Orangeburg Superintendent Pockets $84K “bonus”

Superintendent is getting a questionable payout as teachers are forced to furlough.

In late June, the Voice received a anonymous letter detailing more financial shenanigans in Orangeburg School District Five.

The author suggested that the local superintendent worked behind the scenes with members of the School Board to massively inflate his daily pay.

Lee Tant, of the Orangeburg Times and Democrat, just published a great article detailing exactly how District Superintendent Melvin Smoak is “supplementing” his salary:

Orangeburg Consolidated School District 5 Superintendent Melvin Smoak has received more than $84,000 as compensation for vacation and sick days he didn’t use over the past 35 years.

Normally, district employees are paid just $40 a day for unused sick days. But in 2006, the board amended Smoak’s contract to apply his daily pay rate for each day of unused sick leave he accumulated at the end of the contract.

[Smoak] was given two raises after the amendment was made, which boosted his daily pay rate to $540, according to his contract.

Tant then explains that according to official district policy, unused sick days can accumulate from year-to-year. But district employees can only carry over 10 vacation days to the next year. Any unused vacation days beyond that are lost at the end of the year.

2009 SC Legislative Wrap-up (K12 EDUCATION)

In December and January the Voice posted summaries of legislation introduced in the South Carolina State Legislature.

Here, six months later, is an overview of the status of those and other bills relating to K-12 Education policy.

(Also look for upcoming reviews of Charter School bills, Tax bills, and Budget & Spending bills):

S. 99 Constitutional amendment – high quality education

This Joint Resolution provides that the general assembly shall provide for the maintenance and support of a system of free public schools and shall establish, organize, and support public institutions of learning that will provide a high quality education, allowing each student to reach the highest potential. The bill was referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee and did not receive any further action.

S. 134 School discrimination on religious viewpoints

This legislation enacts the Religious Viewpoints Anti-discrimination Act, which prohibits a school district from discriminating against a student based on religious viewpoint. The bill was referred to the Senate Education Committee and did not receive any further action.