A Talk With Candidates for SC House 92

Recently, I had a chance to submit a few questions to Joe Daning and Jimmy Hinson - both candidates for the South Carolina House of Representatives - Seat 92. Both were very gracious to take time to interview, and offered candid responses to some critical issues that face Berkeley County and South Carolina.

A third candidate, Ellen Cook, is also in the election. Several attempts to contact Ms. Cook were unsuccessful.

The election will be held February 5th.

Click Here for Joe Daning's Interview with Palmetto Ramblings

Click Here for Jimmy Hinson's Interview with Palmetto Ramblings

Joe Daning, Candidate for SC House Seat 92

Joe Daning, 65, has called the Charleston area his home since 1962. He and his wife, Brenda, have been married for 43 years. They have two sons, Michael and Timothy, their wives Arlette and Marina and grandchildren, Madison, Dylan, Carolyn and Jonathan. Daning proudly pointed out that all of his family live, work or attend school in Goose Creek.

Daning came to the Charleston Air Force Base after a tour in Japan and Korea. He retired from the Charleston Naval Shipyard after 29 years of service. Starting out as an apprentice welder, he eventually became Superintendent Welder, and ultimately the Director of Education – a position that provided retraining for employees as the shipyard closed. For the last 14 years, Daning has been the Director of Enrollment at Trident Technical College. He earned an associate degree in business from Trident Technical College, a BS in Adult Education from Southern Illinois University and a MS in Management and Business from Webster University.

Daning’s community envolvement includes work on the Goose Creek City Council. He currently serves as the Mayor Pro Tem. Daning noted that during his tenure with the City of Goose Creek, they have not raised ad valorum taxes for 28 years. He currently represents the City on the Goose Creek Economic Development Advisory Board. He serves on the Charleston Area Transportation Study Commuter Rail Subcommittee. Daning is the President of the Low Country Educational Admissions and Registrar’s Network (LEARN). LEARN is a consortium of 18 colleges that provide post-secondary educational opportunities for adults. He also sits on the Board of Directors for the Council on Military Educators of South Carolina.

Recently, I had a chance to ask Mr. Daning where he stood on the issues:

Question: If elected, the SC House of Representatives will have already been in session for over a month when you take your seat. Committee assignments have already been made and other important decision processes have been put into motion. Essentially, when elected, you'll hit the ground running. How will you be prepared to catch up with fellow representatives and what immediate steps will you take to begin constituent service?

I will be spending the days leading up to the election knocking on doors and meeting voters across our district so that I will be better equipped to represent my constituents on the issues that matter most. I have also made myself available to anyone needing help with matters involving state or local government during this time between now and the election as I will as your new representative. Many of the issues that I have worked on at the local level are also issues being worked on currently in the legislature. Some of those issues are holding down taxes, congested roadways, economic development and education.

Question: It's no secret that recent relations between the General Assembly and Governor Sanford have been shaky. Last year, Sanford's 243 budget vetoes and the assembly's subsequent 228 overrides suggested that checks and balances had neared a point of dysfunction. Already this session, the wrangling has reappeared. How do you believe that relations between Mark Sanford and the General Assembly could improve for the good of South Carolina?

I believe that the vast majority of the South Carolinians who serve us in state government put the best interests of all South Carolinians at the forefront everyday. And as your new representative I pledge to always have an open door, to listen to the views of my constituents, and to seek their input on the finding solutions to the challenges we face as a state.

Question: Protecting Santee Cooper as a publicly owned utility is an important concern for many residents of Berkeley County. Still, at times, some have suggested that the public would be better served if Santee Cooper was privatized. What are your thoughts on the power company - and how will those thoughts be reflected in your term as a legislator?

In recent years the cost and availability of energy resources has come to the forefront, and as our state continues to grow and attract new residents and industry, plentiful and affordable power is essential. Our state has been and continues to be well served in its partnership with Santee Cooper and it should stay that way in the years to come.

Question: School vouchers are a controversial subject. Some advocates believe that vouchers task our public school systems to provide results. Still, opponents contend that vouchers take money out of public schools that desperately need the funds. In the House, what questions will you raise about school vouchers and the state of public education in South Carolina?

I am willing to consider any proposal that will help improve our education system and give future generations the tools they need to become successful adults. Some simple common sense measures such as restoring discipline to the classroom will go a long way to help increase our graduation rates, and ensure that our children will be able to compete in tomorrow's global economy.

