Does School Board Need Additional Member?

Does the School District of Pickens County Board of Trustees have too many members, or not enough?

District officials and members of the Pickens County Legislative Delegation discussed the makeup of the school board at joint meeting recently.

Several years ago, the legislature voted to reduce the Pickens County School Board from nine members to six, by eliminating the three at-large seats.

“It's very difficult with an even number, especially with only six,” Board Chairman Judy Edwards said.

“It would be wonderful if we could have one more member to our board, so that we don't have that 3-3 tie and very often not be able to get something passed because we have that tie.”

She said the seventh board member could either be an at-large member or come from the Easley district, the county's largest school board district.

Trustee Alex Saitta said tie votes are rare.

“We've had hundreds of votes with a six-member board, and I think maybe two or three were ties,” Saitta said. “And those issues were ultimately reconciled with compromises.”

He said that he felt a seventh board member, if added at all, should come from the Pickens area.

Edwards said sometimes board members “have to swing to the other side” in order to get a vote passed.

“That's called democracy and compromise,” Saitta said.

Trustee Ben Trotter took the opposite position – he feels the board is too large already.

“We have board member that has only one school – no middle schools, no high schools – one school, and that's Clemson Elementary,” Trotter said. “If we're going to do anything, I'd look at maybe subtracting one."