Some Aiken and Saluda County residents may have the chance to elect their subsequent representatives to the Aiken County Public College District Board of Trustees on April 11.
4 candidates Tony Kirkland, Drew Klapko, Kim Livingston and Deborah Tyler obtained the required variety of petition signatures to run on the poll for the seat being vacated by Sandra Shealy.
Shealy, who was elected to the varsity board in 2017, resigned for private causes on the Jan. 10 faculty board assembly.
The seat represents northern Aiken County and southern Saluda County. (South Saluda County residents ship their youngsters to high school in Aiken County.) The municipalities are Wagener, Ridge Spring, Sallie, Moneta, Perry and Windsor. The excessive colleges are Wagener-Sally and Ridge Spring-Moneta.
Tony Kirkland
Kirkland, 62, is a Wagener native. He mentioned he graduated from Wagener-Sally Excessive College in 1978. After highschool, Kirkland mentioned he attended and graduated from USC Aiken.
She mentioned 2023 marks her fortieth yr as a registered nurse. Kirkland mentioned he has labored at Aiken Regional Medical Middle for 20 years, College House Well being Companies for eight years and he at the moment works at Orangeburg Regional Medical Middle.
Kirkland mentioned he has been married to his spouse Gail for 43 years. The couple has two sons, Justin and Kyle (each graduates of Wagener-Sally Excessive College), and 5 grandchildren.
Kirkland says “We won’t change the way in which training is completed as an entire however sooner or later mother and father and grandparents should be concerned within the faculty system as many youngsters are being raised by their grandparents. That shall be my focus.”
Kirkland mentioned he desires to enhance the district’s take a look at scores, make certain the district’s self-discipline insurance policies are being adopted and enhance faculty lunches.
He additionally mentioned that he needed the academics to be native residents.
“It was like that once I was in class,” Kirkland mentioned. “When you minimize in class, you noticed your instructor at church on Sunday and she or he instructed your mother and your dad and whenever you bought dwelling you narrow your butt.”
Drew Klapko
Klapko, 34, is from Baltimore. He mentioned he graduated from highschool in Hartford County, Md. and got here to South Carolina to play baseball at Lander College in Greenwood. At Lander, Klapko mentioned he met his spouse, Pam, and after they graduated he bought an engineering job on the Savannah River website. Klapko majored in math and his spouse bought a job at Columbia.
He mentioned the couple settled within the Wagoner space as a result of his father-in-law had searching land within the space and have been already conversant in it. Klapko mentioned the couple purchased the land and constructed a home on it.
Klapko added that he labored as a methods engineer for Savannah River Remediation for 3 years earlier than becoming a member of Hubbell Energy Methods as a supervisor/engineer in 2016. He mentioned he’s at the moment the operations supervisor of the corporate.
He added that he has a mechanical engineering diploma from Clemson and served for a number of years as a member of the Marine Corps Reserve.
The Klapkos have 4 youngsters: Betty Jo, Andrew Jr., Jethro, and Bristol.
“I’ve 4 children which are at the moment in class, my spouse is an elementary faculty instructor in Wagener, I’ve two nephews in class, I’ve buddies who’ve children in class, buddies who’ve graduated … I am invested in colleges,” Klapko mentioned. “I do know that as a board member there isn’t any higher strategy to affect your neighborhood as insurance policies are available in than to signify them on the varsity board.”
Klapko mentioned he desires to get to know the opposite board members and work on three issues: decreasing classroom disruption, enhancing instructor retention by enhancing the varsity surroundings, and enhancing and insuring technical training in District 1.
Kim Livingston
Livingston, 54, mentioned he spent most of his childhood in Ridge Springs however added his mother and father purchased a enterprise in central Georgia when he was within the sixth grade. He mentioned he lived in central Georgia, graduated highschool there and spent his first yr of faculty at Georgia Faculty (now a part of Georgia State College) earlier than returning to the Aiken space.
He mentioned his stepfather had a stroke and he got here again to assist his mom.
Livingston mentioned he graduated from USC Aiken with a level in psychology, labored for a time at Farm Bureau Insurance coverage, returned to USC Aiken and took sufficient training lessons to allow himself to take the praxis examination and get a instructing certificates.
She mentioned she taught first and third grades at Ridge Spring Elementary College for eight years, after which taught fourth and fifth graders at Aiken Elementary College for about 5 years and as a literacy coach at Busby Elementary College in Wagener for 5 years.
Livingston mentioned she then grew to become a literacy coordinator with the district after which labored within the South Carolina Division of Training Workplace of College Transformation.
He added that he later earned two grasp’s levels: one in training (USC Aiken) and one in administration and management (Southern Wesleyan College).
