9 candidates vying for 5 seats

Hopefuls talk about what they would fix

A majority of the seats on the Charleston County School Board are up for grabs in the Nov. 4 election, creating the potential for fundamental change in the way the school district is governed.

Three multiterm incumbents aren't running for re-election, and nine candidates are in competition for five seats.

The Post and Courier asked candidates to respond to questions about the district's biggest strengths and weaknesses and the one area they'd try to change if elected.

In the race for the downtown seat, two candidates are vying for one seat.

Incumbent Toya Hampton Green, 35, is an attorney with the McNair Law Firm and has served on the board for two years.

Her competition is Marvin Stewart, 61, manager of the Village Branch Library in Mount Pleasant. He's the vice chairman of the downtown constituent board.

Green cited the district's goal of educating every child, creating community partnerships with schools and expanding choice options as its strengths, and its low-graduation rate, underserved students and the financially driven need to redesign and consolidate schools as the biggest problems.

If elected, Green said she would work with the General Assembly to move to weighted student funding, which means requiring the money to follow each child, regardless which public school he or she attends.

Stewart said the district does an excellent job of providing resources to magnet schools, with the exception of Charleston Progressive, which doesn't receive the extra money given to schools such as Buist Academy, and an adequate job of building and renovating schools. Its biggest problems include the varying school-to-school curriculum, high dropout rate and disparity in education offered by schools.

If elected, he plans to ask the school board to return to its previous administrative structure of each constituent district having an assigned associate superintendent rather than the current system, which assigns an associate superintendent to specific grades.

Three political newcomers are competing for two North Charleston seats.

Chris Collins, 44, is a minister and business owner who said his business operations knowledge coupled with his ability to get along in difficult situations and to communicate well with people will help him on the board.

The district's strengths include new and improved buildings and a lack of teacher vacancies, and areas needing work are its performance gap and lack of parental involvement in some schools, Collins said.

If elected, he aims to work for more parental involvement with teachers and students.

Mattese Lecque, 61, is retired from the Department of Justice and the Army Reserve, and she works as an instructor at Centura College in North Charleston.

The school district has children who believe in "us" to prepare them for the future, Lecque said, but its problems include low student achievement, teacher retention and moral, diversity and too many schools with insufficient resources.

Boards work to achieve the community's goals and objectives, and she said she would educate her board members and constituents on issues relevant to them.

Elizabeth Kandrac, 57, taught for 14 years in community colleges and the Charleston County School District. Kandrac sued the school district in a racial-hostility case and received a $200,000 settlement.

Parental involvement tops the list of what's going right in Charleston, but its problems include a lack of discipline, thinking that throwing money at schools will fix its problems and ignoring concerns of constituent school boards, Kandrac said.

If elected, she said she would cut spending and work to change the culture of fear among teachers and staff that speaking out is a career-limiting move.

In the West Ashley race, four candidates are vying for two seats.

John Graham Altman, 74, is an attorney who's been press secretary to former Gov. Fritz Hollings and served 20 years on the county school board and 10 years in the General Assembly.

He said the district's positives include the teachers, many administrators and most parents who are trying hard to educate boys and girls, but half of the district's schools are rated "failing" or "below average" by the state.

Although his vote would be only one, if elected, he said he could energize the board, faculty, staff and public to focus on getting and keeping safe schools.

Incumbent David Engelman, 58, is a management analyst for the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center, or SPAWAR. He was elected to the school board four years ago and served as vice chairman.

The district's plus side includes those trying to address vocational opportunities and committed parents, community leaders, teachers and principals — such as those from Academic Magnet High, Wando High, James Island Charter High and Garrett Academy — who have helped produce positive results. Among the district's biggest problems is transparency, particularly in its finances.

If elected, he said he would exercise control over his attitude and reaction to challenges.

Chris Fraser, 49, is the president and managing principal of Grubb&Ellis, a commercial real estate brokerage and development company. He's a former member of the Mount Pleasant Constituent School Board.

He touted the school district's renewed focus on accountability and results and said most of its schools are doing "very well." Still, he said closing the achievement gap between schools and different groups is the district's biggest challenge, and the lack of a stable funding source also is problematic.

If elected, he said he would work toward a cohesive and harmonious board solving problems and presenting a united vision.

Ann Oplinger, 62, is a retired Charleston County elementary school principal and teacher.

The superintendent's plan to achieve excellence, improvement in communication and in hiring quality teachers and principals and rising test scores are among what's going right in Charleston, Oplinger said. Its challenges include closing the achievement gaps, improving school and student performance and community ownership and support for schools.

If elected, she said she would use her experience to help board members make well-researched and data-driven decisions in the best interest of all children.

Reach Diette Courrégé at 937-5546 or dcourrege@post andcourier.com.