7 candidates vie for 3 Fort Mill school board seats

Voters in the Fort Mill School District will have the opportunity to elect three school board members. There are seven candidates for the at-large seats. Board members serve four-year terms. We asked the candidates several questions on local issues and gave them the opportunity to make a closing statement. Here’s what they had to say:

Who are they?

Name: Tom Audette

Age: 53

Years residing in the school district: 8

Previous town/city (or hometown): Charlotte

Occupation: AT&T Area Manager

Elected or appointed office(s) held: Elected 2012 – 2016 Fort Mill School Board Member

Number of have children in Fort Mill schools now, or in the past: I currently have 3 daughters attending the Fort Mill schools

Number of children in private schools now, or in the past: 0

Name: Terrin Boddie

Age: 49

Years residing in the school district: 6 Years

Previous town/city (or hometown): Cortlandt Manor NY

Occupation: AMR with Resolute Forestry Products

Elected or appointed office(s) held: none

Number of have children in Fort Mill schools now, or in the past: 2

Number of children in private schools now, or in the past: none

Name: Don Elliott

Age: Declined to respond

Years residing in the school district: 5 years in November

Previous town/city (or hometown): Pittsburgh, PA (Danville, VA – hometown)

Occupation: Banking

Elected or appointed office(s) held: Member, Fort Mill Southern Bypass Committee; Vice Chair/Member, Federal Prison Industries Board of Directors (George W. Bush Appointee); Member, Propel Charter Schools Board of Trustees 2009-2011; Member, Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology Board of Trustees (PA Governor Tom Ridge Appointee) 1999-2002

Number of have children in Fort Mill schools now, or in the past: 4

Number of children in private schools now, or in the past: 0

Name: Scott Frattaroli

Age: 43

Years residing in the school district: 19

Previous town/city (or hometown): Pittsburgh, PA

Occupation: Corporate Training and Documentation Team Manager, TD Bank

Elected or appointed office(s) held:

Number of have children in Fort Mill schools now, or in the past: 2

Number of children in private schools now, or in the past: 0

Name: Pam Martin

Age: 54

Years residing in the school district: 24

Previous town/city (or hometown): Lake Wylie, SC (1990-92) (Originally from Alabama)

Occupation: Small business owner

Elected or appointed office(s) held: Fort Mill School Board since November 2012

Number of children have in Fort Mill schools now, or in the past: 1

Number of children in private schools now, or in the past: 0

Name: Chad Meyer

Age: 49

Years residing in the school district: 1 1/2

Previous town/city (or hometown): Chicago, Ill.

Occupation: Entrepreneur, currently President and co-founder of HedgeACT

Elected or appointed office(s) held: None

Number of have children in Fort Mill schools now, or in the past: 1

Number of children in private schools now, or in the past: 0

Name: Kristy Thames Spears

Age: 48

Years residing in the school district: Since childhood – I attended FMSD from elementary through graduation from FMHS in 1986.

Previous town/city (or hometown):

Occupation: Retired from Bank of America

Elected or appointed office(s) held: PTA President Gold Hill Middle School, prev VP

Number of have children in Fort Mill schools now, or in the past: 1 child - GHMS

Number of children in private schools now, or in the past: 0

What we asked

Q1 Many residents are frustrated over the district’s rapid growth and most realize the school district has no choice but to accommodate all the new students. What would you like elected officials on the local (town, city, county) and state level to do to help?

Q2 The notion that most if not all high school graduates should head straight to college is changing for a variety of reasons (tuitions costs, the economy, changes in the job market, changes in social mores). Do you think the district has evolved with these changes, or should it change how it helps students assess their needs and adjust academically? What new programs, if any, would you like to see?

Q3 The school district is still considering its options for an aquatics center after voters approved funding one in a referendum more than a year ago. Which of the two proposals discussed at a recent school board meeting did you prefer and why? Is there a third option you have in mind and if so, please tell us about it.

How they answered

QUESTION 1

Audette As your Fort Mill School Board member for the last 4 years, I have been part of multiple Strategic Planning Committees that have worked on 5 and 10 year plans to help manage our rapid student growth of nearly 8% per year. We currently have over 14,000 students and are projected to add 6000 more students in the next 5 years. We greatly appreciate our partnership with our local and state officials and the best way they could help would be to continue to promote more business growth in our committee to help offset the effects of Act388. The next would be to continue to look at improving our roads through the use of Penny for Progress and other state wide programs.

