August LIBPA Newsletter

Reminder: The September LIBPA meeting (September 9) will consist of a forum for the candidates for District 46 State Senate seat. This forum is open to the public.

Congratulations To District 124 Representative Shannon Erickson on her selection as the Outstanding Freshman Representative for the 2008 session of the State House of Representatives by a well known political web site (earlcapps.blogspot.com) “The Blogland of Earl Capps”. Mr. Capps provides an article on the rational for her selection on the web site.

Special LIBPA Award In Support Of Leadership Beaufort Program: Each year the Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce conducts a program entitled “Leadership Beaufort” designed to identify  ey individuals in the Beaufort community and connects them with prominent civic, business and government leaders to allow a better understanding of how our community works. The program is conducted over a 10 month period and requires 7 Fridays and 2 full weekends. In support of this program the Lady’s Island Business and Professional Association (LIBPA) contributes $350 of the program’s enrollment fee for a Lady’s Island attendee. Ms. Maria H. Landry was selected to receive LIBPA support of her attendance in this year’s program. Ms. Landry recently completed service with the U. S. Marine Corps where she attained the rank of Captain. In 2007, she and her husband Jim made Lady’s Island their home. Jim is a deputy with the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office and Maria is the Executive Director of the Alzheimer’s Family Services of Greater Beaufort. In addition to financial assistance with the Leadership Beaufort enrollment fee LIBPA gives each individual selected a one year complementary membership in the Lady’s Island Business and Professional Association. Congratulations to Ms. Landry and to both she and her husband – thank you for your contribution to the Beaufort community.

School Uniforms - To Be Or Not To Be During August the Beaufort County School Board is scheduled to vote on the question of school uniforms for all of Beaufort County schools. If the vote is yes then a committee will be formed to develop a specific policy regarding school uniforms. To give residents of our community an opportunity to have a say on the question of uniforms, LIBPA is providing a survey on its web site (www.libpa.org) which asks you to share your opinion on the subject. The results will be made available to Mr. Jim Bequette, the Lady’s Island school board representative. Please take a few minutes, complete the survey and let Mr. Bequette know your thoughts on the question of mandatory uniforms in our public schools.

School News: by Jim Bequette, District 7 School Board Representative During July the teachers and administrators of the Beaufort County School District had a busy period of intensive training and discussions about improving the education of our children. Under the leadership of Superintendent, Dr. Valerie Truesdale, and Instructional Services Director, Dr. Mary Seamon, a week-long Summer Retreat for teachers was held at Bluffton High School. Educational experts from throughout the country conducted seminars on many aspects of interest to our teachers for improving the classroom experience. When it was planned our leaders expected 300 teachers to enroll. They were surprised with 730 in attendance. Some of the veteran teachers told me it was one of the best things that has ever happened for teachers in this District. We are fortunate that Dr. Truesdale is the President of the largest educational association in the world and she attracted top talent for our training. A two-day improvement program was held for Principals and staff academic leaders on July 8 and 9. The Principals were able to share the programs that were working well in their schools as well as the ones that needed improvement. Towards the end of the meeting the Principals developed an “Essential Agreements” list in order “to create a common vision, articulated by a common language, accomplished through common goals, based on common sense” in order to improve all of our schools. I will have copies of this one page agreement available at our August LIBPA meeting. You may have read the front page article in the July 10 issue of the Gazette about the training going on at Whale Branch Middle School for third and fourth grade teachers. They will be teaching the new curriculum designed for the District’s push to involve more students in learning science, technology, engineering and math. These skills will be needed for many jobs projected to be available in the twentyfirst century. The Board will hold hearings on uniforms at its meetings on August 4 and 18 before voting on the 18th. There is a survey requesting your opinions on school uniforms available on the LIBPA web site (www.libpa.org). This survey will remain available until August 17. Your Board voted to appoint a committee of teachers, parents, and citizens representing each of our twenty-eight schools to bring back recommendations on a unified calendar for all schools. We requested a report from them on October 21 with Board action on the calendar scheduled for November 4. In an effort to ensure each of you has an opportunity to share your opinions regarding school calendars LIBPA plans to conduct a survey of public opinion on the subject in the near future. Please feel free to call me (521-0931) to express your opinion on the calendar, uniforms or any other item.

