Etc are three little letters we run across most every day — we hardly notice them. But when it comes to South Carolina and our future, ‘etc’ can be a real disaster or it can be our great hope.

Confused? Let me explain.

Etc (usually written with a period at the end as etc.) is short for et cetera, a Latin phrase that the Cambridge Dictionary defines as … and other similar things. Another way of thinking about etc is “more of the same.”

This “more of the same” idea as it applies to South Carolina is a very big problem for our state and our future.

While we are talking about words and the future, let me suggest that for South Carolina perhaps the eight worst words in the English language are “that’s the way we have always done it.” If you take this phrase and add etc at the end, well you’ve pretty much described the old ways of thinking that has held our state back for the last couple of hundred years.

Unfortunately, there are some folks in our state who still live by this idea of the past — and you can find a pretty good collection of them hanging around the Statehouse in Columbia when the Legislature is in session.

But, let me offer another more hopeful definition of etc — think education, technology and creativity. While the former etc leads to a rather bleak and empty future for our state, this second etc is the pathway to a more bright and hopeful future.

Let’s start with “e” for education. My second favorite governor of all time (after Gov. Richard Riley) was Bill Winter in Mississippi. For more than 30 years, Winter repeated the same phrase in almost every speech he made: “For us as individuals and as a state, the road to a better future runs past the school house door.”

And indeed it does. Both Winter and Riley were champions of the most far reaching education reforms that their state had seen in 100 years — but unfortunately their successors pretty much reverted to the old etc — more of the same.

Next is “t” for technology. Unless you have been living in a cave for the last generation, you understand that digital technology has, in the words of Bill Gates, “begun to transform our world on the same dimension as the invention of printing and the coming of the industrial age.”

The invention of printing and the coming of the industrial age? Yeah, he’s right: it’s that big.

We in South Carolina (or any other place in the world) that fully and radically embraces digital technology throughout society and especially in education — have the power to transform their world.

Whoa, you say … what does “fully and radically embrace digital technology” mean?

The answer to this brings us to the “c” in etc. C stands for creativity, i.e. Steve Job’s Think Different admonition and Apple’s advertising campaign. This creativity is the diametrical opposite of the old thinking of etc … more of the same.

Let me give you two similar examples of creativity in this new Digital Age, one from South Carolina and one global.

In the late 1990s, a group of far sighted educators and business folks came together and raised more than $1 million and put 350 educational laptops in some of South Carolina’s lowest performing schools. It was a pilot project of the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) program developed at the MIT Media Labs. (Full disclosure: I worked with this group.) The results were astoundingly good. An independent evaluation by then Superintendent of Education Jim Rex found that providing these computers was “dollar for dollar the single best thing we can do to improve education in our state.”

Despite this evaluation, some leaders in the Legislature reneged on their promise and did not fund an expansion of the program. (See the first definition of etc above.)

Now, the global example of “fully and radically embracing digital technology.” This week the British Broadcasting Company (BBC) launched Micro:bit. It’s a “pocket-sized computer with motion detection, a built in compass and Bluetooth technology, which is to be given free to every child in the 7th grade across the UK. The project was a collaboration between 29 partners with the ambition to inspire digital creativity and develop a new generation of tech pioneers.” (Full disclosure: BBC was a client of my company and Tony Hall, the head of BBC who launched the Micro:bit, was once on our board.)

The BBC is initially distributing more than 1 million Micro:bits with plans to expand to other grades once the project is evaluated. Most of the cost is being covered by the project’s business partners. (Sound familiar — see SC OLPC project above.)

No one knows for sure what will be the eventual impact of the BBC’s Micro:bit distribution. But this we do know for 100% sure: The etc of traditional South Carolina thinking is going to ensue 20th Century (or 19th Century) progress for our state and the BBC and OLPC version of etc is all about 21st Century progress.

Etc … three little letters … two different futures.

The choice is ours.

Phil Noble is a businessman in Charleston and president of the S.C. New Democrats, an independent reform group started by former Gov. Richard Riley to bring change and reform. He can be reached at phil@philnoble.com.

If only the four members of our school board who voted to close two mountain schools could journey with Dorothy to the Emerald City to get hearts, brains and courage. If only. But even if the trip were offered to them free of charge, I think they’d turn it down. Because it seems to me like they’re happy without those things.

It seems they want total power and are working toward that goal. That is not democracy. That is dictatorship. It’s time for a coup.

I’ve seen a lot of public fiascos in my time, but the shenanigans of four of our school board members and district administrators take the prize.

