School Board Chairman David Weeks Won't Seek Re-election

David Weeks will not seek a third term on the Oconee County Board of Education. The current chairman says he wants more time to spend with his family and to invest in his businesses:

"It kind of boils down to this -- when I first got on the board, I had one son and one restaurant. Now I have three sons and seven restaurants."

All three of his boys -- ages 9, 7, and 4-- are playing sports, and it's becoming more of a challenge to support them and all of their activities, Weeks said.

"My wife and I are committed to them and going to be there for them," he said.

Weeks is also busy running three locations and three locations, and he and his brother Mark are opening the in Butler's Crossing on May 29.

Weeks says it's just a "natural time" to leave.

"The school system's in great hands," he said. "And injecting new blood is a good thing. I'm real proud of what we've accomplished in the last eight years."

Witnessing the increase in the amount of advanced placement (AP) courses offered at the high schools is something he's particularly proud of.

"We changed the culture so not just accelerated students could take AP classes, but they are open to all students interested.  [AP classes] are really what are preparing kids for college, those rigourous courses."

Weeks also said he's glad students are all in classrooms and no longer in trailers.

And though the board by 1 mil to 17.5 mils at Monday's meeting, Weeks believes the board has used taxpayer money wisely over the years.  The , and the increase is expected to be temporary, school officials have said.

"I think we've been very good stewards of the taxpayer money to provide a quality education in tight budget years," Weeks said.  "We've always said we never wanted to take away from the classrooms, and I think we've worked hard to stick to that."

Did his vote in favor of the tentative FY13 budget influence his decision to seek re-election?

"Not at all," Weeks said. "I think the people understand where we are and the challenges we face."

Along with selecting a new chair to fill Post 1, voters will also be tasked with casting votes for Posts 4 and 5 on this year's ballot. Wayne Bagley and Mike Hunter currently occupy those posts. takes place May 23-25.