Will your child receive a laptop from school? Sumter district plans to give computers to some students WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 12, 2015
75 CENTS
SERVING SOUTH CAROLINA SINCE OCTOBER 15, 1894 3 SECTIONS, 24 PAGES | VOL. 120, NO. 251
BY KONSTANTIN VENGEROWSKY konstantin@theitem.com Sumter School District plans to integrate more technology into the classroom in the 2015-16 school year. The school district will conduct professional development in August and September and plans to issue Chromebooks to all
middle school students in October, said Shelly Galloway, public information coordinator. Some elementary schools will pilot this program this school year. Sumter School District plans to expand this technology initiative to all elementary and high schools pending the ability to secure funding. “If the initiative has
the full effect, it should be entirely different from what we’ve done in the past, integrating more technology into the classroom,” said David Laws Jr., the district’s director of secondary instructional technology, in his presentation to the school board on Monday. Six technology employees were hired this summer as part of the dis-
trict’s transition to becoming more tech-oriented. The positions include a director of secondary technology, director of elementary instructional technology, three innovation specialists and an innovation facilitator. Technology personnel are going through training so they can train
SEE COMPUTERS, PAGE A6
Doing back to school right The buzz about breathable booze Londoners give it a try; medical experts cautious A4
Think you can sing? Try out for Sumter Civic Chorale C1 FOOD
Serve shrimp in margarita glass with avocado, tomatoes C2 Quesadillas make quick meal of leftovers or heap of vegetables C3 DEATHS, B6 Sarah Strange Sammie Lee Frierson Evelyn M. Conyers
PHOTOS BY KEITH GEDAMKE / THE SUMTER ITEM
Beatrice L. Johnson Ricky Lee Watford
WEATHER, A8 SUN WILL PLAY PEEK-A-BOO Partly sunny today, and mainly clear tonight. HIGH 92, LOW 69
INSIDE
CONTACT US
Classifieds B7 Comics C6 Lotteries A8 Opinion A7 Sports B1 Television C7
Info: 774-1200 Advertising: 774-1237 Classifieds: 774-1234 Delivery: 774-1258 News and Sports: 774-1226
VISIT US ONLINE AT the
.com
Children, above, attending the Back to School Bash sponsored by Sumter Police Department enjoy hot dogs at Crosswell Park on Tuesday. Children also danced with Mickey Mouse.
Sumter Police Department hosts 4th-annual bash at Crosswell Park BY ADRIENNE SARVIS adrienne@theitem.com Despite the rain Tuesday morning, many families showed up to Crosswell Park for the fourth-annual Back to School Bash hosted by Sumter Police Department. Chief Russell Roark III said the department does whatever it can to improve the quality of life for members of the community. “It’s kind of our mantra,” he said. Roark said the event is another way for the department to continue to build good relationships with the community. He said the bash is also a great way for residents to interact with local departments that they would otherwise not be exposed to.
Representatives of Sumter Fire Department, Sumter County EMS, Sumter County Sheriff’s Office, Shaw Air Force Base and South Carolina Highway Patrol were at
the park to share safety tips and give out school supplies. Sheriff’s Deputy Eddie Hobbs
SEE BASH, PAGE A6
SCDOT rule requires 1-year wait for employees hired by firms BY SEANNA ADCOX The Associated Press COLUMBIA — To combat the perception that contractors who hire former Department of Transportation employees get an advantage in winning contracts, the SCDOT is adopting a new rule limiting what those ex-employees can do, the state agency’s acting secretary said Tuesday. Christy Hall told a House oversight panel the policy bars employees who leave the agency from working on new road construction projects for 365 days.
The agency canceled advertisements Monday so it could revise and reissue the bid solicitations, she said. The new policy is aimed at clarifying existing state ethics law. Hall said it’s a response to an unsuccessful legislative proposal and the resulting departure of high-level staff. The failed budget clause would have barred companies that hire a DOT engineer from winning any DOT contract for one year. Three employees with decades of experience left in a two-week span — ahead of what would have been the
July 1 effective date — out of concern they wouldn’t be able to work after retiring from the DOT, she said. Several others left within the last six months. Hall acknowledged “some gray areas” in the ethics law regarding an ex-staffer’s allowed involvement on a DOT project. The proposal “certainly got our attention,” said Hall, who became acting secretary July 1 following Janet Oakley’s resignation. “It became readily apparent that there’s a perception issue with people getting contracts and, yes, we may be following
the letter of the law with the ethics act, but there are still complaints about the appearance of impropriety,” she said. Paul Townes, the DOT’s chief internal auditor, told the panel it’s a legitimate concern because ex-staffers can be seen at DOT commission meetings. “They’re there almost the next month,” he said. “I think there’s public misconception.” The policy’s wording is expected to be finalized later this week. Hall noted she had not yet briefed commissioners on the new rule. The panel’s chairwoman,
Rep. Phyllis Henderson, RGreer, called it a step in the right direction. Rep. Ralph Norman, R-Rock Hill, said he too supports the concept, but projects take a “lot longer than 365 days” between their bidding and construction. He’s eager to see the rule’s final wording. “Does it solve what it intended to solve? No,” said Norman, a real estate developer. “We do have a lot of good employees who work there. They’re hired by different firms to navigate the system.”
SEE ROADS, PAGE A6