That is if a prize were being offered for best shell game of the decade, the most rigid and inflexible governing body, a board uncaring regarding children’s needs and least democratic body in the state.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought the board was elected to serve the students of Pickens County to the best of their ability.

Four board members have made a decision about attendance areas they do not represent. The two board members who do represent those attendance areas have been ignored.

One of the infamous four said in a public meeting that the public was concerned about children, but he was concerned about buildings.

Yes, that statement was made by a school board member. He cares about buildings. Really. I believe him. Clearly the decision about school closings was made long before any public input was sought. It was a done deal. I’d like to know why.

In the past, I’ve seen school attendance lines shifted so real estate holdings could sell. When some schools got far more than their fair share of the pie, those who spoke out against it were threatened.

I’ve seen students suffering from exposure to deadly mold in classrooms turned into scapegoats so that parents were forced to sue the district and win an undisclosed amount of money to force the district to treat the problem.

I’ve seen high-paying district jobs created for friends and family members. I’ve seen massive raises going to administrative positions while teachers are short-changed.

I’ve seen contracts awarded to buddies, building materials diverted to district employees, and even a board that deliberately lied to the S.C. Federation of the Blind when an administrator who was prejudiced against blind people was allowed to continue in a position of power over blind students.

I’ve seen budgets manipulated so figures reflect what “people are allowed to see.”

I’ve seen information withheld, public issues decided in executive session and a refusal to answer questions.

Who will gain from these school closings? Let’s dig a little deeper. I think the corruption is there. We just need to turn over the right rocks.

Truly their actions speak louder than their words. It looks to me like they can’t be shamed into doing what is right, because they are shameless. The decision to close these schools should be reversed. The people of this county should have input into what most deeply affects them. Here’s an idea: let’s implement democracy.

Injustice is always upsetting to see and to experience.It’s wrong. Discrimination should not be tolerated. It’s wrong.

There have been many justifications and rationalizations presented by members of the school board in defense of their decision to close Holly Springs and A.R. Lewis elementary schools.

I don’t think these arguments hold water when examined in the light of day.

What I do believe is these rural schools have been singled out for closing simply because of their locations, rural populations and the unique cultures and heritage of their communities.

I don’t believe the decision is based on economic necessity because of the little problem the board has with credibility.

When gas prices were sky high a couple of years ago, there wasn’t enough money allocated in the budget to cover running the buses. There was talk of closing down athletic programs to pay to run the buses.

Well, this year a lot more money was allocated for bus transportation than was needed. I wonder what will happen to the surplus.

We’ll never know.

Some years ago, Easley High School had such a serious problem with mold in some of its classrooms that a number of students developed serious health problems — so serious that some parents were forced to relocate their children to other schools.

When the board finally allowed the building to be tested for mold, they directed the testing to buildings that weren’t affected by mold problems. Yes, they had the clear buildings tested so they didn’t have to spend the money to correct the problem.

It wasn’t until a group of parents sued the district and won a settlement that the mold problem was treated. It would have been much less expensive to simply rectify the problem when it was identified than to deny it, label the sick students scapegoats and troublemakers and risk the health of hundreds of children. But instead, lots and lots of money was paid out when the lawsuit was lost. We were never allowed to know how much.

School board members, are you ready to destroy communities because the affected voters don’t live in your district? Clearly, the answer is yes.

Have you so little understanding of the education process to think the children ripped from their communities will thrive under these circumstances? If you answer honestly, the answer is yes.

Apparently these children are expendable. These communities are expendable. Appalachian culture and heritage are expendable.

Preserving the fabric that holds the communities together is essential to the well-being of the whole.

Why are you really doing this? I don’t believe for one minute that finances are the driving force. If that were true, you would simply vote to raise millage slightly or cut expenses in other places.

There have been rumbles in the county about discrimination suits being brought. I would not be surprised. I have been told that the U.S. Department of Education has been contacted for help, as well as the American Civil Liberties Union, based upon what some believe are attempts by the school board to cleanse the district of the pockets of Appalachian culture and heritage in its rural mountain areas.

And apparently this is perfectly alright with board members whose own attendance areas aren’t affected. They’ll sacrifice the ones least able to defend against this attack, and they believe not only that they can get away with it, they honestly believe it is perfectly alright to do this.

The message we take home with us is “If you can’t vote for me, then I really don’t care what you think.”

Clearly the public outcry against this decision is in vain. It doesn’t matter that the children in these schools did well or entered middle school prepared to excel there. It just doesn’t matter.

So don’t waste your breath telling us how much better off we’ll be without our mountain schools. There’s an old saying — “Just because your mouth opens and shuts like a prayer book doesn’t mean it is one.” Amen.

