Report: Unapproved hires contributed to $6.2M crisis Consultant cites 37 school district positions, underbudgeting BY BRUCE MILLS bruce@theitem.com TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2017
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SERVING SOUTH CAROLINA SINCE OCTOBER 15, 1894 3 SECTIONS, 20 PAGES | VOL. 122, NO. 87
A total of 37 unbudgeted new hires and drastically underbudgeted expenditures for other existing personnel contributed greatly to Sumter School District overspend-
ing by $6.2 million last fiscal year, according to a financial consultant’s report Monday. Scott Allan made his report Monday night to the Sumter School District Board of Trustees on what happened to cause the district’s current financial crisis at
the board’s meeting at Wilder Elementary School before an overflow crowd of more than 300 residents. The crisis was first revealed in December when the 2015-16 audit report revealed the district overspent
SEE DISTRICT, PAGE A8
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Doris and Bob Taylor look through their wedding album. They were married on May 1, 1953, almost 64 years ago.
Sumter couple reflects on long marriage DEATHS, B4
BY IVY MOORE ivy@theitem.com
Ansley James Cheryl Y. Sims Tom Harris Sr. Brady M. Lambert Sr. James Watson Edward Sabb Bobby Ann G. Mahoney Norma L. Calvin Maple Loyd A. Young Jeanetta Potts Billie D. Kirkland Ora Mae Boykin Tobias
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t was 1951 when they met. She was a 28-year-old seminary student from Virginia;
he was 24 and from Mississippi, also studying at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. At some point toward the end of their studies, Doris Virginia
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Doris and Bob Taylor cut the first piece of their wedding cake after their wedding ceremony.
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Taylor met. Was it love at first sight? “No, she chased me,” Bob Taylor
said, chuckling. Is that true? “Well ... ,” his wife of almost 64 years said with a smile. What attracted them to each other? “We were both single,” Bob said. Doris said, “He had a car — a green 1948 Plymouth.” “That made her think I was rich,” he said. Neither was wealthy, however. Both were children of the Great Depression. She remembers it well; her family had to move in with her grandmother. “The whole village was multifamily homes,” she recalled. On their first date, Doris said, “Bob drove us home from church.
SEE MARRIAGE, PAGE A6
Last-minute orders? Local florist plans for that BY RICK CARPENTER rick@theitem.com Most men wait until the last minute to order roses for a loved one, says the owner of a local florist company specializing in roses. But A Ring Around The Roses stocks up for such occasions, owner Christi Brunson said. As many as 70 percent of Valentine’s Day rose orders
come in on the day before or the day of the holiday, says floral designer Tiffany Marsh, who was accenting a dozen roses with caspia flowers on Friday. And the next biggest day? Ahem, the day after Valentine’s Day, she says. Brunson says the store does more business each day of this week than an entire
SEE FLORIST, PAGE A6
Sarah Mims, a floral designer for A Ring Around The Roses, prepares an arrangement titled “Perfect Impression” for a Valentine’s Day order. RICK CARPENTER / THE SUMTER ITEM
Poorly insulated homes create challenges for local homeowners Father, son receive help filling their propane tank BY JIM HILLEY jim@theitem.com Despite the unseasonably mild temperatures, families are still requesting assistance for heat-related needs at Sumter United Ministries, Crisis Relief Director Kevin Howell said. “Many residents in Sumter live in older-model mobile homes or poorly insulated, old block-style homes,” he
said. “The homes present challenges for adequate heating.” In these cases, radiant heat such as kerosene, propane or natural gas is necessary but often unaffordable for the ministry’s clients, he said. “A family came to SUM this week asking for help with filling up his
200-gallon propane tank,” Howell said. “The man is a 64-year-old disabled veteran who lives with his 41-year-old son.” The man’s son suffers from a mental condition and draws disability income. “Financially, they need one another to make the budget work, but the propane expense is nearly 50 percent of their combined monthly income when a fill-up is required,” Howell said. Without the propane, the home would not be adequately heated during the cool mornings and evenings. “Thanks to the donations made to
the Fireside Fund, Sumter United Ministries offered substantial financial assistance toward the propane invoice along with food and referrals,” Howell said. The client was also encouraged in his struggles and found a listening ear as he explained his circumstances. “Thank you for continuing to support the Fireside Fund and thus allowing SUM to be available to offset the financial stress of winter heating expenses,” Howell said.
SEE FIRESIDE, PAGE A8