Cole Resigns
PRINCIPAL EMBROILED IN MIDLANDS SCHOOL DISTRICT SCANDAL CALLS IT QUITS
FITSNews - August 19, 2008 - The other shoe dropped tonight in the ongoing Sex, LIes and Educrats scandal at one of South Carolina’s largest school districts …
Melissa Cole - an elementary school principal in the embattled Lexington-Richland School District Five system - submitted her resignation to district officials yesterday, news of which has been picked up tonight by WIS-TV and La Socialista (a.k.a. The State newspaper).
Cole is alleged to have been engaged in an extramarital affair with former District Superintendent Scott Anderson, who resigned his post three weeks ago.
More importantly, Andersen was caught grossly inflating student population estimates to justify passage of a quarter billion dollar bond referendum, one which is backed by a wealthy developer with extensive property holdings in the district.
Most residents we’ve spoke with since this scandal broke on FITSNews over a month ago favor passage of a scaled-back referendum that would permit needed facility upgrades without building unnecessary new facilities simply to suit developers’ needs.
Two prior attempts to pass a referendum for new school construction in the district have failed, including a 2005 effort smitten by our own Sic Willie and a 2007 campaign which was defeated by Rod Shealy, Jr.
Comments
By Now they can be together... on August 19th, 2008 at 7:27 pm
Reunited and it feels so goooood.
By James on August 19th, 2008 at 8:22 pm
What a sad day for River Springs.
Mrs. Cole was a wonderful principal. I wish her only the best and pray that she finds peace in what must be the darkest hours of her life. As I walked through RSES today I thought of the heart-ache that she must feel as the staff and parents and children bustled about to prepare for the new school year. Thank you for preparing a wonderful foundation for the next principal to build upon.
Good luck to Mr. Hainsworth - I’m sure you have the support of all in the RSES family.
Thanks for nothing mister andersEn - this is a great lesson for boys/men everywhere: never let the little hEad think for the big hEad,
By hEads up on August 19th, 2008 at 11:16 pm
I am thinking that she may not be the only principal that hE used his little hEad to inspire. We’ve all heard rumors. What happened to poor Cole’s husband and children?
By Mike on August 20th, 2008 at 9:30 am
James, I think girls/women should learn a lesson from this, too. Don’t sleep with your boss, especially if you’re married. Why do we continue to blame only him? Was she a willing participant in the relationship?
Could there be more to the suspension that led to her resignation? Does anyone know ALL the facts?
I don’t think we’ve heard the last from Mrs. Cole.
By rick on August 20th, 2008 at 10:01 am
I always find it amusing that people worry about who’s sleeping with whom. This was an issue between the principals and their spouses. Inflation of data/corruption of data is every taxpayers issue. I frankly find that I don’t care what two adults do as long as I’m not paying for it. Busy bodies/self righteous goons need to find a hobby.
By Mike on August 20th, 2008 at 10:47 am
OK rick maybe someday we can all be as sophisticated and worldly as you. If you would comprehend my post, you would see I’m suggesting there’s more to it than an affair. And, by the way, if an affair leads to preferential treatment in this particular work place, you are paying for it.
By James on August 20th, 2008 at 3:11 pm
Mike,
I’ll leave the fairer sex to opine on the lessons learned for their gender…although if I may be so bold as to suggeset one: be VERY careful before accepting a position in the Lex/Rich #5 - folks here are a few centuries behind in their thought process and still think the Salem Witch Trials were fair.
By RESIGN OR ELSE on August 20th, 2008 at 4:32 pm
I HEAR SHE HAD NO CHOICE. IT WAS RESIGN OR BE FIRED. MAYBE THIS ISN’T RIGHT BUT WHAT IS GOING AROUND.
By James on August 20th, 2008 at 5:56 pm
You mean when you hit “delete all messages” they aren’t really all deleted? Holy crap batman - these investigators in District 5 might want more than one bullet in their pocket.
By Move on on August 20th, 2008 at 6:06 pm
I believe SD5 had no choice to do whatever they did in this difficult situation. Remember who Melissa Cole replaced? The oh so great Lynn Robertson, now principal in Richland 1. She also had an affair with an employee. They could not have that “swept under the rug” scandal be brought back to life for all to see how badly it was handled. #2, it’s not all about the male in the relationship. Women can be destructive also.