Question: I recently asked candidates for the Berkeley County School Board this question, and now I'll ask you: What do you believe will be the greatest challenge for your constituents and South Carolina during your term - and how will you be ready meet that challenge?

I think the issues that affect the most vulnerable among us need to be addressed in the coming years. Improving education for our children so our state can compete in the ever-changing economy of the future and finding ways to provide accessible and affordable health care especially for our senior citizens who live on fixed incomes.

Links:

Palmetto Ramblings also talks with Candidate Jimmy Hinson

Jimmy Hinson, Candidate for SC House Seat 92

Jimmy Hinson, 61, of Summerville is running for SC House Seat 92. The Charleston/Berkeley County area has been his lifelong home. He graduated from Hanahan High School. Hinson has also earned degrees from Charleston Southern University, The Citadel, and SC State College. Hinson holds a doctorate degree in education.

Hinson was previously married to former legislator Shirley Hinson for 30 years. The have one son, Trey, who currently works for Blue Cross Blue Shield in Columbia.

Hinson currently serves as the District Four Representative on the Berkeley County School Board. He has been active in political campaigns since 1988 and previously ran for this House seat in 2000.

Recently, I had a chance to ask Mr. Hinson where he stood on the issues:

Question: If elected, the SC House of Representatives will have already been in session for over a month when you take your seat. Committee assignments have already been made and other important decision processes have been put into motion. Essentially, when elected, you'll hit the ground running. How will you be prepared to catch up with fellow representatives and what immediate steps will you take to begin constituent service?

The session is underway and I am staying closely tuned to all issues discussed in Columbia by the Legislature. With my door-to-door campaign, I know that I am hearing what is truly on the minds of the constituents in the district. Therefore, I will hit the ground running if elected to serve as the Representative on February 5, 2008. After all, constituent service is what my campaign is all about. I will always be available to listen to the people who elect me and never forget that the voters expect me to be their voice in Columbia.

Question: It's no secret that recent relations between the General Assembly and Governor Sanford have been shaky. Last year, Sanford's 243 budget vetoes and the assembly's subsequent 228 overrides suggested that checks and balances had neared a point of dysfunction. Already this session, the wrangling has reappeared. How do you believe that relations between Mark Sanford and the General Assembly could improve for the good of South Carolina?

Relationships between the General Assembly and the Governor have never been great. What a shame when Republicans are in control that more cannot be accomplished to improve the quality of life for citizens of our state. In my opinion, I believe some common ground should be established and everybody should work to accomplish specific goals. At the end of that time, legislators and the Governor should take the credit together to show a united front.

Question: Protecting Santee Cooper as a publicly owned utility is an important concern for many residents of Berkeley County. Still, at times, some have suggested that the public would be better served if Santee Cooper was privatized. What are your thoughts on the power company - and how will those thoughts be reflected in your term as a legislator?

Santee Cooper is always a subject that is on the minds of many legislators in Columbia. My position is that Santee Cooper should remain a quasi state status. The entire state benefits from the low cost of energy and the co-ops (Berkeley Electric Cooperative) across the state are able to pass this savings along to their customers.

The legislature took steps recently to expand the makeup of the Board of Directors. Overall, this was a good move that benefits everyone. We should be pleased to have Santee Cooper in Berkeley County and I would support their efforts as they move forward to provide the energy required so that we do not experience black-outs. I also support their effort along with SCANA to explore the nuclear source of energy.

Question: School vouchers are a controversial subject. Some advocates believe that vouchers task our public school systems to provide results. Still, opponents contend that vouchers take money out of public schools that desperately need the funds. In the House, what questions will you raise about school vouchers and the state of public education in South Carolina?

On the issue of school vouchers, I will be listening to learn all that I can. I will use my years of experience in the area of education to support the position that expands educational opportunities to all students. I realize that one size does not fit all and I see this everyday in the classroom. While I am a product of the public school system and an advocate of public education, I will also explore other opportunities for students that are left behind or fall through the cracks. After all, our drop out rate is embarrassing in S.C. and I am the first to admit that sad statistic is something that must be addressed sooner than later. I would never vote to do anything that will hurt our public school system, but I will do everything that I can to do more for our children that we are doing at the present. If that means supporting a tax credit for parents to select the school of their choice for their children or more provide more support for charter schools---then I will support tax credits and charter schools. After all, a decision to move a student to another failing school within the district is not a choice that I would ever make as a parent.

