12 candidates to square off in Richland 2 school board race

Sept. 29--RICHLAND COUNTY, S.C. -- Twelve candidates are on the Nov. 4 ballot for the Richland 2 school board, hoping to win a seat on the seven-member board and influence decision-making in a district that has seen rapid growth, a more transient student population and rising poverty.

The 12, including three incumbents, are vying for four seats on the at-large board. Seven of the new candidates are black, although it is not clear whether that turnout was a response to calls by an organization of black Richland 2 parents for more minority representation on the board. Currently, the board has four white members and three black members.

The candidates come from a broad range of backgrounds and professions -- a former school resource officer, public relations executive, school teacher, retired district administrator, insurance agent and a hairdresser, among others.

Incumbents hope to build on their experience and longtime connections to parents and the district. Some newcomers say they were motivated by concerns over such issues as discipline and who gets suspended, expelled or sent to the district's alternative school. Others say they immersed themselves in individual school issues and now want to expand their reach.

The community will have an opportunity to hear all 12 answer questions at an Oct. 16 forum sponsored by the League of Women Voters. The 6 p.m. forum will be held at the district auditorium, 7500 Brookfield Road.

Candidates were contacted by The State to seek answers to why they are running and what the see as key issues for the district. Here are some thoughts from candidates who responded:

Melinda Anderson has served on the school board since 1990, the panel's longest serving member, and said she wants one final term to see through several projects. Among those: the new $41 millionInstitute of Innovation, a career development and learning center that will offer students the opportunity to take college-level courses as well as engage in training for technical careers.

Anderson, 65, a retired director of nursing, said she wants the institute to be a place for nontraditional students to learn a sought-after skill, whether medical coding, brick-laying or heating, ventilation and air conditioning, so they could begin a career out of high school.

"Every student is not cut out for a two-year or four-year college education," she said. "I want to concentrate on those students who are not ready to go to college."

Anderson was censured last year by the board for allegedly making threatening remarks to a football coach, statements she denied making. She said she has put that incident behind her and will run on her record. She said she will continue to work "to make sure that everyone continued with a quality education, not just a minimal education."

"I think my experience will benefit the board over the next four years," said Anderson, who has high praise for the administration and the district's fiscal practices. "You can't go in with vendettas and you can't go in thinking you can do it alone. It takes four votes. Your whole lidve changes if you are on the board."

Cheryl Caution-Parker is a familar face in Richland 2, having worked as a teacher and administrator for 34 years, including stints as principal at Forest Lake Elementary and Dent Middle School and as a deputy superintendent. (She was known then by her previous married name, Cheryl Washington.)

Now, she said, she wants to "give back" and sees serving on the board as a way to do that. She plans to focus on school safety and expansion of opportunities for students.

"First and foremost, is the safety and security of the environment," Caution-Parker, 65, said. "People need to feel safe and secure coming to work and the kids needs to feel safe at school."

She believes her tenure inside the district positions her well to understand all viewpoints and to look at issues dispassionately. She is also the parent of two grown children, both Richland 2 graduates.

"You have to be well-informed, have all the facts and not go out on emotions without gathering the facts," she said.

Chandra Cleveland-Jennings is a former deputy and school resource officer with the Richland County Sheriff's Department and holds an undergraduate degree in early childhood education and has founded a nonprofit, Palmetto Youth Connection, to work with at-risk youths.

That work has informed her belief in a more nuanced approach to suspensions and expulsions of trouble-making students -- an issue she doesn't believe should focus on the race of the student.

"We just need to involve everyone in the equation," Cleveland-Jennings, a private investigator, said. "I don't want us to have a separate category of who's successful and who's not successful."

Cleveland-Jennings said she does not care whether the board's racial makeup reflects the minority makeup of the district.

"That's not an issue to me at all," she said. "I just want board members to be a little more active."

John Dublin believes his experience as an educator and police officer gives him a leg-up in his quest for a school board seat. He has been an assistant principal at Fairfield Central High School in Fairfield County and Abbeville High School in South Carolina, as well as held adminstrative posts in North Carolina and New York. He was a police officer in Buffalo, N.Y., for 22 years.

"My campaign revolves around maintaining Success, Stability and Safety in all our schools for all of our children," he said in an email. "I have a compassion for education and a love for all children. I felt I have something to offer this district with my diverse professional background."

Dublin said he wants to " aspects of the public education system from booster clubs to PTO, etc. I want to continue the fine work of this board of trustees and offer my skills to further enhance academic achievement and innovative goals."

Hugh J. Harmon , 39, lives in Richland 2 and teaches at Brennen Elementary in Richland 1. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, he came to Columbia to found the Love Fellowship Kingdom Restoration Tabernacle, where he serves as senior pastor.

Harmon said he got interested in joining the school board after working with the Richland 2 black parents organization, which raised questions about the large number of African-American males being sent to the district's alternative school for disciplinary issues.