Lady's Island Home Construction Continues Downward Slide: In 1999 the residential construction business on Lady’s Island reached a peak with 223 permits being issued by Beaufort County for construction of single family homes on the island. Between the building peak in 1999 and 2005 when the market started to decline, Lady’s Island saw an average of 189 new homes each year. The average selling price for a home on Lady’s Island at the building peak in 1999 was $167,000. Prices would continue to rise until 2006 when the average selling price reached a peak of $319,000. 2007 saw both the demand for new homes and the average selling price decline. In an effort to gauge the housing construction market at the midpoint of each year, LIBPA monitors the number of building permits issued between January and June 30. The following chart presents a look at the 2008 building permit numbers at midpoint of the year as compared to the last 5 years plus the total number for the year.                                      The story told by the 2008 numbers is obvious – the market for new homes on Lady’s Island is at its lowest point in recent times.There is no question that Lady’s Island will benefit from a reduction in the pressure of growth. Our schools will have an opportunity to reorganize to better handle future growth. The projects to expand the capacity of our roads are rapidly nearing the time for actual construction. SCE&G is nearing completion of the project to increase the electrical capacity for the island. Land has been purchased for a park on Springfield Road and Crystal Lake Park is in the design phase. A study will be completed as to the feasibility and desirability of another bridge from the northern part of the island to the vicinity of the Marine Corps Air Station. One of the human costs of the slowdown in residential construction on Lady’s Island, according the National Home Builders, is the loss of approximately 280 local jobs. Hopefully, as a community we will use this pause in the growth of our island to prepare for the time when it will start up again.

Just How Fast Is Beaufort County Growing?: All things are relative and population growth is no different. The following chart provides a comparison of the population growth experienced by Beaufort County, Colleton County, Hampton County and Jasper County from the 2000 census to July 1, 2007.                       The 5 fastest growing municipalities in these 4 counties during this period (2000-2007) were: 1. Town of Bluffton, Beaufort County (+86.48%) 2. Edisto Beach, Colleton County (+10.37%) 3. Town of Port Royal, Beaufort County (+9.64%) 4. City of Hardeeville, Jasper County (+ 7.34%) 5. Town of Yemassee, Hampton County (+ 5.91%) To provide some idea of the degree of pressure from population growth which Beaufort County experienced during this period - for ever single person that moved into Colleton, Hampton or Jasper County there were 10 people that moved into Beaufort County. Editor’s Note: The data contained in this article is derived from an updated version of the 2000 U. S. Census by the Census Bureau..

Foreclosure and Bankruptcy Report: Although the daily headlines indicate the national foreclosure and bankruptcy rate is going out of sight, the foreclosure numbers for Beaufort County appear to have stabilized. However, the number of homes involved in bankruptcies did experience a significant increase in July from the previous month. Following is a closer look at each of the categories. Foreclosures. The total number of Beaufort County homes involved in foreclosures (106) in July increased by only 1 from the previous month. This number is made up of 83 foreclosures south of the Broad River and 23 north of the Broad River. Bankruptcies. July saw a 63% increase from the previous month in the number of Beaufort County homes involved in bankruptcy procedures. The number of homes involved in bankruptcies rose from 24 in June to 39 in July. Of this number, 22 of these homes were located north of the Broad River. Based on the number of recent public notices announcing the auction of homes as a result of either bankruptcy or foreclosure the total number of homes involved in such procedures could start to diminish. The truth is, only time will tell. Editor’s Note: All data contained in this article is derived from www.foreclosure.com.