Question: I recently asked candidates for the Berkeley County School Board this question, and now I'll ask you: What do you believe will be the greatest challenge for your constituents and South Carolina during your term - and how will you be ready meet that challenge?

The greatest challenge for my constituents during my term in office relates to the economy and that is directly related to education. The two cannot be separated. We must grow our economy so that our people have jobs that can support families and educate children. We have one of the highest unemployment rates in the country. It is incumbent upon us to attract business and industry to SC that will provide necessary jobs and offer good salaries. In order to do that, we have to guarantee an educated workforce. That means legislators have a big job ahead and the future of our state is at stake.

Some might agree that immigration is the biggest challenge and I agree that we have a big problem with illegal immigrants. However, I do not believe they are taking jobs away that we need to grow. They are taking money from taxpayers in the form of healthcare, welfare and they are contributing to crime and therefore affecting our prison system.

Links:

Palmetto Ramblings also talks with Candidate Joe Daning

Interviews With Berkeley School Board Candidates

Recently, I had a chance to submit a few questions to Doug Cooper and Karen Smith - both candidates for the Berkeley County School Board Distict 2 Seat. The two links below will take you to their individual interviews. Both had some very informed responses to some serious questions that face the school district.

The District 2 seat was recently vacated by Dan Kingsbury. The district covers Daniel Island, Hanahan, Cainhoy, and a small portion of Goose Creek.

The election will be held February 5th.

Click Here for Doug Cooper's Interview with Palmetto Ramblings

Click Here for Karen Smith's Interview with Palmetto Ramblings

Doug Cooper, Candidate for Berkeley County School Board

Doug Cooper, 48, is a native of Greene, NY, but he has called Daniel Island his home since 1999. He and his wife, Jo, have been married for twenty years and have two daughters. Nicole, 15, is a sophomore at Hanahan High and Colleen, 12, is a 7th grader at the Daniel Island School. Doug proudly pointed out that both girls are avid athletes.

Cooper attended public schools growing up – both of his parents were teachers. He holds a degree in Chemical Engineering from Tri-State University in Indiana. Doug currently works as the General Manager for McNaughton-McKay Electric Company, Coastal Group. The company is an industrial electrical distributor specializing in factory automation. Cooper’s work includes the management of four locations across 3 states, with total responsibility for a $43 million dollar budget and 75 employees. He calls this experience a vital part of his qualifications to serve on the school board.

Cooper and his family are members of Seacoast Church, through which he takes part in regular missions trips. He sits on the board of directors of Transformation Life Center, a non-profit men’s recovery facility in upstate New York. Cooper’s community service also includes: Habitat for Humanity, Water Missions International, Convoy of Hope, and he helped lead a service project to reclaim the ball field, grade the entrance road, and rebuild the concessions stand in the Snowden Community located off of Long Point Road. He has served as a volunteer softball coach with the Hanahan Recreation Dept. and as an assistant coach for his daughters’ travel softball teams. He has been a member of the PTA for many years in the Hanahan schools that his daughters have attended.

Recently, I had a chance to ask Doug where he stood on the issues:

Question: The District 2 seat represents a wide range of students and communities through Daniel Island, Hanahan, and Cainhoy. How will this array of students and schools affect your decisions as a board member?

In addition to Daniel Island, Hanahan, and the lower Cainhoy area, District 2 also encompasses a small part of Goose Creek also, the St. James area. With this geographical area spanning both sides of the Cooper River we have a wonderfully diverse population. District 2 provides the opportunity for students of all backgrounds to attend our community schools side by side and succeed. Rest assured I will work to ensure we are striving to meet the needs of all our children. Not just typical classroom success, but also in our smaller learning groups. Many of these groups address gifted, as well as children with special needs or learning disabilities or challenges derived from English as a second language. With all the mandates around the funding for such programs we must remain diligent in insuring we all balancing the needs of all the children in the county. Some the recent announcement by the administration regarding the career pathways direction is very encouraging.

We are very fortunate in District 2 to have excellent facilities, teachers and administrators. We have a new school on Daniel Island, and the Hanahan Middle, and High School have all had recent upgrades, we continue to attract and keep talented resources, as evidenced with several of the high caliber principals and teachers we now have. It is important as the representative for District 2 to ensure that we continue to provide this level of excellence or higher for our children. We are facing some significant growth challenges in the near future, and it will take commitment, focus and creativity to meet these demands.

