Meet the candidates running for the LR5 school board seat in the special election
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Lexington-Richland 5 superintendent resigns
Christina Melton, the S.C. superintendent of the year, abruptly stepped down from her leadership role, and a school board member resigned alongside her. How has the district responded and who will take her place? Read the latest.
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On Oct. 12, voters in the northwestern corner of Richland County will decide between three candidates in a special election for an open seat on the Lexington-Richland 5 school board.
The oddly timed election has a dramatic background story. The vote was called after former board member Ed White resigned mid-meeting in June over the school board’s handling of its relationship with then-superintendent Christina Melton. Melton emotionally announced her own resignation later that evening, only a month after she had been named South Carolina’s superintendent of the year.
The resignation exposed a deep rift in how the board operated and in its relations between the board and the then-administration. White accused board members Nikki Gardner, Catherine Huddle and Ken Loveless of bullying Melton and creating a “hostile and abusive work environment” for the superintendent. Emails released by the district show an often tense relationship between board members and Melton as they took different views on how to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The State asked the candidates how they want the district move forward, and how they would work with now interim superintendent Akil Ross. The winner will represent the Richland side of Lexington-Richland 5.
The candidates are Haley Griggs, Jeff Herring and Tifani Moore. A fourth name will also appear on the ballot, but recent Spring Hill High School graduate Joshua Lazenby dropped out of the race earlier this month and endorsed Moore fo the seat.
Haley Griggs
Age: 28
Occupation: Nurse practitioner
Education: Master of Science in nursing
Prior political or civic experience: I have volunteered at church for different service roles. I have also been a part of multiple missions trips through church and assisted in community service projects such as Homeless for the Homeless and Epworth’s Children’s Home. I have volunteered at several local animal shelters over the years. In regards to political experience, I have volunteered for several political campaigns.
Campaign website: Email haleygriggsford5@gmail.com
Why are running for school board?
Parents, students, teachers, staff and taxpayers are facing critical times. My unique qualifications have prepared me for this point in time to serve on the school board. Community members approached me about running for this open seat and I know that I can rise to meet the challenges our district is facing.
If elected, what would your two or three priorities be during your first year in office?
1) We must provide the opportunity for in-person, safe education for all families in the district who wish to do so. We must also provide virtual options for those families who are not quite ready to return to the classroom. Dual Modality, properly compensated teachers and qualified IT professionals are a necessity in order to meet the needs of all district families.
2) We must push back against divisive Critical Race Theory in our district. Although it is not always included in the curriculum, it is being taught in our schools. We must prevent harmful rhetoric which divides children and staff along racial lines and I will do everything I can, starting day one, to unite our community.
3) For over a decade, the school board has raised property taxes the maximum amount and just left it as an excess fund balance. We must be good stewards of our tax dollars and ensure funds are being put back into our classrooms for the students and teachers.
What unique skills or life perspective would you bring to the school board?
I’m a Nurse Practitioner in the heart of the district in Irmo. I’ve grown up in District Five and I have lived here my entire life. I’m a parent of a District Five student, my parents attended our schools and my in-laws are both district employees, including my mother-in-law, who is a recent district five teacher of the year. Not only have I treated hundreds of patients in the past 18+ months, but I have formed relationships with endless community members for the care I have provided them. Without a doubt, I am in touch with the thoughts and needs of our community. I’m looking forward to providing my unique perspective to the board. Based on my personal experiences and relationships, I can view the issues facing our district from various vantage points.
Please assess the school district’s response to the pandemic since spring 2020.
As we have garnered more information regarding COVID-19 and moved forward in our response to the pandemic, we have come a long way but there are multiple opportunities for improvement. First and foremost, we must address the current quarantine procedures. Excessive and inconsistent quarantines lead to chaos for students, teachers and parents as well as unnecessary learning loss. We must responsibly utilize federal emergency funds, which expire after three years if unused, to assist our district in its response to the pandemic.
How has the district responded to the growth in enrollment? What, if anything, would you do differently?
