On Jan. 17, in front of a 19th century schoolhouse in the heart of Lexington, Kathy Maness announced her candidacy for state Superintendent of Education.

She’s the third entrant to a field that is thus far all Republicans, with fellow Lexington resident Kizzi Staley Gibson and Ellen Weaver, CEO of the Palmetto Promise Institute and chair of the South Carolina Education Oversight Committee, having already announced runs for the position. If all remain in the race, they would face off in a June primary before the November general election.

Maness, who kicked off her run with remarks delivered in front of the Palmetto Collegiate Institute, serves as a Lexington town councilwoman and executive director of the Palmetto State Teachers Association, and finished her tenure in November as the first president of the National League of Cities to hail from South Carolina.

Her brisk speech, delivered on a cold day in front of an energetic crowd, established some clear themes for her campaign.

She keyed on the speech being delivered on Martin Luther King Jr. Day as she proclaimed her opposition to the teaching of critical race theory. The academic movement that seeks to examine the intersection between law and race in the U.S. has become a hot-button issue in recent years.

“[King] famously shared his dream of a day when people are judged by the content of their character and not by the color of their skin,” Maness said. “Unfortunately, liberal politicians are trying to use classrooms across the country to undermine Dr. King’s dream and focus on the color of skin instead of the content of character. On this day that we honor Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement, I promise to honor all of those to be seen beyond the color of their skin and always oppose critical race theory ever being taught in a single South Carolina classroom.”

The Chronicle asked Maness after her speech how much she thinks critical race theory is a present problem with curriculums in the Palmetto State.

“Critical race theory is not a part of the South Carolina standard,” she said. “It should not be taught anywhere in our public schools of South Carolina because it’s not a social studies standard. So do I feel like we have it all over in South Carolina? Absolutely not. I don’t think it’s happening in South Carolina. If it is, we need to know about it. Because that should not be happening in the schools in South Carolina.”

Maness mentioned multiple times the need for parents and local educators to take the lead in determining what’s best for their schools, taking clear aim at an organization led by one of her opponents.

“We need to return power to those closest to our children, away from the Education Oversight Committee and the politicians in Columbia and to the parents, teachers, principals and local school boards,” she said.

Maness added the same is true when it comes to the state’s education dollars, and put particular emphasis on the need to increase teacher pay.

“South Carolina faces a teacher shortage crisis,” she said. “There are over a thousand vacancies in our schools. And unfortunately, the truth is, that’s no surprise. We don’t pay our teachers enough, [we’re] crushing our teachers’ spirit under red tape. We have to empower parents. Decision making about your child’s future should be happening in your living room and not in the lobby or the back rooms of Columbia.”

Picking up her granddaughter, Maness closed her speech by asserting her dedication to her constituents.

“This is why I’m running for South Carolina Superintendent of Education,” she said. “Because of Olivia and all of the other students in the South Carolina public schools. I promise that as your next superintendent, I will always work hard for you, listen to you, and care about the future of each and every student in South Carolina.”

Maness starts her campaign at a disadvantage in fundraising. As of the end of the fourth quarter last year, she had raised just more than $10,400 for her superintendent run, while Weaver, who kicked off her run in November, had already accrued more than $127,400. Gibson’s fundraising mark stood at a little more than $8,137.

The three are running to replace Republican Molly Spearman, who announced in October that she would not seek reelection to a third term.