While District 2 will be my primary responsibility, I will embrace a broader responsibility to all of the students and taxpayers of Berkeley County. This broader role is also critical to ensuring we meet the vast needs that we have across the county.

Some areas are experiencing tremendous growth, some poor performance, some are challenged with teacher retention. All of these areas require a Board that can adequately represent their individual districts, but most importantly come together, roll up their sleeves, and get down to work to develop a comprehensive plan to meet the needs of our county and put the Berkeley County education system on the map as one to look to on how to get things done in today’s world of tighter funding restrictions, dwindling talent pool of teachers, and ever increasing legislative regulation.

We must continue the effort in bridging our differences through cooperation, and finding common ground for the benefit of our children, our community, and our future.

Question: The Berkeley County School Board has been criticized for not releasing Superintendent Chester Floyd's job performance evaluation to the Post and Courier. The evaluations in question may not only assess Dr. Floyd's work, but also the work of other, less-public, district employees. Thus, the issue remains complex. Do you see a need for the school board to change the way it evaluates the Superintendent? To what extent, if any, do you believe Dr. Floyd's evaluation should be made public?

My understanding of the facts are that the performance evaluation has been released.

But that now the issue is they want all the notes, scribbles, and thoughts that individual board members may have as a result of the Boards development of his performance evaluation.

I support the release of the actual evaluation.

I do not see what productive results having the work product released could have. Things would most likely be out of context, vague, and possibly some things might even be incorrect. Having the actual review released should provide the necessary information and be in the proper context to be useful to understand the evaluation.

Question: In the years since you were a student, how do you believe our schools and students have changed? What steps forward have we taken? And where, perhaps, should we look to the past for inspiration?

Being 48 years old, that has been a long time ago. I believe some of the biggest changes in our schools have been the increase in the variety of curriculum offerings and the increased concerns of student safety and discipline.

Our students today have a much broader exposure to societal norms, and pressures. With hundreds of television stations on the air, the internet, and “texting” cell phones the student of today is very knowledgeable in what is going on in their world. They are also much more independent and mobile than in the past, drive by any high school and you will have a hard time finding a parking place.

I believe that the advances in teaching styles (new math!) and broader options in electives coupled with today’s technological advancements allow us to address a wide range of different students. There are more special areas and arts programs now than there ever before.

Our elementary children take many enriching field trips. My daughter took a field trip to the beach in first grade. We assumed it was take the kids to the beach and let them play right? Were we surprised the next weekend when we were walking the beach with her and she started picking up all these different shell, sponges, and other creatures, and telling us what each one was. Our first grader gave us a mini marine biology lesson.

We must also look at what we can do to improve a student’s ability to make good choices in life. All this multimedia, mobility and independence has come at a price. Childhood obesity, teen pregnancy, drug and alcohol abuse all are now real issues our kids face. Many times because they are not equipped properly to deal with some of these situations. We must remember, they are not little adults, they are our kids.

As far as what we might look back on I think we need to be encouraged by the progress and changes that have occurred and look for ways to continue more change. Learning styles have really changed and will continue to. I think we need to revisit the day of student accountability, when being sent to the principal’s office was a very bad thing. I believe a student needs to be held accountable and if they cannot follow the rules and regulations they should not have as many “chances” as they get today. I do believe in second chances and help in addressing individual needs, but chronic discipline problems need to be addressed quickly. Otherwise the learning environment for many other students is disrupted over and over again. Their smart, they get it, they need to make the choice to change to stay in school.

Question: Property taxes and school funding have been polarizing issues that tend to divide the board into two factions. At times, the tone of the debate has been more uncivil than it has been constructive. How should the school district see to both the needs of students and the expenditures mandated by the State Department of Education - while balancing the call for fiscal conservatism? Is there a ground where both sides can meet and move forward?

Absolutely. However, if we are to address this in a manner that can deliver the highest return it would require the Board, coming together with a common commitment to each other and then teaming with the Administration to hold a forum with the principals and try and understand how everything works where the rubber meets the road. I have talked with some of the districts principals and they have so many challenges as to how to meet all the mandates and at the same time try and provide an education to our kids it can become almost overbearing.

If the Board and Administration can come together with a consistent set of recommendations and a plan to address them, I believe we would be able to then involve the legislature and be able to communicate to them how things need to change.

Right now with all the infighting on Board, distrust of the Administration, the legislature is left trying to figure it out on their own. I can only imagine how all this must appear to the legislature as they watch some of the meetings and read about the controversies.

