USC women prep for all-SEC title game
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Bridging the city with South Sumter Festival on the Avenue runs Thursday to Saturday A5
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Battle Buddies obstacle course to be better than ever
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On the same page Allan centerstage at meeting Board, finance committee see need for a new CFO BY BRUCE MILLS bruce@theitem.com Sumter School Board members and privatebusiness leaders who serve on the board’s finance committee agree the district needs to begin a search for a new chief financial officer. Board members and finance committee members made their comments last week, emphasizing the importance of having a seasoned and skilled financial professional on staff to prepare financial statements internally and have proper real-time information available for daily decision-making on a $120 million-plus budget. Finance committee members said the district has lacked a finance professional of that caliber since April 2015, when certified public accoun-
tant Steve Mann left the district. The need for such a finance official to monitor the overall big picture of the school district’s finances and prepare financial reports internally was first made clear by independent auditor Robin Poston when she released her fiscal year 2016 audit report to the board of trustees in December. In that report, Poston revealed the district overspent by $6.2 million in fiscal year 2016 and had an ending general fund balance on June 30, 2016, of $106,449 — a critically low level for a key catch-all fund category, according to Poston. “The finance department is fewer people than
BY BRUCE MILLS bruce@theitem.com
OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
The financial consultant hired by Sumter School Board of Trustees to guide the district through its current financial crisis will present another update to the board at its regular meeting Monday night, says the board chairman. For Scott Allan, the consultant hired nearly three months ago, it will mark his fourth public presentation to the board. His last presentation on March 13 included a review of activities he has been conducting with district staff to fix this
WHAT: Sumter School Board of Trustees’ meeting WHERE: District office, 1345 Wilson Hall Road WHEN: Monday, 6 p.m.
year’s budget, his implementation of budget safeguards and steps to take to help draft the budget for next fiscal year, which begins July 1. Allan, who is being paid $1,000 per day by the district for his work, reported
SEE MEETING, PAGE A11
SEE AGREEMENT, PAGE A11
Gamecocks fight to bitter end
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
South Carolina’s Chris Silva (30) and Gonzaga’s Johnathan Williams (3) battle for the ball at tipoff during a men’s Final Four semifinal game on Saturday at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. The Gamecocks made a furious second-half rally before falling 77-73 to the Bulldogs. See Sports, B1, for game stories and photos.
Manufacturers give students fresh look at area industries BY BRUCE MILLS bruce@theitem.com Changing mindsets about industrial and manufacturing careers and planting seeds for the future were the major themes Friday at a manufacturing and technology expo in Sumter for area eighth-graders. About 330 eighth-graders converged on Central Carolina Technical College’s Advanced Manufacturing Technology Training Center, at 853
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Broad St., on Friday morning for the 2017 Manufacturers & Technology Expo and were met by representatives of 22 regional manufacturing and technology firms who wants students to know that a fouryear degree isn’t the only pathway to success. Students got to see and participate in interactive displays and exhibits during an industrial fair, take part in a tour of
RICK CARPENTER / THE SUMTER ITEM
Ben Stephens, at far left, an energy management coordinator for Black River Electric Cooperative, illustrates the dangers of touching a vehicle with a downed power line on it to Tyler Riley and Javmin McCoy of Hillcrest Middle School on Friday. Black River had a booth at the 2017 Manufacturers & Technology Expo at Central Carolina Technical College on Friday. A close-up view of the demonstration is shown above.
SEE INDUSTRIES, PAGE A9
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DEATHS, A13 James O. Brunson Teona Y. Taylor Samuel E. DuRant Sr. Luella Keith Evans Ruemonte Tevis
Ernest Delgar Butler Robert M. Reynolds Hulene F. Pendergrass Meldina P. June Allen E. Singleton
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SUNNY SUNDAY
4 SECTIONS, 32 PAGES VOL. 122, NO. 121
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