District Five is a desirable place for families to relocate. Although there has been community growth, most of the current facilities are well-equipped to handle the influx of students. As a district, we need to ensure the current facilities are well taken care of and up to standard for all current and new students. The district needs to be open to constituent input when considering capital projects for our schools. Too many times, our community has felt unheard in the development of their areas.
What is the school board’s role in overseeing the superintendent and administration?
Each trustee has a vital role in the operation of our district. The trustees answer first and foremost to the constituents. It is vital that we advocate for everyone involved in all clusters within our district. We must ensure communication lines remain open between the board and everyone in our community. As board members, we need to remember who we work for. The school board is in charge of policy decisions as well as personnel decisions — this starts with the superintendent and goes all the way down. It is of the utmost importance that we have a positive and cohesive environment so that we can achieve the best results possible. The board should work closely with the superintendent and administration as a team to achieve these goals.
Jeff Herring
Age: 54
Occupation: Real estate abstractor
Education: BS in Economics, University of South Carolina
Prior political or civic experience: 3 terms as a Student Improvement Council member. Member of Ballentine Civic Association. Treasurer of HOA Board.
Campaign website: Herringford5.com
Why are you running for the school board?
For almost a decade now, a good majority of D5’s funds and resources have been focused on new construction and land purchases. I am running for school board with my attention on getting our older schools the TLC they desperately need. We must focus on taking care of what we have. This also means taking care of our teachers. We are seeing other school districts out-recruiting D5 for the services of new teachers by using large signing bonuses and luring some teachers away with a higher pay structure. As a parent of a D5 student and being involved in several school committees, I’ve seen the issues facing our children and feel I have the background to help resolve them.
If elected, what would your two or three priorities be during your first year in office?
1) I will prioritize increasing our maintenance budget from approximately 1.6% to, at minimum, 2% of our overall budget. This money must be dedicated to our older, dated schools. I would also work to have U/V lights installed into every air system in the district. It has been proven that UV-C kills viruses. This is a small step to help increase the protection of all students and staff, short and long-term.
2) I will work to find ways in the budget to become ultra competitive in recruiting and retaining teachers. The success of District 5 is a direct result of the teachers we have been fortunate enough to employ.
3) I will work to improve the communication throughout our district. This is across the board from Administration to teachers to students to parents and the entire community. When everyone understands and has input into the school system’s objectives, success becomes that much easier.
What unique skills or life perspective would you bring to the school board?
There are several things I would bring as a board member. First, I was in banking and finance for 20 years. I wrote policies and procedures and worked on company budgeting for a nearly billion dollar institution. I understand balance sheets and accounting and know how to minimize waste. Second, I have been in real estate for over 10 years. I understand values of land, right of ways and easements. I understand the due diligence that must be done prior to investing large sums of money into any type of acquisition. Also, I served as a student teacher. I understand the demands of being a teacher and the obstacles faced to make our students the best they can be.
Please assess the school district’s response to the pandemic since spring 2020.
For the most part, I think District 5 has done a good job getting our students back into the classrooms. It is very difficult when politics is inserted into the equation. As the goalposts have been frequently moved, adapting within those guidelines becomes a more tedious task. The issue I most frequently hear from parents about is the way things are communicated. The implementation of the district dashboard was a good step in the right direction. Better, more thorough explanation of policies is essential. More continuity between schools is a must. There needs to be clear guidelines that are easy to follow for all schools and administrators. This eliminates confusion for the parents. Teachers want to teach and students want to learn in person. That is the bottom line.
How has the district responded to the growth in enrollment? What, if anything, would you do differently?
District 5 has actually seen a decrease in enrollment of 428 students when comparing 2019 and 2021. There are several factors that play a part in this, some foreseeable and some not so much. While it is easy to assess after the fact, the fact remains the continual building of new facilities in the northern area of the district is leading to the decline in attendance of the more southerly located schools. Each school in the district has a blueprint for additional classrooms. With the exception of Chapin Middle School, these plans have not been utilized. I would have definitely fought to improve the schools we have and not been in favor of new facilities. By upgrading technology and the aesthetics of our older schools, the willingness of students and parents to chose other schools in the district may be lessened.