Boddie I would like to see a coalition team that includes a complete team work together. Also the School Board may not be able to control the growth but they can help with traffic flow.

Elliott First, I would rather live in a growing community than in one that is shrinking. However, growth has to be managed properly. Our community is served best if state and local officials and the FMSD work as an interdependent whole rather than a series of unrelated parts. The land use and facility planning efforts of local governments and school districts cannot be separated. Both must have an understanding of the connections between school facility planning and local government management issues. Collaborative strategies must bring the respective planning efforts of local governments and schools and must take a more community oriented approach to schools and reach multiple community goals: educational, environmental, economic, social, and fiscal.

As the Fort Mill community continues to grow and local government and school district budgets are stretched thin, collaboration will become increasingly vital to meeting the needs of the entire community.

Frattaroli The School Board has no authority to control growth in Fort Mill. However, the School Board has the ability to reach out and work hand in hand with local officials to look at ways to benefit from the rising growth. One suggestion would be for the district to partner with developers. The school district should be seeking land acquisition for school buildings on larger development sites. This would benefit the builders to sell homes near thriving new schools, and likewise benefit the school district and taxpayers by offsetting the costs of the land acquisition.

At the state level, advocacy and involvement is needed from the School Board. Recently our School Administration and School Board met with state officials regarding Act 388. While many stagnant growth areas of our state benefit from 388 funding, flat funding from 388 is stressing the local businesses and falling short on the needs of a rapidly growing district like Fort Mill. The School Board needs to be continuously involved in meetings with state leaders to change the way state funding is distributed so fast growing and high achieving districts like Fort Mill are not underfunded and are able to continue to thrive.

Martin Communication is extremely important as we continue to deal with the growth. One thing we have done to promote that communication is to establish a liaison committee that consists of a School Board member, Town of Fort Mill Council member and City of Tega Cay Council member. We also have a template we share with officials that shows the cost impact along with the number of students that a residential development will bring into the school district. It’s true that we have no choice but to accommodate that growth. However, it’s vital that we keep all lines of communication open and continue to seek ways to manage growth so we can maintain and continue to improve the quality of education.

Meyer Low taxes and a relatively low cost of living are part of what makes South Carolina a great place to live and raise a family. But regarding school funding, elected officials need to strike a better balance between business and residential tax revenue. With such a heavy burden falling on businesses, it is unfair to those business that are here because they have to be, such as retail, and it is a disincentive to job-producing businesses starting in, and relocating to, Fort Mill. I don’t believe in draconian zoning laws or building moratoriums. Those measures reduce housing supply and tend to drive up home prices, which increases the overall cost of living. Elected officials need to do a better job of planning for the growth, rather than trying to stop it.

Spears When I co-chaired the 2015 Bond Referendum, I spoke frequently with parents and residents about the District’s duty to respond to the projected growth that is occurring in this region. The key is for the District to be proactive, so that adequate facilities and staff are in place to serve the growing student population as they arrive. This means closely monitoring the progress of approved neighborhoods in Fort Mill, Tega Cay and unincorporated York County, and constantly adjusting projections as new developments are approved or timings are adjusted. I have seen marked improvements in the communication and coordination between the District and the municipalities along these lines.

The issue that still remains is the funding model that is used at the State level for SC. Fort Mill School District is the fastest growing district in the state. The ‘Base Student Cost’ that is allocated from the state on a per-student basis does not adequately cover the required overhead of opening and Operating a new school (ie. Nurse, Cafeteria Staff, etc). Bond Referendums only provide funds for the facilities to be constructed. Tax reform is needed to fully address education funding throughout SC, but a better allocation methodology would be of great benefit to growing districts like ours in the meantime.

QUESTION 2

Audette The Fort Mill School District has worked closely with large corporations such as Siemens to help offer an internship program for students that are looking to start working right out of high school. The student then has an opportunity to have their degree paid for as they work. Other internships are available through other corporate partnerships. Many of our students are involved in our best in class ROTC programs at our two high schools. A lot of these students then use this education and experience and apply it in a military career. The Fort Mill School district continues to look at all opportunities for our students as our job markets change and as the economy changes. Also if our students choose to continue on to college, last year the Fort Mill School District received over 29 million dollars in scholarships for their students!