A Close Look At The 2008 Real Estate Market: By Everett Ballenger, President, Beaufort County Association of Realtors, Keller Williams Realty/Ballenger Associates. Following are statistical comparisons of 2007/8 residential real estate sales in northern Beaufort County for the period January 1 to June 30. It should be noted that this data does not include real estate activity on Fripp and Harbor Island.                      As can been seen from the above figures, the real estate market in Northern Beaufort County for the first half of 2008 looks pretty grim, especially when compared to the heydays of the first six years of 2000. The numbers speak for themselves; we are still in a “correcting” market. Inventories are up, prices are down. I am willing to bet, there are quite a few owners who in 2007 took what, at the time, they thought was a low offer for their property but today look at the current market and feel it was one of the better moves they have made. The figures show we may not have hit the bottom yet, no one knows for sure. My advice to sellers… be as realistic in your asking price as possible, because we don’t know what you might get for it in six months. I personally feel the numbers are somewhat skewed by the first three months of 2008 which were very depressed…especially January. January is usually quite a good month for us, but this year it was literally a disaster. April May and June gave the appearance of shaping up to be good months, and I was surprised they were still down from last year. Without a doubt, the areas hardest hit in SC by this real estate correction, are those along the coast such as Myrtle Beach, Beaufort and Hilton Head. Areas inland, that have more industry than we do, have fared much better, but that is a subject for another article! People love the Beaufort area and want to settle here but if they cannot sell their primary residence in Ohio, and their 401k has tanked, it does have a huge impact on us. In the past we have taken it for granted that people will come, that has changed, they are not and it is hitting us very hard in our real estate pockets. Most of us in the business thought that both shoes had dropped as far as the credit and mortgage lending institutions was concerned, but then we get the news of Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae and other similar institutions still in turmoil. All this negative news only further depresses an already depressed market. I know it does not seem like it, but things will improve. It is still a wonderful time for buyers. And while we are on the subject of buyers, 56% of the homes sold in the first quarter of this year was to first time buyers. This is quite a jump from the norm of around 33%. Mortgage rates are starting to creep up, almost unnoticeably, but when one compares rates to a year or two ago - again we have passed the heyday of ultra cheap money. So if I was a buyer sitting on the fence, I would seriously think about jumping into the market now. Note: At the time of writing this article, there are a total of 148 pending sales in our MLS. Also the above figures do not include condos or mobile homes. As there is an overlap from when a property closes, to when it is updated in the MLS, I set the closing date points to the 5th day of July for 2007/2008. In spite of this adjustment I still may not have captured all the closings for the first half of 2008.

Lady's Island Law Enforcement Statistics: When a Beaufort County Sheriff’s Deputy responds to an incident on Lady’s Island a report is required to be submitted as a matter of record. Following is a review of a representative number of types of incidents reports which were submitted for the first 6 months of 2008 as compared to the same period in the previous year.                             A review of the full report indicates that the number of violent crimes (murder, aggravated assault, rape, robbery) remained stable and reasonable low (an average of 16 such incidents in the first 6 months of the year for the last three years). What has significantly increased is the number of larceny and burglary incidents. The major single type of larceny occurring over the last 6 months on Lady’s Island is theft from motor vehicles (52 incidents). Sheriff Tanner, in his recent visit with LIBPA members at the July meeting, pointed out that most of the thefts from vehicles occurred in vehicles which were unlocked. As to burglaries he reported that the method of entry into the home, in many incidents, was by use of the garage door opener left in the home owner’s unlocked car in the driveway. Once inside the garage, the door leading into the house from the garage was too often found to be unlocked. The lesson here is pretty clear – we all need to do a better job of securing our cars and homes. In the first 6 months of 2008 the Sheriff’s Office dispatcher directed an officer to investigate an incident or situation on Lady’s Island a total of 5,206 times or an average of 29 incidents per day. Although the crimes involving larceny have increased as compared to the same period last year, we continue to live in a very safe community, thanks to the high level of professionalism and dedication on the part of the officers of the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office and the leadership of Sheriff P. J. Tanner.

Greenheath Developer Requests Extension: In 1997 Mr. Fred Trask requested approval for a planned unit development on the 98 acres adjacent to Coosa Elementary School. The development, named Greenheath, would consist of 313 dwelling units and 25,000 square feet of commercial space for a gross density of 3.18 dwelling units per acre. Since the Beaufort County zoning standards in effect today were adopted in 1999 (2 years after the Greenheath PUD was approved) those developments such as Greenheath were exempt from the more stringent present standards. For a variety of reasons, some of these early PUD’s were not developed. Regardless of whether they were developed or not, infrastructure had to be planned for them since they had been approved. To avoid developments of this nature from remaining a potential impact on the communities in which they existed County Council passed an ordinance that stated that unless they were developed or in the process of developing by 2010 they must request an extension and comply with the current development standards. Mr. Trask has requested that an extension of the time available for the Greenheath Planned Unit Development be granted by County Council and that no time limit be place on the development of this PUD. The initial review of his request by the Planning Department resulted in a recommendation that the Greenheath PUD be extended on the condition that: - The financial impact of adding the new students to the school system must be addressed by the developer. Coosa Elementary is beyond its capacity at the present time and the Greenheath development would only increase the pressure to build a third elementary school. - Improved access between Coosa Elementary and the development. - A 15 foot landscape buffer be established along Brickyard Point Road to include an easement for a future 10 foot wide multi-use pathway. A logical concern by the Lady’s Island residents is the impact of the additional traffic generated by the Greenheath development. The Beaufort County computer transportation model projects that in 2025 with the Greenheath development the traffic on Middle Road to Sams Point Road will average 10,000 to 11,000 vehicle trips per day and allow a level of service D which is not great but not failing. Sams Point Road in the year 2025 is projected to have 27,000 to 28,000 trips per day and also provide a level of service D. Not addressed to date but of significant concern is the impact of the additional traffic on Brickyard Point Road. This will be requested in future review of the application. A public hearing on the project was conducted by a subcommittee of the Beaufort County Planning Commission at the Lady’s Island Airport conference room on July 14, 2008. The request to grant an extension for the Greenheath project will be reviewed by the Planning Commission in August and by County Council in September.