In the end if we do not provide a clear message and plan to the legislature, we evolve into more mandates which trickles down to the principals, and just puts a heavier load on them. Which actually takes more focus off the kids, the exact opposite effect the mandate was supposed to address.

Question: With the tremendous growth in Berkeley County, the schools are sure to face new challenges in the coming years. What do you believe will be the greatest challenge for the Berkeley County School District during your term - and how will you be ready to address these new obstacles and opportunities?

FUNDING. With the new laws (act 388) and the current funding formula the Board is very limited in its ability to address the need for more school, higher caliber teachers, broader curriculum opportunities. This is why it is so important that we find some common ground to move forward on as I mentioned previously.

The facts are:

- Berkeley County is still experiencing aggressive growth. This brings
more and more students to our schools each and every year.

- Our current facilities, with the sum of all schools we are at 92% capacity overall. With 4 of 6 High Schools over 100%

- Mandates dictate many student teacher ratios, which leaves many “in the middle”
struggling in ever growing classes, which lowers the efficiency of a teachers ability to teach and creates an environment that contributes to retention issues.

- The current funding formula cannot provide enough for even the operating costs we incur much less the capital dollars required for new or update facilities.

I believe we need to get creative as we move forward addressing these issues. We need to continue the fine effort to involve more businesses in our efforts. The current “Marley and Me” book program was made possible by teaming with ALCOA. We need to challenge all of our business partners to step up and participate in our kids future. I try to do some of this locally with my business, via support for the Hanahan Athletic Booster Club, and sponsorships for the Hanahan Varsity Softball team.

We need to look at ways to build new facilities that meet our needs now and are designed to be easily expanded in the future. Leave more space around the buildings to allow for new wings to be added in the future. Common designs, common floorplans, with customizable exteriors.

Links:


Doug Cooper For School Board

Also: Palmetto Ramblings talks with Candidate Karen Smith

Karen Smith, Candidate for Berkeley County School Board

Karen Smith is a native of Rising Sun, Maryland. Since 2004, she has lived on Daniel Island with her husband, Steve, and their daughter, Stephanie. Smith attended Rising Sun Public High School in Rising Sun Maryland. She went on to attend Indiana University of Pennsylvania and graduated Summa Cum Laude with a B.S. in Business Administration with a major in Accounting.

In the past, Smith has held senior financial leadership positions in small, emerging companies as well as those in the Fortune 100. She was recognized as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) while working for PriceWaterhouseCoopers, one of the four largest national public accounting firms (at the time) in Pittsburgh, PA. She then held the position of Manager of Accounting & Taxes for American Eagle Outfitters Stores. After a family move to the west coast, she was Director of Finance for a $1.2 billion division of FHP Healthcare, a HMO in Los Angeles, CA. Later finding her way back to Pittsburgh, Karen settled into East Liberty Family Healthcare Center, a non-profit healthcare provider, as the Administrator of Finance where she continues to work by telecommunication. In 2004, Smith and her husband moved to Charleston to escape the northern winters and to start their own business - Core One Mortgage on Daniel Island. In 2005, they opened a second business, Core One Properties. Karen serves as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for both companies.

Karen’s community involvement includes work at Hanahan Elementary where Stephanie attended until the 2005 school year. During construction of the Daniel Island School, Smith served as Chairperson of the Education Committee of the Daniel Island Neighborhood Association. Smith has twice been elected president of the school’s PTA chapter. During her administration, the PTA received the State Volunteer Award by the State Board of Education for exceptional public service in public schools. Additional community service includes: Daniel Island School Improvement Council’s Academic Improvement Committee, Adopt-A-Teacher Corporate Partner, Classroom Mom, Parent Volunteer, Daniel Island Rotary Club (past member), Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Church Finance Committee, Visits to the Aged Program, American Institute of CPAs, South Carolina Association of CPAs and Pennsylvania Institute of CPAs. Smith’s husband also serves as the President of the Daniel Island Business Association and was appointed by the SC Legislative Delegation to the Trident Region Education Council Advisory Board. RECAB is part of the State’s EEDA / Pathways to Success program to provide regional oversight, coordination and resources to schools and the communities in Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester Counties.


Recently, I had a chance to ask Karen where she stood on the issues:

Question: The District 2 seat represents a wide range of students and communities through Daniel Island, Hanahan, and Cainhoy. How will this array of students and schools affect your decisions as a board member?