Authority over boards necessary

Dear Editor,

Like I said early on about the Pickens County School Board closing A.R. Lewis and Holly Springs, the root of the problem was “an utter and complete breakdown of representative government.”

The public had a loud, broad and unanimous opposition to closing any schools. Let’s face it, trustees Judy Edwards, Phil Bowers, Brian Swords and Herb Cooper and superintendent Dr. Danny Merck didn’t hear the message, and voted to close the schools anyway.

Stating it another way, the public owns the school system, hires trustees to not only listen, but hear, and when the directives from the public are clear, broad and unanimous, the trustees are to follow them. That process broke down miserably.

This is a nationwide problem with our government, reflecting in the rise of Donald Trump. When candidates get into office and move just beyond the reach of the voters for another four years, too many then do what they want or even the opposite of what they promised during their campaigns. That is frustrating the heck out of people, and rightly so, so it must change.

But how change it? At the county level, the solution might be in giving the public petition/referendum power to repeal items passed by the school board. This would put a little decision-making power in the hands of the people directly — what they yearn for, and such veto authority could be used any time the board goes wayward on an issue like our school board did last week.

If such a law was in effect now, residents of Pickens County could start a petition against the closures (signatures equal to 15 percent of registered voters) and submit that petition to the board chairman. If the board refused to reverse their decision, the item would then be put on the ballot for all voters in November for repeal.

Looking at Title 5, Chapter 17 (cities) and Title 4, Chapter 9 (counties) of the state code, residents have similar authority already with their city councils and the county council. Residents in all counties of the state need similar authority over their school boards.

Alex Saitta

School board trustee

Pickens

A tyrannical school board

Dear Editor,

Tyranny is “cruel and unfair treatment by people with powers over others” according to Webster. Thomas Jefferson once said, “Experience hath shown, that even under the best forms of government those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operations, perverted it into tyranny.”

This is exactly what has happened with the Pickens County School Board with the recent closing of two rural schools against the will of the people. Is that not unfair and cruel?

The overwhelming majority of the citizens of Pickens County did not want these two schools closed and made their wishes known to board members. Only two school board members listened to the will of the people — Alex Saitta and Henry Wilson. They obviously don’t believe in tyranny.

The other four members shut people out in the rain when the decision was made and ignored motion after motion by Saitta and Wilson to give more time and thought for the will of the people to prevail.

After a call-in blitz that was held recently, it has become quite clear that the S.C. State Board of Education will do nothing even though they do have the ultimate authority over education, according to the S.C. Constitution.

It has become quite clear that Gov. Nikki Haley is not going to intervene.

None of our Pickens County Legislative Delegation members have offered any solutions.

Isn’t it interesting that all of the above elected officials will get involved in situations that “they” think are important, like taking down the Confederate flag? But yet when we the people feel there is an unjust tyrannical school board holding our schools hostage for ransom we get just a … “sorry, we can’t help.” When the board threatens to close schools because you aren’t giving them enough money, that is extortion!

Edmond Burke once said, “All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent.”

Don’t remain silent, people, or there will be more tyrannical decisions made by these tyrants!

Johnnelle Raines

Pickens

Editorial full of irony

Dear Editor,

It is ironic that Senator Tim Scott, in his recent editorial regarding the appointment of the replacement for Justice Antonin Scalia, went on at great length about the importance of politicians following “the will of the people,” while the leaders of his own party are laying awake at night trying to devise a backdoor scheme to deny their party’s nomination for president to the voters’ clear choice, and to hand the nomination to the distant third-place candidate. So much for “the will of the people.”

The people expressed their will quite clearly a little more than three years ago, when they re-elected President Obama to his second four-year term. That’s four years, not three.

The Constitution is clear in describing the president’s responsibility for nominating a replacement for a vacancy on the court, and for the Senate’s responsibility for considering that nominee for confirmation. There is no ambiguity, and certainly no mention of a cut-off point in a president’s term of office beyond which a president’s constitutional responsibilities are put on hold until after the next election.

Sen. Scott cited Joe Biden’s comments made 24 years ago in which Biden questioned whether the then-incumbent president should recommend a replacement to fill a Supreme Court vacancy during the last days of the president’s term of office. What he does not mention is the fact that the Republican who spoke in opposition to Biden’s question was South Carolina’s own Sen. Strom Thurmond, who said (correctly) that there is no rule that would prevent an incumbent president from making an appointment at any time during his term of office. The state of today’s Republican party is almost enough to make one nostalgic for Strom Thurmond.