A Roundabout On Sams Point Road?: The Beaufort County Capital Improvement Plan includes improvements to the intersection of Sam’s Point, Brickyard and Holly Hall Road which would be funded through the use of transportation impact fees. The major improvement planned, for this key intersection, is the construction of a roundabout. The design for the roundabout intersection is currently under way and actual construction is scheduled for late 2009. How Lady’s Island drivers will adapt to the use of a roundabout is open to question. What is not open to question, is the fact that a roundabout will improve the ease and safety of travel for those entering Sams Point Road from the Holly Hall Road. That steps are being taken to cope with traffic problems on Lady’s Island before they become a crisis and that the construction of such projects is being funded directly by impact fees is a compliment to the Beaufort County Engineer Department and especially Mr. Colin Kinton, the County Transportation Engineer.

Meet The Coosa Elementary School New Principal: by Mrs. Carmen Dillard, Principal, Coosa Elementary School I would like to take this opportunity to tell a little about myself, both professionally and personally. I grew up in Stone Mountain, Georgia with my parents, five siblings, a horse and lots of dogs. I have lived in the Atlanta area most of my life. I can tract my interest in being an educator back to my teenage years when I spent several summers working in summer camps at church. I attended Mercer University in Atlanta for my undergraduate degree in Elementary Education and later in life earned my Masters Degree in Educational Leadership from Georgia State University. I worked in the DeKalb County School System in the metro-Atlanta area for approximately 20 years as a teacher, Assistant Principal and Principal. For the past 13 years, I have been at Oak Grove Elementary, a wonderful school which has many similarities to Coosa. I am very proud of the numerous awards and recognitions Oak Grove has received for academic excellence over the years. The school was recognized two different years as a Georgia School of Excellence (2007 and 1999) and a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence in 2001. Oak Grove received recognition the last three years from the State of Georgia as a Silver and Bronze Award recipient (for having greater than 95% of the students meeting and exceeding standards on the Georgia Criterion Referenced Competency Test.) This past spring, I was honored to be recognized as a 2007 Georgia High Performance Principal by Governor Perdue and State Superintendent Cox. I am mother to Stella (age 25) and Raymond (age 24). Stella is engaged to be married January 2009 and currently is a chef’s apprentice in Atlanta with Chef Michael Tuohy. In August, she moves to England and will be living there for the next year. Raymond recently graduated from Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. He was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant with the Army National Guard the day before his graduation. He is slated to begin leadership training in August, Ranger School in early 2009, and scheduled to go to Afghanistan in May 2009. He has a black belt in Tae Kwon Do and aspires to ultimately work in the theatre or film industry. Stella and Raymond also have an older brother and sister, Bob and Heather. Heather will be moving to Beaufort as well and is very excited about working with the Beaufort County Disabilities organization to ultimately acquire a job. Bob, who is also a former Army Ranger, works in Atlanta as a restaurant general manager. He recently returned to the states after being in Iraq for three years. My husband, Dennis, is a Project Manager and designs commercial kitchens for restaurants. Currently, much of his work is carrying him to the southwestern U. S. where he is working with a number of chain restaurants. After moving to Beaufort, he hopes to slow down a bit (so he can do a lot of fishing) and focus more of his work closer to home. Dennis is also a retired U. S. Army Lieutenant Colonel and served two tours in Vietnam. My hobbies are dance (ballet and jazz), collecting Native American art (especially pottery), and gardening. As a young adult, I was a member of the Ruth Mitchell Dance Company in Atlanta, Georgia and taught dance for approximately 20 years. When I am not at school, I love to spend time with our family and dogs (a 2-year German Shepherd named Belle and our most recent addition, Chewy rescued from the pound.) I am often asked the question, “Why have you decided to move to Beaufort?” For the past 10 years or so, Beaufort has been our favorite destination to vacation and visit. About six years ago, we bought some property and kept saying, “One of these days, we’ll build our final home here.” I am delighted that our dreams are coming true … We are so excited to watch our home move closer to completion, and I’m thrilled to find a new school home … Coosa! I am anxious to get settled in Beaufort and begin at Coosa. I truly appreciate the hospitality, kindness, and support I have already experience in just a few visits, and look forward to getting to know you all even better. Thank you all for making me feel so welcome.