Livingston mentioned she has been married to her husband Jimmy for 35 years. The couple has three youngsters, Taylor, Paul and Sammy, who attended Aiken County colleges.
“I’ve considered this for a very long time however I could not do it once I was working within the district,” Livingston mentioned. “Once I left the district, I at all times thought I might run for the varsity board if it ever got here up. So, it got here up. For me, it is a strategy to give again to the neighborhood that I’ve labored in. The varsity and a strategy to serve it.”
Livingston mentioned her targets are to place college students first, take into consideration the neighborhood and be collaborator and listener, and hearken to academics about how you can enhance instructor retention.
Deborah Tyler
Tyler, 56, can be a Wagener native. He mentioned he graduated from Wagener-Sally Excessive College. Tyler mentioned he labored for the varsity district after which attended Limestone College the place he obtained a bachelor of science diploma in enterprise administration.
On the faculty district, Tyler mentioned she began as a secretary within the buying division. He mentioned he has labored within the district for 16 years. Tyler mentioned he labored as a procurement specialist for the South Carolina Division of Probation, Parole and Pardon Companies. Tyler mentioned he then labored as a procurement supervisor for the South Carolina Division of Transportation earlier than returning to the Aiken faculty district the place he served as director of procurement.
Tyler mentioned he retired in October.
Tyler and her husband Ronnie have two youngsters: Ronnie and Ronnie. Ronnie performed broad receiver at The Citadel and the youthful Ronnie performed broad receiver at Maryland.
“We have at all times been passionate in regards to the success of youngsters, even youngsters in small communities,” Tyler mentioned. “We have been blessed to have them [her children] Good school that secures their future and I wish to make certain each different child has that chance.”
Tyler mentioned his targets embrace enhancing instructor retention and enhancing elementary faculty scholar efficiency. Tyler mentioned she desires to incorporate extra profession and know-how alternatives for college students in District 1. He added that if he wins, he desires to work together with his opponent to proceed enhancing colleges.
How one can vote
Early voting begins at 8:30 a.m. on Monday and can proceed till 5 p.m. on Thursday, April 6.
Aiken County residents who want to vote early could accomplish that on the Aiken County Board of Elections workplace situated on the decrease flooring of the Aiken County Authorities Middle at 1930 College Pkwy in Aiken.
Saluda County residents wishing to vote early could accomplish that on the Saluda County Board of Elections workplace situated at 702 Batesburg Hwy. Saluda
Polling on Election Day will begin from 7 am on April 11 and can proceed until 7 pm in 15 constituencies.
Aiken County Precincts are Moneta 21 (Ridge Spring-Moneta Excessive College), New Holland 24 (New Holland Fireplace Division), Oak Grove 30 (Oak Grove Baptist Church), Perry 31 (Perry City Corridor), Sally 32 (Outdated Crescent Vocational College ) ), Shaws Fork 33 (Shaws Fork Baptist Church), Tabernacle 36 (Couchton Fireplace Division Substation No. 2), Wagener 39 (Courtney Senior Middle), Ward 40 (Jerusalem Baptist Church), White Pond 42 (Summer time Grove Baptist Church) , and Windsor 43 and 82 (First Baptist Church Windsor Exercise Constructing).
The Saluda County precincts are Richland 15 (St. Williams Catholic Church), Ridge Spring-Moneta 16 (Ridge Spring Civic Middle) and Ward 20 (Mine Creek Baptist Church).
To discover a voting precinct and decide if a voter is eligible to vote within the election, a registered voter can go online to SCVotes.gov and scroll down the web page till they see a gold “MySCVotes” under “Test My Find the “Registration” possibility and click on on it. tab
The voter shall be requested to enter their county of registration, their first identify, final identify, date of beginning and the final 4 digits of their social safety quantity on the subsequent display screen. There’s additionally a robotic take a look at that could be required to proceed.
The following display screen is the place the voter lives within the faculty board district (solely residents of District 1 can vote), the situation of the voter’s polling station and the choice to open the situation on Google Maps for instructions.
Polling places are additionally supplied on the voter registration card, and except the situation adjustments inside a number of days of the election, any change in location shall be mailed to the registered voter. If the precinct location adjustments inside days of the election, notices shall be posted within the earlier precinct giving the brand new location.
As soon as a voter arrives on the precinct, they have to present picture identification to vote. Accepted picture identification is a South Carolina driver’s license, South Carolina Division of Motor Autos identification card, US passport or federal navy identification.
How one can discover outcomes
Outcomes shall be printed on-line at aikenstandard.com and within the April 13 version of the Aiken Customary.