During the last three years I have been working with parents, teachers, school administrators and community leaders through my volunteer work as President of the PTA, School Improvement Council and the education committee. While I live on Daniel Island, we are an island in name only and we are all part of the Berkeley County School District. Each school in the district is affected by the policies, programs, performance, growth and funding resources of the entire district as well as subject to the limitations and guidelines of Federal and State regulation and funding. Each community has unique social-economic and diversity factors that impact children’s education.

Most parents are deeply concerned about ensuring that their children receive a quality education to prepare them for their future. Yet the State of South Carolina, and Berkeley County schools, lag considerably and consistently behind the rest of the nation in achievement scores and drop out rates. As a result many parents choose private schools or other district schools to bridge the gap. Currently, 30% of the composition of the Daniel Island School is from students traveling from outside the attendance lines, coming from all over the county as a result of the opportunity provided by the Federal No Child Left Behind Act.

I have worked closely with other area leaders and educators, such as the late Ed Carson, a respected member of the Cainhoy community who was dedicated to educating children, and other educators to share best practices, to promote community involvement and to understand the challenges that impact our educators and our children. First and foremost, our schools alone cannot solve all of our problems and just injecting more dollars alone won’t make a big enough impact.

While we can provide facilities for children in which to learn in a disciplined and secure environment, dedicated and talented teachers to teach and mentor our children; learning starts at home, with parents and the community emphasizing the need and importance of education. My work on the board will continue to include reaching out to community leaders, PTA’s, elected officials and other organizations to help foster the desire to learn and to get communities, parents and businesses more involved in education.

At the same time, our school board and the administration must provide leadership, invest in our classrooms, provide better pay for better teachers, ensure secure buildings and promote programs for higher achievement levels and lower drop out rates.

For instance, not all students plan to go to college. We need to provide more technical and vocational training programs and resources for those who wish to be electricians, welders, carpenters, computer repair and other skilled occupations for which our area businesses sorely need trained and educated employees.

As your school board representative, I will be independent, a good listener, not afraid to challenge the status quo and will be available to all to hear everyone’s concerns as well as ideas.


Question: The Berkeley County School Board has been criticized for not releasing Superintendent Chester Floyd's job performance evaluation to the Post and Courier. The evaluations in question may not only assess Dr. Floyd's work, but also the work of other, less-public, district employees. Thus, the issue remains complex. Do you see a need for the school board to change the way it evaluates the Superintendent? To what extent, if any, do you believe Dr. Floyd's evaluation should be made public?

Dr. Floyd is a highly compensated public employee who serves at the discretion of the community and its elected representatives. A School Superintendent is ultimately responsible for the management of the school system and his or her performance with regard to the management of the administration, and the implementation and effectiveness of district policies and programs are directly reflective of the performance of our schools, and the achievement levels of our children.

I believe that parts of his evaluation, if not all, should be public information and that a higher level of openness is beneficial to the community. I would trust that the evaluation process could be performed in a constructive, ethical and professional manner by all members of the School Board.

I do not believe that evaluations of teachers, principals and other administrative employees should be made public.

Question: In the years since you were a student, how do you believe our schools and students have changed? What steps forward have we taken? And where, perhaps, should we look to the past for inspiration?

While I didn’t walk to school uphill, both ways in the snow, or without shoes; so much has changed in our daily lives that impact families and children that create conflict with education and personal values. There are more single parents and dual income parents working longer hours to make a living, computer games and television that compete for children’s time versus study, more diversity with cultural and language challenges, concern about safety for our children and bureaucracy in our government that seems to stagnate our progress.

We live in an environment today where we see events, good and bad, happening around the world almost instantly. We compete in a global economy in which our future generations must be prepared and educated to maintain prosperity. No longer is it just remembering my father telling me to “eat all of your dinner because people are starving in China”, now the rest of the world is competing for our jobs.

Schools in the past were the focal point of the community, used for many community functions. Businesses, parents and community leaders naturally saw the school as a gathering place. Schools generated community spirit, promoted a “feel at home” sense in the facility, emphasized education and our teachers and principals were held out as pillars of our community.

I think that businesses, parents, community leaders and elected officials need to be more involved in education, to see it as everyone’s responsibility to educate our children and adults in the community. We need to call upon our seniors and retiring baby boomers to get involved, share their experience and to reinforce that educating our children provides a return on their investment and not a drain on their incomes.

