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Seventh school board member bill voted down

COLUMBIA — After months of debate, a movement to add a seventh member to the School District of Pickens County’s board of trustees took a hit last week, as House members of the county legislative delegation voted to keep the board at six seats.

The bill, proposed last year by Rep. B.R. Skelton and Rep. Davey Hiott, was struck down with a vote last week, as Skelton was the only local representative voting in favor of adding a seventh member. Hiott, along with Rep. Phil Owens and Rep. Josh Putnam, were in the group voting in opposition.

Local residents have spoken out at various public meetings on both sides of the debate, with some suggesting a seventh member would help avoid deadlocked votes on the school board and others saying the board needs no change from its current six-member structure.