The Augusta Legislative Delegation has approved a pay raise for members of the Richmond County School Board. The decision came just as legislators wrapped up the 2021 General Assembly session.
The board had requested raises that are almost double the current salaries. The board president will receive $14,000 annually, the vice president $13,000, and the members $12,000.
MORE: The Richmond County Board of Education Wants A Pay Raise
It has been nearly two decades since the board received a cost of living increase and board member Venis Cain said the adjustment is long overdue.
“We don’t get a gas card. We pay for our own cell phones and we don’t get any per diems,” she said.
However, not everyone on the board is happy about the raises.
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Dr. Wayne Frazier worked in the school system as a teacher and principal for 20 years before being elected to the school board. Frazier said he feels that the board is being rewarded for failure.
The Governor’s Office of Student Achievement released its “report card” for school districts across the state for the 2018 – 2019 school year and the report gave Richmond County an “F.” According to the report, in terms of overall performance, Richmond County only rates at 4% compared to the state average.
“In a normal circumstance, I would support (the pay raises), but I can’t support it at this time,” he said. “The first time the board asked for a raise, the system had a D and now the grade has fallen to an F and we get a raise. It just isn‘t right in my opinion.”
Cain disagrees with Frazier on the issue of the raises and said the persistent problems in the school system should not be blamed on the board.
“We are policy makers and we have to follow state guidelines. Richmond County has the same curriculum as every other school system in the state,” she said. “We can only control what goes on during the day in the classroom, but we are powerless when it comes to when the student goes home. We don’t have a curriculum problem, we have a parent problem.”
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In a rare agreement with Cain, Frazier said virtually the same thing about the student’s home life making an impact on academic success.
“Most of our students are African-American and you go into those neighborhoods and you’ll find one thing missing and that is the black man, the black father,” he said.
MORE: Wide Disparity Between Columbia and Richmond County School Grades
Prior to 2021, the rules of the Delegation demanded a unanimous vote on all matters. However, that rule was relaxed last year to allow for a simple majority. That rule change paved the way for the raises to be granted, as District 125 Representative Sheila Nelson and District 126 Representative Gloria Frazier (who is the spouse of board member Wayne Frazier) voted no on the proposed salary increase.
Scott Hudson is the Managing Editor of The Augusta Press. Reach him at scott@theaugustapress.com
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