What is the school board’s role in overseeing the superintendent and administration?
The school board’s role is to hire the most qualified candidate possible to serve as the superintendent. From that point, it is imperative the mission of the board must not only be conveyed to the superintendent, but must be accepted and bought into. As long as the administration and superintendent are displaying the acceptance and willingness to advance and make successful this mission, the board should give both of them the latitude to implement and improve the policies and directives. Communication is the key role in the entire equation. Lack of communication will lead to negative results and corrective action by the board or the voters. Transparency amongst all three entities is a must.
Tifani Moore
Age: 40
Occupation: Development director
Education: Coastal Carolina University; University of Louisville
Prior political or civic experience: None
Campaign website: TifaniMoore.com
Why are you running for school board?
I am the mother of 3 children who attend LR5 schools and the wife of a teacher and coach at Dutch Fork High School. I believe it is my responsibility as a parent to teach my children the importance of servant leadership, initiative and involvement, instead of just complaining about the mishandling of critical issues in our District. Our current Board does not provide a voice for the District as a whole and I want to serve as that voice.
If elected, what would your two or three priorities be during your first year in office?
I have many goals for this District, but right now I’m focused on our children and teachers, who have serious questions about the future as it relates to their academic, mental, physical and social well-being. While this began as Covid-related, I believe this goes far beyond the pandemic and journeys into whether we have a self-service Board or a District-service Board. Our primary responsibility should be focused on reinforcing their support systems. Schools and families need to be working hand in hand to ensure that at minimum, every student’s basic needs are being met. Children need to feel safe, academically prepared and heard. Teachers need to feel supported, appreciated, and heard. I believe prioritizing our children and teachers first will help us come together and find common ground in a District that seems very divided at the moment.
What unique skills or life perspective would you bring to the school board?
The last decade of my life has been dedicated to volunteerism and working in not-for-profit throughout the community. Since moving to Irmo, I have been involved in PTO at Oak Pointe Elementary School, served on the PTO board at Crossroads Intermediate School, served as vice chair of SIC Dutch Fork Middle School. I am the current chair of SIC at Crossroads Intermediate School, was on the District committee to approve the new World History book. I am extremely involved, interested and invested in this District. I have experience and knowledge building and maintaining budgets, facility operations and maintenance, and working with and on boards.
Please assess the school district’s response to the pandemic since spring 2020.
When the district needs legal advice, it relies on attorneys, when it needs instructional expertise, it relies on educators. When we face a public health emergency, such as Covid-19, we must rely on the guidance of public health experts. The board’s role is ensuring that it is collecting the right expertise for the questions at hand. Since 2020 the board has been sitting around waiting for Covid-19 to just go away. It’s the responsibility of the district and board to follow safety guidelines. There is a huge disconnect from what the health guidelines state and how LR5 is handling Covid-19. As a parent and wife of an educator, when you see other school districts in the state putting the health and safety of kids and teachers first, it makes you wonder how much does your board really care for the people they serve?
How has the district responded to the growth in enrollment? What, if anything, would you do differently?
Over the last few years we have had a surge in development in Lex Rich 5. We have seen an increase with enrollment especially in the Chapin area schools. Many of the elementary schools have been on an enrollment freezes so I understand the need for a new school in the area. My main concerns as a resident of the district are the new redistricting lines. I think that the proposed plan is a bit cloudy and has left a lot of families very confused and uncertain about the years ahead.
What is the school board’s role in overseeing the superintendent and administration?
The roll of the board is to work with all LRD5 stakeholders, including the LRD5 admin, to enable and support the district’s vision of providing an excellent education to our students while balancing the need to ensure support for our teachers and staff with taxpayer desires for fiscal responsibility. The board is suppose to represent the interests of the entire district when making decisions, they are to rely on available facts, rather than on individual or special interest groups.
The school board does not operate the district on a day-to-day basis; that is the job of the superintendent, who is the district’s chief executive. Rather, the school board sets the policies, goals and objectives for the district and it holds the superintendent responsible for implementing the policies and achieving the goals.
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