By What happened? on August 20th, 2008 at 6:39 pm
Did anyone ever stop to think that maybe she DIDN”T have an affair with the super? Just because the wife names her does not make it true! Mrs. Cole is the victim of a Bollman witch hunt - pure and simple! Herr Bollman has been linked to having an affair with a subordinate in the past, too, and look where it got him!!
By Think.think... on August 20th, 2008 at 7:03 pm
That is the mode of operation for this district office. Resign or be fired. They use anything. It is a history lesson in the vein of the Crucible and The Scarlet Letter.
By reggie on August 20th, 2008 at 8:26 pm
@2, 8, and ESPICIALLY 11.
*i am pretty sure that she is not in a witch hunt.*
OMFG. I HATE YOU PEOPLE WHO ARE ALL LIKE “O, Mrs. Cole could never do wrong. we need to worship her and crucify whoever is making this up”. SHUT UP
yes, it is indeed possible that a person CAN IN FACT do wrong and have an affair. if she was not guilty, then im pretty sure that she wouldnt resign.
do i think she was a good person, yes. do i think she should be allowed to have an affair and come back like nothing happened. HELL NAW.
this is all about proper judgement and apparently the only people who are showing unfair judgement are stereotypically the rich, high taxpaying “soccer moms” that live in ascot, only because they voluenter at the school 24/7.
By James on August 20th, 2008 at 9:09 pm
You’re right reggie - the witch hunt is over - we’re now in full stake-burning mode that self-righteous folk like yourself set….did your great-great-grandpappy move here from Salem?
AMEN #12 - I highly doubt you’ll find many copies of The Scarlet Letter here - I bet a dollar it’s on the banned book list.
By Sorry #11... on August 20th, 2008 at 10:11 pm
But if you can’t find someone to admire in Lee Bollman then there’s really no helping you. That is one decent and fine man.
By reggie on August 21st, 2008 at 4:16 pm
no, actually my great grandad is still kickin in Greenville right now at the young age of 92. And how exactly am I self richious for disagreeing with you?. Is it because I’m right or because you brown- nosed mrs cole last year so your spoiled ass kids will get a good teacher
By Are you kidding? on August 21st, 2008 at 4:44 pm
Dr. Bollman must have written #15 - no one in District 5, who’s experienced the terror, would love Lee as much as Lee does.
By ryan on August 21st, 2008 at 6:16 pm
LEE BOLLMAN - HE IS GOING TO BE THE TRUE DOWN FALL OF THIS DISTRICT. HE HAS DEVASTATED THE SCHOOL AT RIVER SPRINGS.HE SIMPLY WOULDN’T LISTEN AND THEN USED UNDER-HANDED METHODS TO GET THE RESULTS HE INTENDED.
By in the know on August 21st, 2008 at 6:54 pm
Talk to anyone who works at the DO and they’ll tell you all about the relationship Lee Bollman has with his secretary. Been going on for a loooong time and nobody does anything about it.
By Not LB on August 21st, 2008 at 9:08 pm
You all are stoned. Lee Bollman is a prince. (And let me get this straight…HE has devastated River Springs?!! That’s a good one. I suppose he is secretly behind the behavior of the past two administrators? Running some sort of escort service, perhaps?)
River Springs is in good hands. Boyd’s a smart guy. Move on…
By James on August 22nd, 2008 at 7:46 am
reggie - what part of #2 do you disagree with and what part of # 2 was so out of line that you had to scream “OMFG I HATE PEOPLE LIKE YOU” after you read it?
No where in #2 could anyone with a basic level of reading comprehension twist what I wrote and imply that Mrs. Cole could do no wrong - we ALL fail.
No where in #2 could anyone with a basic level of reading comprehension twist what I wrote to imply that we should worhship Mrs. Cole - expressing sorrow for someone in their darkest hours is hardly a form of worship.
Your grandfather must be a fine man - no one lives that long filled with hatred and bitterness so you may want to try to emulate his outlook on life and you may find peace.