"I met personally with the superintendent and her cabinet with a small group of other parents," he said. "Some of the things that we addressed have been put on the table," including a disciplinary task force. He said he also is interested in expanding opportunities for academic "high fliers" and re-introducing programs such as cabinetmaking and metal-work for those students who want to pursue technical education.

James Manning , 41, who is seeking his second term on the board, likes to say he is the only sitting board member who currently has a child in the school system.

That gives him an up-close perspective to the problems and possibilities in the district. Managing growth remains his top priority along with school safety. But he also is interested in expanding career opportunities for students. He said the district's Institute of Innovation, which he championed along with board member Melinda Anderson, will enhance partnerships with higher education and business. It is set to open in 2016.

"I think we need to continue to innovate in education," Manning said. "My priority is safe schools and we have to work for academic excellence for all our students and manage growth." An IT executive, Manning also wants the district to come up with more innovative ways to tackle one of its thorniest issues: rezoning.

Paul Manville was busy last week helping to install speed zone signs near Lake Carolina Elementary School's upper and lower campuses, part of his hands-on approach to engaging with his daughters' school.

Now he wants to bring that attention to bear on the whole district. An investment adviser, Manville believes his financial acumen will be a big asset when it comes to developing the district's $225 million budget. He also wants to make sure that students are not hampered by "digital inequality" because they cannot afford all the technology that other students have.

"I'm an advise and consent candidate," Manville, 47, said. "I'm not going to get into personnel areas -- who is the principal here, who's the lead teacher there. Our job is to hear the concerns of the parents, to hear the concerns of the workforce.

"If I can bring some different ideas -- it really doesn't matter where you are from, it's where you are going and how can we get you there."

Amelia B. McKie has been an energetic advocate for Richland 2 schools, heading up the School Improvement Council for Ridge View High School and, currently, as vice president of the South Carolina SIC board of trustees. She was vocal during the high school rezoning debates of 2011 and most recently argued in a guest editorial for greater parity among schools, pointing out that Ridge View and Richland Northeast Highs should have stadium facilities that the other three high school campuses enjoy.

"I am running for School Board, not to 'do' something new, but rather to continuing doing what I've been 'doing' for years," McKie, the 46-year-old mother of two, said in an email. "I am and have been a heavily engaged parent/community member in myriad capacities within the District. I have volunteered and served in several leadership volunteer capacities at my children's school and have volunteered to serve on numerous committees, groups and panels throughout District Two, most notably the Parent Partnership Summit, for which I was a one of the facilitators speaking on behalf of parents in an effort to help foster parent/community partnerships."

"I do have an unique voice," said McKie, who runs her own governmental relations and communications company. "There are things I am passionate about."

James Mobley said his campaign focuses on ensuring a level playing field for employees and students in Richland 2.

"I believe that every profession in the school district from custodians to bus drivers to superintendents are equally important and play a role in every child's education," Mobley, a hairdresser, said in an email. "It is also my belief that every role has been overlooked in one aspect or another."

Mobley, 60, has two grown sons who graduated from Richland 1. Now, with three grandchildren in the school system, he has a particular drive to ensure that each child reaches his or her potential. Two of his three grandchildren have some degree of autism and need special attention.

"I will continue to press forward to get the funding they need, as well as the special resources that their teachers and therapists need," he said. "Every child has different abilities and no child should be overlooked regardless of social or economic background."

Craig Plank, 47, a State Farm insurance agent, said he's been "enrolled" in the district for 17 years as a businessman and father of three. He believes his success is tied into the success of the people he insures and the children that form the future of the community.

"What we do today in this district, the benefits may not be realized for some time," he said. "We need to be constantly investing in our teachers, in our kids and in our community."

A leadership coach for his company, Plank said he is committed to listening to all viewpoints, and especially supporting teachers and providing them the resources they need.

"We have teachers who when I say, 'How is school going?' you can see the struggles in their lives. You have a lot of unfunded mandates that put challenges on them." Plank has earned the backing of retiring school board member Bill Flemming, who is not seeking re-election.

Barbara Specter , 56, is seeking a fifth term on the school board, hoping she can remain a "voice for the community" and an advocate for a quality education for every student.

Specter is enthusiastic about the stability and joy that Superintendent Debbie Hamm has brought to the district and believes in the concept of the "Richland 2 family." When she encounters teachers and parents in the grocery store or elsewhere, she said there is a sense that the district continues on an upward trajectory.

"I want just continue to be honest and upfront and listen to everyone's problems," Specter said.

She is wary of candidates who enter the race to promote a particular agenda.

"I don't have an agenda and I hope with the candidates in the race this time, that if they have a personal agenda they just let it go and be there for the whole community," she said. "Honestly, I look at every student for who they are."

Note: Efforts to reach candidate Robert Taylor were unsuccessful.

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