the matter at the last meeting, "five to seven minutes was spent that could have been eliminated," Crum explained.

Crum says the audience comment form will give him a way to vet the requests.

"They will list the topic they'd like to address, and if I determine that it's not a topic we can do anything about ... if the topic doesn't fit the realm of the discussion, we'll either defer it or refer it" to the appropriate individual.

For instance, if a parent has a complaint about something that happened at a particular school, he or she might be encouraged to contact the school principal instead of addressing the trustee board.

Superintendent Melvin Smoak informed the board that "another (state funding) cut has been imposed on us," he said. "Hopefully that will be the end of it for us. We will look at it and keep you posted."

The district's fund balance is sufficient to get through this fiscal year, said Donnie Boland, assistant superintendent for financial services.

Smoak said the administration is moving toward producing a new budget that won't require a property tax increase.

Smoak also announced that 18 middle school students in the district have been named Junior Scholars and that the district has received $3.6 million in grants so far this year.

He said the district had appealed several school report card ratings to the State Department of Education, with the result that:

-- North Elementary's absolute rating improved to average and the improvement rating improved to good, and the school will earn a Palmetto Silver cash award.

-- The middle school portion of North Middle/High improved to average.

Barbara Sarjeant gave an overview of the district's parenting program and After School Place program.

The parenting program serves families of children from birth to age 5 and includes home visits, workshops, parent training and programs for teen parents and teen parents-to-be.

After School Places operate in every elementary school in the district except Marshall, which has a YMCA program, and North, where there is a lack of parental involvement.

After School Places serve children of parents who are at work or in work training. They provide enrichment activities and homework help but not tutorial services, Sarjeant explained.

After an hour-long executive session:

-- Crum said a contingent of architects, including Harvey Gantt of Charlotte, had presented a concern related to a contractual matter. The board heard them out but took no action.

-- The board said it heard an appeal of a denial of a student transfer request, but deferred its decision until later.

-- Trustees approved the continuation of a student transfer request. Susan Gleaton voted no.

At the Jan. 28 meeting, the board met in executive session for a personnel hearing involving an employee at one of the schools in North.

After hearing from attorneys and a series of witnesses over a three-hour period, trustees decided to call a special meeting for Feb. 5 to continue their deliberations.

On Feb. 5, the board voted to deny the request for relief made in connection with a grievance filed by a certified employee of the district, and uphold the decision of the administration to remove that employee from a supplemental position.

In light of this employee's past service to the district, it was voted upon that the superintendent offer this employee the opportunity to work the extra 30 days that were part of that employee's supplemental position and compensate the employee at his daily rate for that work, and also compensate this employee, during the 2002-03 school year only, for the stipend that the employee received during the 2001-02 school year.

T&D Staff Writer Lee Hendren can be reached by e-mail at lhendren@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5552.

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