By reggie on August 22nd, 2008 at 7:03 pm
james, its called exaggeration. i use it as a literary device so i can stress my point.
for example, if i were very hungry i may say “i could eat a horse”. knowing that there is almost no possible way i could eat a whole horse.
so, in this case, i was using my exaggeration to stress the fact that you (seemed to) support mrs. cole based on the way you wrote, and think that her resignation is wrong.
and by the way, nowhere is spelled NOWHERE. not no-where, and another thing. disagreeing with you does not make me an unhappy soul, demonic, bitter, or chronically depressed, just slightly better looking than you
By hyperbole and metaphors on August 23rd, 2008 at 10:18 am
reggie - I think it is technically called a hyperbole when you use a phrase to express an exaggeration.
James I hate to say it but you appear as bitter as reggie in this discussion… At least from my vantage point.
Cole resigned, Andersen resigned, Hite stated she is not seeking re-election and I am sure there are a lot of reasons. There is clearly a problem within the district.
I think the problem may be that they are trying to “eat the whole horse and the horse is kicking” (the last phrase is technically called a metaphore - it is a representation of some greater understanding). Perhaps if they killed the horse. Then cut it up into small manageable pieces (discarding the parts that smell bad) they could handle the day to day chewing easier.
By James on August 23rd, 2008 at 12:18 pm
Yes, I’m a bitter because I’m not as good looking as reggie and don’t live in Ascot even though reggie thinks I do. reggie, can you score me a pool pass for Ascot at least?
Or, could I be bitter because of all the knuckle-draggers that lay claim to a moral high ground from their knee high pile of horse manure (just going with the methaphor folks)?!
Re-read what I’ve written and see that I expressed appreciation for Mrs. Cole’s performance at RSES - she inherited a mess and based on what just about everyone else has stated both in blogs and to the board did a very fine job.
I also never opined that her resignation was wrong - knowing this community she had no choice. She’ll be better off getting far away from this brackish mess and all the knuckle-dragging hate mongers in this community that yelled for her stoning and referenced Biblical passages in the same breath.
I could make a case that the district’s selective enforcement of a morality clause is hypocritical. To the folks still applauding the demise of Mrs. Cole: why don’t all you knuckle-draggers now go after all the lesbians and homesexuals in the district’s employ?
Oh, btw, while we’re all getting our panties in a bunch over spell-checks: reggie: righteous is not spelled richeous and #23: you’ve spelled metaphor(e) 2 ways - metaphor and metaphore?
By Think.think... on August 25th, 2008 at 6:17 pm
Whoa! An homage to the horse talk.
The horse is kicking is actually personification. Giving human qualities to a non human entity.
They tried to eat the whole horse and the horse is kicking would be what is called an idiom. Meant to express an idea but cannot be understood using a literal translation.
I believe that in this informal setting, spelling lapses will be forgiven.
But misnomers (giving the wrong name to an idea or rule) are absolutely a no-no.
Just joking, before anyone tries to black my eyes. But as an English teacher, I am heartened that people do try to get it right.
By James on August 26th, 2008 at 12:42 pm
Would the endearing term “knuckle-draggers” be an idiom as well?
By rick on August 26th, 2008 at 1:56 pm
Mike, whether you want to admit it or not….we always pay for it. At least someone besides me is getting screwed for the taxes I pay. Until these people are arrested and tried for their heinous crimes, I prefer to understand that the gossip surrounding whether or not they did “the dirty deed” is less important than the possible massaging of data to inflate the number of those tax dollars needed to provide educational services to the students. So once again, I don’t care whose playing “hide the sausage” since thats an issue between spouses and not me. Quit throwing shit into the game to make your point….doesn’t play in Peoria.
By Think.think... on August 26th, 2008 at 6:04 pm
Yes! It could also be a pun. I appreciate great language use.
And Rick! Awesome use of calling out Mike on the “Red Herring.”
As I tell students often, is what you are writing something you want your parents to read. Or better, is this what you want your children to read? All this hate. Judging. Name calling. Let’s stick to the numbers. That is the issue.
“Doesn’t play in Peoria” is an allusion!
By ryan on August 29th, 2008 at 5:34 pm
August 29th - Bernice’s day in court to claim her allegations. What happened?
By a concerned citizen on August 29th, 2008 at 9:07 pm
Reggie,
I am shocked at your usage of grammar. It looks to me like you need to go back and get educated yourself. Maybe if you had been in a school under the leadership of a superb principal like Mrs. Cole you would have better grammar skills and be able to write more intelligently. I am not an Ascot resident. I am also not rich. I am just a person who thinks fair is fair and what they did to Mrs. Cole was not fair at all.