Candidate podcasts posted online

People interested in learning more about candidates for state Superintendent of Education can download podcasts produced by the Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention and Advancement.

Covering the politics of the Lowcountry, South Carolina and the nation.

The center, an independent state agency on the Winthrop University campus, plans to release recorded interviews with five candidates on its Web site this month, said Mychal Frost, the group's public information coordinator. The interviews are produced for the center's network of education leaders but are available to the public, he said.

Frost said he will ask each candidate why he or she is running and which issues are most important. He also will ask them to clearly state their positions on school vouchers, he said. After that, each candidate will have some time to present his or her platform. Each podcast will run about 10 minutes, he said.

So far, the following candidates' podcasts are scheduled:

• Frank Holleman, D-Greenville, 55, attorney.
• Elizabeth Moffly, R-Awendaw, 48, co-owner of Moffly Construction and other small businesses.
• Brent Nelsen, R-Greenville, 50, professor at Furman University.
• Kelly Payne, R-Irmo, 39, teacher at Dutch Fork High School.
• Mick Zais, R-Newberry, 62, president of Newberry College.

Holleman's recorded interview already is available online on the center's Web site at www.cerra.org/podcast. Podcasts for Payne and Zais will be released Jan. 13, and interviews with Moffly and Nelson will be on the group's Web site Jan. 27.

If more candidates enter the race and meet with staffers at the center, more podcasts will be scheduled, Frost said.

Timothy Moultrie of Columbia has expressed interest in making a run for the office.

South Carolina's next superintendent of education will face unique challenges, said Kendra Stewart, a political science professor at the College of Charleston. "Many things have come to a head recently," she said, so the new leader will face "a lot of issues all at once."

South Carolina traditionally falls on the low end of states in educational performance and has historically not funded education well. The recent economic downturn exacerbates the financial problems. In addition, the state superintendent is often at odds with the governor, making it a challenge to make progress in education, she said.

Dave Woodard, a political science professor at Clemson and a Republican strategist, said superintendent of education is one of the few elected posts that in recent history largely has been held by Democrats.

There would be less friction if the governor appointed the state superintendent. That, however, would require a constitutional amendment, he said.

And, he added, although South Carolina is "one of the reddest of the red states," there's a surprising amount of interest in education.

That's because there are fewer private schools in South Carolina than other Southern states, he said, so Republican leaders, who are the majority, are more involved in the public school process.