Citizens Call For Elected School Board

By Betsy Finklea
A press conference was held on Thursday by citizens who are in favor of an elected school board.
Toni Graves, a Dillon County Board of Education member, said they were there because they were in favor of an elected school board and 90 percent of the voters in a recent advisory referendum voted in favor of an elected county board.
Graves said they were not going to forget about it, it was not going to be swept under the rug, and they were going to insist that the will of the people be carried out.
Robert McRae, vice-president of Citizens For A Better Community, said that they insist that the will of the people be heard, not the will of an individual.
He said the people voted overwhelmingly in favor of an elected school board with 6,071 voting yes and 737 voting no.
Graves said this is not an advisory, it is a mandate.
“Ninety percent is a mandate,” Graves said, who noted that she didn’t want it prolonged any longer. Graves said she was speaking out as an appointed member of the board and that she totally disagrees with the process of how one becomes a board member.
Graves said as an appointed board member she feels that their voices are not being heard.
Beaufort McLaughlin, president of Citizens For A Better Community, said that they have got to have accountability which he feels will come from an elected school board.
McLaughlin said he wants all children to get a quality education.
Graves said someone has to stand and do what’s right for Dillon County and that the taxpayers need to be concerned about this.
The Herald called Rep. Jackie Hayes, chair of the Dillon County Delegation. Hayes said the delegation is concentrating on the reapportionment that will take place due to the census.
When the census numbers are finalized which would be needed to create districts, the delegation will move forward on acting on the referendum.
Hayes said the board will need time to go through the process and to do their jobs and do it correctly.

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