Rock Hill school equity committee wants more specific data from district

A committee appointed by the Rock Hill school board to study equity among the district’s three high schools wants more financial information, as well as academic data and school board policies.

The panel held its first meeting Tuesday at the district offices. It quickly focused on the opening of South Pointe High School in 2005. Some South Pointe parents have said the school activities were not adequately funded from the start. Parents took their concerns to Superintendent Kelly Pew, who hired a Greenville accounting firm to audit the activity funds at all three schools — from athletics to French clubs to high school yearbooks.

Accounting procedures at the schools were inconsistent, the firm found, and South Pointe has run deficits in its student activity accounts for several years. The school board agreed to forgive 50 percent of the deficit and allow South Pointe to pay the rest of the deficit over three years.

The equity committee wants the data the auditors used to reach their conclusions. Other “wants” from the committee are the “bare-bones” budget to operate the three high school athletic programs, a list of all student activities, academic performance data, median household income data for each high school district, and school enrollment projections for the next 10 years.

The committee also asked for policy information such as the district’s oversight policies for various school and extra-curricular accounts, and how often the school board considers enrollment trends.

The committee hopes the school district can assemble the data by the panel’s Oct. 8 meeting.

Representing Rock Hill High School are Rebecca Keenan, band booster treasurer; Todd Lumpkin, parent; Babs Addison, teacher and School Improvement Council member; RJ Ochoa, president Bearcat Backers athletic booster club; Whitney Maness, student; and alternative member Erin Baker, School Improvement Council, parent and district employee.

Representing Northwestern High School are Tanya Tucker, School Improvement Council, parent and district employee; Fred Jordan, parent; Butch Bailey, School Improvement Council and ex-band booster; Craig Shipman, Trojan Club and parent; and Claire Robinson, School Improvement Council, student.

Representing South Pointe High School are Scarlett Black, student; Mike Grubb, Stallion Club president; Rebecca Gilleland, School Improvement Council, parent; Dan Ballou, School Improvement Council, parent; and Stephen Cox parent of future South Pointe student.

Ex-officio members of the committee include Associate Superintendent Luanne Kokolis, Northwestern principal James Blake, South Pointe principal Al Leonard, and Rock Hill High School principal Ozzie Ahl.

This story was originally published September 15, 2015 at 9:23 PM with the headline "Rock Hill school equity committee wants more specific data from district."