Public can attend Beaufort Co. school board meeting in person for first time since March
When Beaufort County’s board of education swears in its new members next week, it will mark the first time since March that the public will be able to attend a meeting in person — but it’ll look different than in the past.
Thirty people will be able to attend the Jan. 5 meeting in person, spokesperson Candace Bruder said Tuesday. Once “board members, senior staff, and family members of the board members to be sworn in” are admitted, the rest of the in-person slots will be given to the public on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Bruder said the district did not know how many staff, board members and family members will be attending.
“Upon entry to the district office, everyone will have their temperature taken and masks will be required,” she said. “As per usual, the meeting will also air on the County Channel.”
The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. at the district office, 2900 Mink Point Boulevard, in Burton.
Christina Gwozdz, the board’s chairperson, said Monday that the Jan. 5 meeting will be limited to the swearing in of new members and the election of new board officers. There will be no public comment period, and the board won’t discuss the district’s planned return to five days a week of in-person classes, which begin the day before the meeting.
Since March 17, when the board canceled its meeting after S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster moved all K-12 schools online for the coronavirus pandemic, the board has held meetings entirely over Zoom.
When the district began offering hybrid, in-person classes in addition to online learning in October, the board followed. Since their Oct. 6 meeting, board members have had the option to attend meetings in person at the district office in Beaufort or via Zoom. The public has been kept online, and the board has accepted public comments via phone call.
The school board has asked public commenters to email their name, phone number and topic to board assistant Robyn Cushingberry at robyn.cushingberry@beaufort.k12.sc.us in the hour before the meeting. Commenters will be called to deliver their comment. The comment period near the beginning of the meeting is limited to 30 minutes.
Tricia Fidrych made the motion to allow family members and the public to attend in-person at the board’s Dec. 8 meeting. That motion passed 8-0-3, with William Smith and outgoing members John Dowling and JoAnn Orischak abstaining.
The board has not announced whether the public will be allowed to attend subsequent meetings in person.
What’s on the agenda?
All three of the board’s officer positions — currently held by chairperson Gwozdz, vice chairperson Cathy Robine and secretary Smith — are up for election at that Jan. 5 meeting.
On Dec. 8, the board voted 10-1 to shorten the term officers serve from two years to one year. Earl Campbell was the lone “no” vote.
Before the officer election, two new members — Angela Middleton and Ingrid Boatright — will be sworn in. Both ran unopposed in the November election.
Middleton is replacing Dowling for District 6, which covers most of Okatie and Sun City. Dowling, who has been on the board since 2017, announced he would not seek re-election due to the “very taxing” nature of the position.
Middleton worked as an educator for nearly 15 years, and said the top issue of her campaign was educating students in-person while keeping them and teachers healthy.
Boatright is replacing Orischak for District 11, which covers the south end of Hilton Head Island. Orischak, who has been on the board since 2008, did not run for re-election due to a self-imposed term limit.
Boatright, who is working toward a master’s degree in health informatics, was previously a stay-at-home mom. She had two children graduate from Hilton Head Island High School and serves on the board of directors for the Boys & Girls Club of Hilton Head. She said the top issue of her campaign was in-person instruction for students.
This story was originally published December 29, 2020 at 3:01 PM.