School Board Candidates Talk Division, Technology & Facilities

School board division, technology and school facilities were among topics discussed at the first of three candidate forums for Lexington-Richland 5's school board.

Voters will decide between six candidates for three seats on the District 5 board in November: two in Lexington County and one in Richland County.

Most of the six candidates called for a change with school board member behavior and putting an end to distrust in the community. 

At some board meetings, disagreements over the budget and construction/renovation projects have led to angry outburst. 

"I believe our school board must set a positive example for the community, especially the students," said Jan Hammond, one of two incumbents on the Lexington County side of the district. "Our school district has experienced much turmoil and division and if left unchecked this turmoil will take a toll on the education we provide our students."

"This division will not end unless our elected officials lead by example. Civility and compromise are crucial."

Beth Burn Watson, current board vice chairwoman, said "Our district faces way too many challenges with the current leadership. We're discussing serious issues that affect children, that affect our staff, our teachers and affect this community. That's why we have to be vigilant about pushing forward and trying to avoid the negativity."

"We're tired of the negativity of the small but very vocal minority in this district. What we want to see is a positive move forward."

Melissa Cole, former River Springs Elementary School principal and candidate for the Richland County seat said she's seen division, discord and distrust in the district.

In her opening statement, Cole talked about the need to be more open with taxpayers about how the district is utilizing their money. 

"There's a lot of frustration and discontent out there, and we can't just ignore it and we can't just disregard their view and their opinion."

Some other comments included:

Robert Gantt, current board chairman, on whether he supports the new teacher evaluation proposed by the S.C. Department of Education: "No ... Our teachers have no problem with accountability. The problem with the plan promoted by the state department is it's all over the board, it's not realistic and it's not fair."

Ed Yates, candidate in Lexington County, said he would bring leadership, accountability, financial visibility as a member of the board. 

Yates also said he would work to keep the community informed with what’s going on in the schools. 

Jondy Loveless said she was a supporter of career and technical education, and a strong believer in business partnerships. 

At least 80 people attended the forum held at Irmo Middle School Thursday.

Each candidate answered a series of question submitted by the public and teacher forum. 

Thursday's forum consisted of opening and closing statements, seven rounds of questions — one per candidate each round — and a flash round where candidates simply held up cards with the words "yes" or "no" when asked a question. 

The group was provided the questions prior to the forum. 

During the event, one question was thrown out for being inappropriate. 

Two more events are scheduled for the public to hear from candidates. The forums are on Tuesday, Oct. 9, at Chapin Middle School and Tuesday, Oct. 16, at Ballentine Elementary School.

The public can submit questions for candidates in advance by emailing D5CandidatesForum2012@gmail.com or by submitting questions in writing at the door before each forum.

The first round of the forum can be viewed in the attached video. 

Are there questions you want to ask a candidate? Tell us in the comments.