There is nothing Scott Herring is more passionate about than ensuring that our schools are safe havens for learning. He is an educator, his wife is an educator and his daughter attends Harbison West. His son graduated from Irmo High.
Some might argue that he is a university professor, what could he possibly know about our schools? He knows child development, best instructional practices, designing assessments that consider the whole child and more. So yes, he is an EDUCATOR.
He also understands the nuances at play when serving on the School Board. He is determined to bring less divisiveness to the Board and stay out of the newspaper! That in itself is refreshing!
Imagine going back to those days. Imagine going back to a time when citizens were scared of speaking up. Imagine a time when teachers were terrified of speaking up because said board member would “observe” them for hours making them uncomfortable. One teacher even hired a lawyer to prevent said board member from observing her.
We can NOT return to those days. We have made such progress the last two years. We are putting funding into finally fixing buildings that are falling apart. We are ensuring that every child has a space to learn and supports in place to be successful.
Scott has a mission to let teachers know – you are safe here. We respect you. You are an expert and you are respected. This alone will increase retention as every year teachers leave due to pressure and lack of respect. Scott will fight to make sure that teachers have what they need to do their job. Scott will fight to make sure that every student gets their needs met, including our Special Education students. Right now, our twice exceptional kiddos are woefully underserved. He knows this first hand and will be talking with our district departments to inspire change.
In terms of finances, Scott has been doing his due diligence by watching or attending every board meeting for the last few years. He takes copious notes and deeply considers everything he is seeing before forming any opinions. He understands millage and how it works. He understands the referendum and how important it is to get these schools needing repairs fixed once and for all. Every citizen in this district should want the same to make sure our children are learning in ideal environments.
Scott trusts teachers to make informed decisions about materials in their classrooms. He does not want teachers to feel scared to have books in their classrooms. Books in classroom libraries are instrumental for students to have things to read, and he knows that our teachers here are not “indoctrinating” anyone. Teachers and parents can and should openly communicate about any concerns. Any materials that are deemed questionable should follow the district review policy.
Scott is not running for political gain. He is not running to fuel a business. He is not backed financially by anyone other than small donors. He is running on passion and doing what is right. He is running because he knows we can NOT go back to the dysfunctional board of 4 years ago.
You remember those times, right? Opening the State newspaper to find yet another lawsuit filed by a sitting board member – some against private citizens – all because of hurt feelings. The same one who was found guilty of ethics violations.
We cannot go back. Scott is a candidate that stands for his own beliefs and values and those values are what is best for our district right now. It’s time to move forward.
Vote one and done in Lexington County on the ballot.
Vote Scott Herring.
Joann Claspill
Former State History Teacher of the Year
Former State Social Studies Teacher of the Year