Meet Kent Fletcher, Candidate For District 46 State Senate Seat: By Kent Fletcher, Democratic Candidate for District 46 State Senate Seat Hello. My name is Kent D. Fletcher and I am your Democratic Candidate for State Senate. It was 14 years ago that I began my professional career just across the water as a recruit at Parris Island when I had enlisted in the Marine Corps. As a veteran of the Iraqi War, with more than 11 years of service, I have settled here in Beaufort County, where most of my immediate family also resides with my brother just up the road in Charleston. Currently I am an admissions counselor for The University of Phoenix, Savannah Campus. Before that, I worked extensively with the Latino American community, serving as the Advertising Executive for a local publication. Having had these opportunities, including my military service I am convinced that we all have far more in common than we have in differences. We each can choose how we share our unique gifts with the rest of the world. I choose to express mine through public service. I strongly believe that I have the ability needed to harness the best from our community, in order to return to them the government they deserve. I have also had the unique opportunity to work within the respective North American and Latino American communities as an advertising executive shortly after my arrival here. My experience around the world and across the United States has shown me over the last several years that we have far more in common that we have in differences. At the same time, we all have our own talents and skills that we bring to the common market and mine is public service. That is why I am your best choice for the South Carolina District 46 State Senate Seat. That is why I am asking for your vote and your support between now and November 4th through the next four years and beyond. Nearly all of us find ourselves in anxious and exciting times today. Anxious because most of us are facing an economic crunch that some believe is unprecedented, short of a depression. The effects are far-reaching: Gas prices exceeding $4/gal with no identified means of even stabilizing; a housing market that is in shambles, with growing foreclosures, again with no visible signs of easing; rising unemployment with wages not keeping up with the cost of living are but a few of the examples of the true economic picture for the average citizen and entrepreneur. For six years, we have seen a President and Governor who appear to be out of touch with you and me; the same people who employ them. Recently we have seen the ban on off-shore drilling lifted and the endorsement of exploration come from our elected leadership including Beaufort County officials; this in spite of the general agreement that no immediate relief to you, the consumer will be had. Further the threat that this proposal poses to very beautiful environment and the ecological imbalances that would surely follow have all been ignored in these decisions. The boom in development, both residential and commercial does not been appear to have been accompanied by any thought-out plan to provide adequate infrastructure improvements, including very importantly how to transport the increase in population. Another apparent important fact ignored seems to surround the protection of and growth in our local industries that have supported this community for generations. The crisis in the shrimp business is a prime example of this lack in foresight. Coupled with that, many of our citizens have waited patiently while our state experimented with our education system only to find no progress, no improvement, and unfair management and distributions of your tax dollars. Beaufort County outspends most of the state in education, and receives less of a return in the quality of education. Building solid relationships between our local school boards and Columbia would be the start of repairing the damage. We don’t see this happening; not under the current political environment. Instead, we see no movement forward; we still have a system that predates the information age! We are not maximizing our current investment resources in this, the most vital of any future returns. Neighbors of Lady’s Island. It is time for us all to come together in a way that has not happened for quite some time. We need to allow the residents of our community to have a voice again in what decisions are made in our state capitol that recognizes all the wonderful resources we have here and finds ways to welcome people to continue coming back, but also one that reflects a practical approach to a 21st Century Beaufort County. It is a time for us to show the best of what we have to offer to foreign businesses that enhance and complement our environment, respects our more than 10,000 acres of wetlands, and strengthens our local small businesses that make up the fabric of our society here as they do all across South Carolina and America. On November 4th, 2008 we will all have a very important decision to make when we go to vote for our next elected officials. We will either be choosing a path that will continue the status quo, supports an unstable economy, invests in resources that are past their time, and plans to educate our youth and adult alike with ideas that are neither practical or will bring value to Beaufort County from Lady’s Island to Hilton Head Island. Or, we will choose the path of a 21st Century Beaufort County that is ready to work, is ready to pull together the resources that are necessary for the success of all of us, is ready not just look for, but attract and gain commitment from new industries that complement and enhance our local economy of small businesses including the use of solar power, and supports an education system that recognizes the value of the greatest tools anyone can be provided; those of hope and empowerment. I am Kent D. Fletcher, I came here to see these things through with you. I am ready to work for you, and to bring your voice back to the decision-making process and bring a sense of accountability back to the District 46 State Senate Seat. I look forward to seeing you in September, to discussing with you these issues and others that matter to you the most. And I look forward to gaining your support and your vote in this exciting year of opportunity and promise for us all. Editor’s Note. The above article was provided in response to an invitation by LIBPA to each of the Candidates (Tom Davis (R), Kent Fletcher (D)) for the District 46 State Senate Seat to provide articles setting forth their positions on the issues or other subjects of their choice.

