Here’s why Rock Hill school board candidates say they deserve your vote

Candidates for Rock Hill school board went head to head this week on issues related to education.

The election is Nov. 6. A forum was held Tuesday at the Rock Hill school district’s central office.

The candidates are:

• Brent Faulkenberry (at-large)

• Kevin Porter (at-large)

• Tyrie K Rowell (at-large)

• Robin Owens (District 4)

• Valarie A Walker (District 4)

• Marilyn A Martin (District 2)

• Helena Miller (District 2)

From the candidates

Owens said she is running because she believes strong education brings jobs to a community and increases the satisfaction of living there.

“Excellence in education can be a driver for a local community. It just makes us feel good about where we live,” she said. “I’m passionate about our responsibility and our opportunity to prepare our children to thrive as adults.”

Faulkenberry said he is running with four main goals: to safely educate children; graduate college- and work-ready students; ensure the school board is socially and fiscally responsible; and make sure Rock Hill school district attracts talent.

“My goal would be for the current students and the future students of our district to make them the next greatest generation,” Faulkenberry said.

Porter said he wants to be a part of local education.

“I want to be that person that takes action and be involved in our schools and in our community to provide the best education for our teachers and our students,” he said.

Miller, who has children in elementary, middle and high schools in Rock Hill, said she is ready to continue her work on the school board.

“I am prepared to dedicate just as much time as I have my first four years for my next four years,” Miller said. “I believe education unlocks opportunities for our students.”

Martin, a collegiate educator, said she wants to bring her passion to the role.

“As a professional turned educator, I too am passionate about students, particularly making sure our public school districts are preparing our students for college and life after high school,” Martin said.

A school board member’s role

Each of the candidates agree a school board member’s role is to create and evaluate policies to help govern the district.

Faulkenberry said the members also have to make sure the policies are working as they should be.

“It’s not enough to establish the policies, you’ve got to evaluate them for effectiveness and how they are implemented,” he said. “A lot of times a policy sounds great on paper but when it hits the classroom, sometimes it has unintended consequences.”

Rowell said policy making is why it’s important to have an educator on the school board.

“The decisions you make affect those students and teachers in the classroom,” he said.

The candidates also all agree they have to be active in the community.

“The members of school board provide a link from the community to the schools,” Owens said.

Porter said candidates should visit the whole district, not just where they live or where their children go to school.

Miller said the school board members need to advocate for the district’s needs.

“Our job is to advocate for our district’s best interest both in Columbia and nationally,” she said.

Martin said the school board also has to support district leadership.

“A board member’s role is not to solve parent concerns initially,” Martin said. “I do believe all parent concerns should begin at the school level. Teachers and principals should have a chance to resolve those issues prior to presenting them to the school board.”

Mental health for students, staff

Each Rock Hill school board candidate agreed the mental and emotional health of students and staff is a priority in education.

The board this year approved a budget that added more funding for mental health providers, Miller said.

“I truly believe mental health is closely connected to our school safety,” she said.

Miller said she has requested information from the district detailing how reports of mental health problems are handled. She said the district needs to do a better job at addressing concerns and getting students help quicker.

“Our referral times are too long” Miller said. “I think we’re underserving our kids.”

Owens said she supports the current efforts, but also supports evaluating how the district addresses mental health in schools.

“It does seem our current school board and district administrators are more focused on mental health during this year than they have been in the past,” Owens said. “We need to make sure the things we are doing are effective in helping our students deal with mental illness.”

Porter said he would want to review the current district policies to see where improvements may be made.

Faulkenberry said the district needs to address bullying.

“Statistically the biggest issue (students) face is bullying,” he said.

Walker said the issues students face are reflective of today’s society.

“The life our students are living today is not the schools or time we found ourselves living in,” she said. “I’ve never heard of bullying up until recently more and more. Our youth are definitely dealing with more mental issues due to the time in which they find themselves living.”

This story was originally published September 28, 2018 at 12:15 PM.