School board candidates address voters

Eight candidates seeking three seats on the Lexington County School District One board broadly agree that limits on screen time and digital device use are needed, particularly in the district’s elementary schools.

Lexington One board hopefuls Crystal Baker, Dana Homesley, Joyce Jordan, Jack Lundeen, Katie McCown, Chris Rice, Chris Shealy and Shelton Yonce addressed voters Monday, Oct. 26, in a candidate forum presented by the League of Women Voters of the Columbia Area, Lexington One Teacher Leadership Forum, Lexington County Chronicle and Lexington Chamber & Visitors Center held in the White Knoll High School Performing Arts Center.

“I think we can all agree that technology is not going anywhere. However, I think that it is a priority of mine moving into the second term to remove one-to-one devices in elementary school — at least up to second or third grade,” said Katie McCown, an incumbent elected in 2022 who’s seeking her second term. “It's something that we're seeing a trend throughout the U.S. and there's lots of districts that are pulling their devices, especially in elementary school, and so I would like to see Lexington One do that.”

Homesley said the district should limit students’ screen time, especially in the lower grades.

“There is no actual time frame on the current policy,” she said. “Specifically, with our elementary school students, we are seeing that there is a lot of issues with our young kids being on those devices and not necessarily using them for educational purposes.”

Lundeen agreed that educators should limit the time young students spend on digital devices such as smartphones, tablets and laptops.

“I mean, I've got elementary school children,” he said. “It's hard to pry a device out of a kid's hands, right?”

Lundeen said Lexington One should consider a policy in neighboring Lexington School District Two that limits device access on nights and weekends.

“The technology must serve the classroom and not the other way around,” he said.

Rice, who’s seeking a second term and currently serves as the Lexington One board’s secretary, said the district can “tweak some things a little bit more for age-appropriateness.”

“You know, when I'm dealing with children in elementary school, they don't really need as much screen time because those are the formative years,” Rice said. “Those are the years when they're learning how to read, how to interact with people. They're developing their personalities. There's so many different things that are happening, and through having more personal interaction with each other, it helps them to develop.”

Responding to a question about candidates’ priorities for the district’s operating budget, Jordan said board members should forgo monthly stipends and mileage reimbursement.

“Personally, I do not believe in mileage for the school board,” Jordan said. “I feel that until we can provide free lunch and free breakfast for all of our students, we should not even be talking about anyone on the board being paid. I feel there we waste a lot of money. There needs to be some audits on where money is being spent and how it is being spent.”

Homesley said Lexington One parents deserve a school board that’s transparent and accountable on its use of taxpayer money.

“I believe that we have a spending problem, not a funding problem,” Homesley said. “We have a $419 million budget, and the board just voted to raise taxes. My priorities are protecting classrooms, bringing accountability to spending and improving communication. I would push for a detailed line-item budget, a complete accounting of the 2018 bond referendum and teacher, student and support staff advisory committees that report directly to the board.”

A Lexington District One teacher and a parent of special-needs children, Jordan said she believes many teachers feel unsafe in their classrooms. She called for a sustained focus on school discipline.

“I feel like threats of violence, threats of any kind, should be taken seriously instead of just a slap on the wrist and you go to the office and you get a piece of candy, and then you come back to the classroom,” she said.

“We need to take these threats seriously, and if it means getting clear book bags to bring into these schools, then so be it,” Jordan added.

Baker said she has personal experience with the district’s disciplinary policies and gave Lexington One high marks overall.

“One of my children had a bullying issue, and that was taken more seriously than anything,” she said, “and it was handled quite well and immediately at the middle school level.”

Addressing teacher recruitment and retention, Rice touted the “Lexington One Way” of reducing teacher-to-student ratios.

“We try to place a priority even with our budgeting to keep class sizes manageable for teachers,” he said. “You know you're not going to be overrun with so many kids you can't manage them and you can't teach them.”

Sheely said Lexington One needs to be a destination district for top-tier teachers.

“We need to make sure we're bringing the best and the brightest to our district and keeping them here so that we create the opportunity for success,” Sheely said. “I think that starts with culture. We need to have a culture that is inviting, that is exciting and that people want to be a part of.”

Responding to a question about fair distribution of district resources, Homesley said Lexington One’s rural schools deserve parity.

“I believe that a child's opportunities should not depend on whether they attend school in Pelion, Gilbert, White Mill or Lexington,” she said. “I want a school-by-school review of STEM-related arts, advanced courses, career programs and support services. Where there are gaps, we need to plan to address them.”

Paraphrasing conservative economist Thomas Sowell, Lundeen said there are no solutions — only trade-offs.

“As far as allocating resources, I think where we need to look at is the schools where the attendance has fallen off a little bit and the ones that are gaining momentum,” Lundeen said.

Candidates were asked what they’d want community members to say about their board service. Yonce said he hopes to motivate fellow rural residents to get involved.

“I hope that I could inspire more people joining the board in rural communities and know that they also could have a voice on this board and do what's best for our kids, give them a hope, dream for a future they didn't think they would have,” Yonce said.

The forum’s final question was a wild card, with candidates encouraged to raise an issue not addressed by the moderators. Homsley received spontaneous applause when she called for better food in school cafeterias.

“I think that students need nutritious meals they'll actually eat,” Homesley said. “I see pictures all the time about how some of the food that you see within the cafeteria is sometimes expired or doesn't look very appetizing to eat. I would listen to students, parents and cafeteria employees about quality, portions, variety and time to eat. I would also ask about food waste and what purchasing options are available within the budget and program requirements.”

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.

A recording of the full Lexington District One school board candidate forum is available on the district website.