It Is Time To Act On Education Funding Reform: By Tom Davis, Republican Candidate for District 46, State Senate Seat. When it comes to public education in South Carolina, the bad news is all too familiar – almost half of our children do not graduate from high school in four years, and of those who do graduate far too many score at the bottom of national academic assessments. The societal costs of this abysmal record are staggering. For example, the probability that a high school dropout receives Medicaid benefits is 64 percent higher than for a graduate and a high school dropout is more than twice as likely as a graduate to be incarcerated. In fact, it has been estimated by the Friedman Foundation that each new class of dropouts costs our state $98 million every year. Over an expected lifetime of 50 years, just one year’s class of dropouts will cost South Carolina $4.9 billion. No one disputes these costs, but there isn’t a consensus on what should be done to improve the education for our state’s children. In recent years, a possible solution that has been hotly debated is the issue of parental school choice – an approach that would allow parents to select the public or private schools of their choice and then receive tax relief or scholarships to help pay for this choice. That debate should continue. In the meantime, however, there is one common sense reform that everyone – liberals and conservatives, Republicans and Democrats – should support that would pay immediate dividends for our children: reforming the way we fund our public schools. Our problem is not the overall amount spent. For the current fiscal year the money spent on K-12 public education in South Carolina works out to $11,480 per child – about right at the national average. The problem, rather, is that not nearly enough of that money actually makes its way to the classroom. As the governor’s senior policy advisor, I was stunned to discover the degree of state control over the allocation of our education dollars. Some dollars are sent to districts; some are sent to schools; some are divided among schools; some are set aside for programs that may or may not be applicable to a school; and so on. There are also pages of line-item education appropriations added into the state budget each year at the behest of lobbyists and special interests. Adding to the confusion is the huge number of different funding streams for our K-12 education that flow from the Education Finance Act, the Education Improvement Act, the Education Accountability Act and the Education Lottery. A large corps of state bureaucrats manages these expenditures and oversees these complicated funding formulas, and local school districts are forced to employ administrators of their own to comply with all the red tape. Obviously, every dollar spent on these administrative costs is a dollar that isn’t spent educating our children. It is time to do away with all of the archaic funding streams and the state control of spending and to adopt what is known as “backpack” funding. This type of funding enables public schools to receive a per-student grant for every child they serve, while giving local school leaders control over their budgets in order to fulfill their school’s mission. This approach would allow dollars now being wasted on administration to be put into the classrooms and would also enable local school boards and superintendents, with input from local teachers and parents, to make the important spending decisions on our children’s education. But such reform has been met with fierce resistance in Columbia by those who benefit from the current system – by those who have convinced the legislature to fund their education programs and materials. These special interests hire lobbyists to argue that eliminating their particular programs and materials would “gut” public education. This is, of course, a disingenuous argument. If those programs and materials are actually helping children, then local schools would continue using and paying for them once they became empowered decision-makers through “backpack” funding. The truth is that these special interests fear a process that allows the local community to view and judge the product of its own school system. But we need to be about providing our kids with the best possible education, not protecting programs hand-picked in Columbia that don’t work. Despite past defeats, however, there is now real reason for hope. Three separate groups in Columbia – representing the House, the Senate and the Superintendent of Education – are meeting throughout the summer and fall to study implementation of “backpack” funding, and in speaking with them I have been impressed by their resolve. Their work should be done by the next legislative session, and we all need to pull together then to make the reform happen. Editor’s Note: This article was provided in response to a request by LIBPA to the two candidates (Mr. Tom Davis (R) and Mr. Kent Fletcher (D)) for the District 46 State Senate Seat for articles setting forth their positions on the issues or other subjects of their choice.