The objection by the Republicans to President Obama’s exercising his constitutional responsibility to put forward a nominee for Justice Scalia’s replacement is nothing more than continuation of their overt stated policy of obstruction of the nation’s business for cheap political gain. The responsibilities of the president and the Senate are clear. Let’s get on with it.

John Landers

Liberty

Signature issue

Dear Editor,

Under the state law, the school board has authority to close schools. I do not dispute that, but board members also must have a moral authority or standing to make such a decision. When making a decision of such gravity — one that turns lives upside down, changes communities and ends traditions going back to the 1920s, leaders must be conscious of not only their legal authority but whether or not they have the moral authority as well.

Phil Bowers is from Six Mile, with one year on the board. Herb Cooper has been on the board 24 years, and I understand he visited Holly Springs last week, and my bet is that was his first visit. Dr. Danny Merck has been superintendent less than two years, and he doesn’t have a middle school or career center named after him. I don’t have the moral standing either. While I’ve been representing Pickens 12 years, I’m not from here. Frankly, I’m a Yankee with no place messing with a 100-year tradition in Pickens County, S.C., without the blessing of the people who spent their entire lives here.

When I think about the people who should make a decision of this magnitude, I can’t help but think our names are near the bottom of that list, despite what the law says.

Someone like Larry Martin, who has been representing the county for 35 years, been elected and re-elected numerous times, would be seen as having the moral authority to do this. Someone from the Chastain, the Edens or the Lynch families, who have been living in those communities since the 1790s, would be at the top of that list.

Where is the respect for the wishes of those who have been here long before us, or made the investments of time that we haven’t made?

The fact the board seriously considered making this decision against the wishes of the thousands who have put years, and whose families put generations of time and effort into those schools and communities is reprehensible. The fact they voted to close those schools is unforgiveable.

I could see if the buildings blew down in a tornado over the Easter break and then such a decision was hoisted upon us — to rebuild these small schools or not rebuild them? Then we would be justified in making that decision, moral standing or not. But that was not the case here. Absent the necessary moral authority or standing, Judy Edwards, Brian Swords, Phil Bowers, Herb Cooper and Dr. Merck went out of their way to close those freshly renovated schools — some of the top performers in the county — and ended a nearly 100-year tradition up there.

Their names will be mud with these people because they know these “leaders” lack the moral authority or standing to make such a decision in their eyes. The parents of students in those schools, the decades of alumni spread around this county, the families that have been up there since the 1790s or those who just moved into places like the Vineyards know these trustees have not invested one moment of time in these schools or communties.

Later, when these trustees think of why they ran and the superintendent what he aimed to accomplish in his tenure, there will be no way to run away from this decision; closing these schools will be their signature issue, and no one will look upon them favorably for it.

Alex Saitta

School board trustee

Pickens

Do you care?

Dear Editor,

My heart goes out to the families and children who are affected by the school board’s irresponsible and deplorable vote on Monday night. We went through this and know what these changes and challenges will be like for you.

As far as the board members who didn’t listen to the hundreds of people who didn’t want this for their family, their children, their friends and neighbors — I certainly hope you enjoyed your time on the board playing God with the people who voted to put you in that position in the first place and mistakenly trusted you.

There were other options rather than closing any of these schools, and you know it. It amazes me how you four board members can disengage and not care that you just hurt hundreds of families and children.

When you go to sleep at night, will you even think about the children who go to bed crying at night because they’re losing their school, their friends, their trusted teachers and their feeling of safety in all that they know right now? Do you care that their first experience in politics is the knowledge that money matters, not people?

If I have anything to say about it, I will do everything in my power to make sure you do not get re-elected. You have effectively made these children numbers and treated these families like they were part of a business plan, instead of the community that they are. Shame on you.

When the next board seats come up for election, you will be on the chopping block. You have made people feel like their voices are not heard, and you don’t care about what’s best for them and their families, and people do not have short memories.

If there is ever a time to get involved in voting and choosing board members who care about us, and not the schools as a business where you can “write off” loss, now is the time.

We need the “majority” of the board to represent the voters, the families, the children and the community, and as it stands right now, we do not have that.

Personally, I would like to thank Henry Wilson and Alex Saitta for being steadfast in doing your best to keep us informed and truly representing us and the community. It couldn’t have been easy to stand up against the bullies that make up the remainder of the board. But please know that you have our respect, loyalty and appreciation for standing up for what was right and fighting for our children’s best interest.