Question: Property taxes and school funding have been polarizing issues that tend to divide the board into two factions. At times, the tone of the debate has been more uncivil than it has been constructive. How should the school district see to both the needs of students and the expenditures mandated by the State Department of Education - while balancing the call for fiscal conservatism? Is there a ground where both sides can meet and move forward?

First, our taxpayers must feel assured that their tax dollars are being spent responsibly and wisely. We should approach the budget each year starting with zero (zero-based budgeting), the same way that businesses do their budgets and that many other school districts across the country do. Each program should be reviewed, each year, to determine its need, purpose and effectiveness. While this won’t dramatically change funding needs and spending, we should find some wasteful spending that can be redirected in the process.

We need to ensure that more dollars are directed to the classrooms and less toward administration and overhead. More transparency and communication with residents is required to make sure that they know what the costs are to meet costly Federal and State requirements, such as education of the physically and mentally handicapped. Only after we have scrutinized existing spending and educated our taxpayers should we ask for more through higher taxes or bond issues. And we need to be upfront about the need, not hiding behind sources of funding like “alternative financing” that bypassed the voters and has now been prohibited in South Carolina by our legislature.

Over burdening property owners with school taxes has always been a divisive and contentious issue in funding schools. At the same time unless we fund the education of our children, we will not maintain our prosperity, will not have an educated workforce for our businesses and poverty and crime will increase. Numerous studies have suggested that those who drop out of school end up costing taxpayers more in welfare, crime, imprisonment and other societal costs than the cost of educating each student to be a contributing member of our community.

Property taxes alone cannot solve funding needs, nor is it a fair tax to retirees, lower income families or homeowners in general. Other revenue funding streams must be tapped to support education costs. Our state and federal elected officials must redirect dollars from other areas of government spending programs. Just a portion of the pet spending projects and so called “pork barrel spending” would go a long way in meeting the needs of education. While it is nice to think that this can happen or would happen soon, citizens are going to have to rally and let their elected officials know what is important and to change their direction.

In the meantime, alternative sources of funding should be investigated - such as using a portion of the proceeds from the state lottery, auto sales tax, and impact fees. It is legal for local governments to assess impact fees for municipal services and infrastructure cost, but not for school boards or government to impose an impact fee for the costs to build new schools to support new developments.

Last but not least, volunteerism through community organizations, businesses and PTA’s can be an important contributor of funding to supporting local schools needs to supplement State and Federal funding. Our local PTA for example, raised over $650,000 during the last two years which has been used to fund special projects and community requests such as playground equipment, a computer lab, musical instruments, foreign language lab equipment, murals, leveled readers, etc.

Question: With the tremendous growth in Berkeley County, the schools are sure to face new challenges in the coming years. What do you believe will be the greatest challenge for the Berkeley County School District during your term - and how will you be ready to address these new obstacles and opportunities?

Population Growth and the re-allocation of students will be one of the greatest challenges for the Berkeley County School District. Many studies have projected a near doubling in the number of students in the district and the projected need of at least 11 new schools.

These studies must be examined closely for accuracy. Also, with state report cards and the Federal No Child Left Behind Act, some schools are over capacity with trailers and others have excess capacity. The greatest challenge will be to determine the REAL growth and true facility needs.

In addition to future funding needs, many economists are forecasting a recessionary environment and housing values continue to decline.

I believe that my experience as a manager in large and small companies, my financial and analytical skills as a CPA, as a current small business owner, a parent, classroom mom and my nearly three years of volunteering as President of the PTA and Education Committee will provide valuable insight and knowledge to help me address the current and future needs in Berkeley County. I will be work to build broad based coalitions of parents, educators, businesses, community organizations and elected officials across the district to address the needs of educating the future of our county - our children.


Links:


Karen Smith for School Board

Also: Palmetto Ramblings talks with candidate Doug Cooper

Fred Thompson Visits Moncks Corner

Fred Thompson spent over an hour today in Moncks Corner, SC. There, at Gilligan's Restaurant he reaffirmed his allegiance to fundamental principles of conservatism in front of an audience of about 100 folks from Berkeley County.

Some in the crowd admitted that Thompson was not their candidate of choice. While others told me afterwards that Senator Thompson had won their votes. Thompson spoke frankly with the crowd, telling them that several things would be decided in South Carolina, "perhaps, including my fate."

The most vocal displays of support came after Thompson reaffirmed his stance against illegal immigration and his pro-life record.