Boddie No I would like to see our district utilize York Tech like other districts in the county do. They have some wonderful technical programs that could get our children ready to handle the real world. The school district is still considering its options for an aquatics center after voters approved funding one in a referendum more than a year ago. Which of the two proposals discussed at a recent school board meeting did you prefer and why? Is there a third option you have in mind and if so, please tell us about it.

Elliott The reality is that college is not for everyone, nor is it truly needed for everyone. A recent study of ACT college entrance exam results show that South Carolina high school graduates are “woefully unprepared for college”. Forcing teens to attend college only to have them flunk out is doing a disservice to them. I once heard, Education is critical, college is not.

Fortunately, FMSD’s ACT results were above both the state and national average. The district’s 2015 graduation rate was 92% and the amount of scholarship dollars that Fort Mill students received in 2016 amounted to millions of dollars. With these results, it’s no surprise that our students have entered and graduated from colleges around the country. Because of this success, I believe that the district should continue to reflect the needs of students who want to attend 4-year colleges.

But the district needs to reflect the needs of all students. Therefore, I would like to see the district offer more courses that provide options for students who may want to choose an alternative to a 4 year college or university. There should be more emphasis on trade skills and a greater focus on licensing and certification courses combined with internships, externships, and partnerships with businesses that equip students with the skills and experiences that they need to enter the job market upon graduation.

Frattaroli I know the Fort Mill School District has evolved with the changes and challenges facing our students with regard to college and career readiness. Currently high school guidance counselors meet with students at the end of their 8th grade year to discuss career paths and interests when scheduling high school classes. Throughout the high school experience, students have the chance to explore opportunities best suited to their interests and abilities, and to look at options for post-graduation plans (4-year, 2-year, trade, and career plans). Through CATE (Career and Technology Education) and career clusters, the district organizes instruction and student experiences around broad categories of occupations at all professional levels. There are many classes at the high school level which are designed to offer our students college credits. The district also provides students with tangible internship opportunities.

I would advocate for an expansion of the internship/apprenticeship program so students would have the ability to explore experiences in a broader range of careers. Additionally, I would like to see the growth of the foreign language program throughout all grade levels of the district.

Martin Whether our high school graduates are going to college or to work, it’s important to provide opportunities for them to be ready to meet those challenges. We offer electives in numerous career paths that gives our students the opportunity to try that path before graduating high school so they can discover whether they like that career path or not. If a student, group of students or a teacher is interested in adding an additional class then the district investigates to see if that is a viable option. We need to continue to partner with our Universities, Technical institutions and local businesses to be sure our students are given the resources to be “Career Ready”. We want to provide our students with the skill sets to either go straight to work, a 2 year school or 4 years of college.

Meyer The district needs to do two things to help students with their post-high school options. For those students who do intend to go to college, our high school guidance counselors need to do a better job of helping students evaluate their college options, including financial aid. There is a substantial difference among colleges in the earning power of their graduates, so we need to provide more support to our students in the decision-making process. For those students who do not intend to go to college, we need to dramatically improve our vocational course options in our high schools.

Spears I do believe the district has evolved along these lines. There are increasing opportunities to prepare students who will proceed to a traditional 4-yr college – Advanced Placement (AP) courses, Dual Credit opportunities, etc. that should continue to be expanded. But there are also an increasing number of Career and Technology (CATE) programs that introduce our students to real world careers during their High School years. Students even have the opportunity to participate in internships and / or earn certifications for their program areas. These programs have come a long way from the offerings of my High School days and now include courses in areas such as Digital Art & Design, Graphic Communications, Automotive Technology, and Culinary Arts.

QUESTION 3

Audette Currently the school district has looked at proposals from both “Game on” and “Fort Mill/YMCA”. It is critical for the tax payers that the absolute best deal is agreed upon. Based on the language in the aquatic center bond, there are several years available to determine the best option. If a final agreement cannot be reached, the bond would not be used.

Boddie If the middle schools can have one track for all of them, why not build the new high school with a pool. I would honestly rather see them purchase Leroy Springs Complex and use the facility to its fulles.

Elliott I don’t have a preference for either option. Both options will address the needs of the Fort Mill School District. Both have their pros and cons. What I am interested in is the process by which a final decision is reached. The best option will be the one that is approved by the majority of well informed fort mill residents. I support the will of the people.

