Tribune editorial board

A wise man, or perhaps it was a wise woman, once said, "Imitation is the greatest form of flattery."

We wondered this week if the Rock Hill School Board, members of the administration and parents in the district plan to muster a bit of flattery in the future.

In what was described as a very business-like manner, the Lawrence County Educational Service Center's board worked through an extensive list of tasks this week at its first meeting to handle the Rock Hill School District's business.

The county board assumed daily operations of the Rock Hill district last month. The change occurred after the local board asked for the county's help while a dispute over the Rock Hill district's superintendent is determined by the court system.

For Rock Hill School Board meeting regulars, Tuesday's meeting must have seemed foreign. Accustomed to bickering, feuding, fighting and incredibly long meetings, Rock Hill regulars, we hope, were pleasantly surprised by the efficient, singularly focused effort of the county board.

Acting Superintendent Harold Shafer, whose normal job is working as the countywide superintendent, managed to save the district more than $30,000 on insurance after renegotiating the rates with an insurance company.

Then, as if saving the cash wasn't enough of a feat, Shafer and the county board proceeded to spend the money on something the district needed - new textbooks.

The new books contain all of the state proficiency indicators. Having the latest tools should help teachers and students achieve their goal of improving the district's state proficiency scores.

We hope the work of the acting superintendent and county board will help that become a reality.

Furthermore, we hope that all of the parties involved in the district are watching how to operate a school board and how to handle school board business without letting personal feelings, emotions and politics get involved.

When the court issues are resolved and things get back to "normal" in the district, we hope all involved offer a little flattery to the county board and imitate their professional, businesslike work.