Frattaroli When looking at the future aquatics center the Board must consider the interests of all voters and taxpayers from the Town of Fort Mill, City of Tega Cay, and Fort Mill Township. I do not have a preference between proposals presented regarding the aquatics center. Instead, I'm in favor of any proposal, including new options, which would benefit the students of Fort Mill, which is sustainable, and which ultimately benefits district initiatives. I taught second grade in Fort Mill from 1997-2000, and part of my instructional year included leading students in the water safety course at Leroy Springs. Due to growth and scheduling issues, this program dissolved in the mid-2000s. We need to bring a water safety program which aligns with safety and physical education standards. Also, with a third high school opening in the next three years, the district needs a home to be able to accommodate practice schedules for all three high school swim teams.

Martin The School Board is still in the information gathering stage in regards to an Aquatics Center. When the question of the Aquatics Center came up, we were under the impression that the Complex was being eliminated and we needed a facility to serve our students. The Board is waiting on the Administration to finish studying viable options. Since I do not have all the information, I have not formed an opinion on this matter.

Meyer It is too early to close off either aquatics option. The Greenway is centrally located, but it would require a significant amount of renovation work. The Game On Development option could be very interesting, but a lot will depend on the details of the agreement between the district and Game On. With my business background, and law and finance education, I am uniquely qualified to lead those negotiations and I look forward to doing so.

Spears I attended the meeting where the two proposals were discussed. The two options are very different and both have pros and cons in terms of a partnership structure. Game On is planning a world-class sports and entertainment complex in Tega Cay that would include an aquatics center as just one component of the expansive facility. There is no doubt that this would be a fantastic facility for the FMSD swim programs. Likewise, the idea of keeping / redeveloping the Complex would provide a much needed recreational center for that part of the community. Both projects are in relatively early stages of planning, so I think the Board is wise to continue to discuss and analyze partnership options until plans are a little more confirmed. I personally hope both developments will move forward given the population growth projections of the area.

Closing statement

Audette: “As your Fort Mill School Board member, I have been honored to be involved with multiple sub committees’ and strategic planning committees, along with budgeting, hiring, land agreement, policy design, state and federal laws and more. I am also a monthly public spokesman/advocate for strong school safety and we have increased the level of security at our schools. The Fort Mill School District has been ranked #1 in the state and in the top 5% in the nation! I would like to ask for your vote on November 8 to continue this excellent in the Fort Mill School District! www.relecttomaudette.com

Elliott: “I am running because of me passion for education and my belief that investing in the education of our children is tied to the vitality of our community. I will fight to make sure that every child has an opportunity to learn and grow in a high quality environment with teachers, administrators, and an engaged school board committed to policies and a curriculum that will help all students, regardless of their mental abilities, physical abilities or zip code, reach their full potential. As a member of the school board, I will work within the Fort Mill community to raise the collective voice of students, parents, administrators, and community leaders in the education process.”

Frattaroli: “Over the past nineteen years I've been fortunate to be a public education leader and advocate in our community who has formed lasting relationships with thousands of students, staff, and families. I earned advanced degrees in educational leadership and I have foundational expertise in leading schools and people. I understand school budgets and building projects, as well as how growth impacts schools. I am passionate about public education and a parent and vested stakeholder in our district. My experience, knowledge, and dedication to public education in Fort Mill make me the most qualified candidate for the Fort Mill School Board.”

Martin: “I am passionate about quality education and I am invested in our community. I have been volunteering in our schools for over 20 years. Over the past 4 years, I have gained experience in working with our legislators and local officials, building new schools, drawing attendance lines, working on our strategic plan and dealing with the effect the growth in our community has on our school children. Being a School Board Trustee means you are working as part of a team and I have the experience, knowledge, passion and commitment to continue to be part of that team.”

Spears: “I am a proud product of the Fort Mill School District, and have dedicated myself to serving the District for the last few years since my retirement from Bank of America. I am EXPERIENCED with skills that would be an asset to the board such as financial management, strategic planning, change and risk management. I have been significantly INVOLVED in the District to have first-hand knowledge of Board operations, topics and challenges facing the district. And I have the time and passion to be COMMITTED to this critical role for the next 4 years. I would be honored to have your vote on November 8th!”

This story was originally published October 31, 2016 at 5:59 PM with the headline "7 candidates vie for 3 Fort Mill school board seats."