Laura Demler

Pickens

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia’s passing is no doubt a great loss to his family and to our country. My thoughts and prayers continue to be with his family. His efforts to uphold the Constitution and our country’s founding principles will be sorely missed.[cointent_lockedcontent]

The president and I both agree that the confirmation of a Supreme Court justice is a responsibility that the president and the Senate share under the Constitution; however, it is ultimately the voice of the people that should be held in the highest regard when nominating our next justice. This seat on the Supreme Court should not be used as a political tool to promote a legacy. Instead, it should be used as an opportunity to promote the will of the people.

Because it is an election year, the American people will make clear their preference when they elect our next president in November. This election should be seen as a great opportunity for the people to tell government exactly what they want from the Supreme Court in the decades to come. It is our next president who should be responsible for nominating our next justice to ensure that the people’s wants of the future, not of the past, are clearly represented.

The president’s argument that a strict reader of the Constitution would see the postponement of the nomination, to hear the voice of the people, as misleading is faulty at best. The Constitution certainly gives the president the ability to nominate a new justice; however, he must do so with the advice and consent of the Senate.

To claim that the GOP is not doing its job by not considering a nominee from a lame-duck president is simply incorrect. The Senate has advised the president that we are rightfully siding with the people who elected us, the people we work for, and that he should do the same.

This advice virtually mimics the advice that Vice President Joe Biden gave President George Bush in 1992: “…it is my view that if a Supreme Court Justice resigns tomorrow, or within the next several weeks, or resigns at the end of the summer, President Bush should consider following the practice of a majority of his predecessors and not — and not — name a nominee until after the November election is completed.” (Sen. Biden, Congressional Record, S.16316-7, 6/25/1992)

I, along with my colleagues in the Senate, will stand firm on the principle that Americans should have input in determining who will be the next Supreme Court nominee. The last time the Senate confirmed a nominee in a similar situation was 128 years ago.

It has been widely understood that for more than a hundred years a lame-duck president should not be making a lifetime appointment, and that is not something we should or will ignore. I will continue to fight for our country’s right to have a say in the future makeup of the Supreme Court; the next president must nominate a successor to Justice Scalia who upholds the Constitution and our founding principles.

Republican Tim Scott has represented South Carolina in the United States Senate since 2013.

[/cointent_lockedcontent]

Now that the finish line is in sight for the presidential primaries, I’m waiting for the “shoe to drop.” It’s about this time in any campaign when something ugly is dragged out from under the rug to knock candidates off their pedestals.

Although in this particular election it would be hard to say who might even be on a pedestal.

Setting that aside, isn’t it time for some obscure person to come forward to reveal an unsavory secret from a candidate’s past or even present?

Now we know there has to be something out there. We just don’t know when we’ll find out about it.

Are there a bunch of mistresses running around loose with the illegitimate offspring of any candidates?

Are there any candidates in the illegal drug business, perhaps bringing drugs across the borders?

Anybody who ever hired a hitman to rid themselves of the opposition?

Does anybody have a murder in their past?

Is there a closet terrorist among them? A cannibal? A serial killer?

Somebody knows. And if the information is out there, as we’ve seen in the past, eventually it will come out.

A little web surfing located some interesting reports on how to detect when a person is lying, although several studies said it is more difficult to detect lying in politicians because of the practice they’ve had.

The studies say lying is a lot more stressful than telling the truth. It requires a good memory and a lot of repetition. It takes a lot of energy to lie, and keeping up with the lies can become overwhelming.

In trying to decide whether or not a person is lying, watch facial expression, body language and content. Poker players are supposed to be very good at this.

For example, a liar will give way more detail in answering a question than a truthful person. A liar may also tell another version of his lie the next time questioned about it. It’s a lot harder to remember the details if they’ve been made up.

A liar has trouble answering a direct question but often skates around an issue and manages to direct attention to another issue.

A liar will often fold their arms across their chest, clench their hands, place a hand over their mouth or turn the head to one side.

Of course, none of these behaviors are surefire red flags in all people.

That’s when we have to get out there and learn as much as we can about important issues.

We tend to believe things that we want to believe. It doesn’t mean they are the truth.

So it’s up to us now. This whole campaign thing seems to have gotten out of hand. It would be nice if there were some adults on the ticket. Is that too much to ask?

Tax increase needed to save schools

Dear Editor,

I attended the Monday night meeting of the Stakeholders Committee for the School Board Facilities Committee. I do appreciate the time and energy devoted to the tasks given this diverse and dedicated group of Pickens citizens. I attended in support of finding ways to keep Ambler, A.R. Lewis and Holly Springs elementary schools open. There are some important takeaways that must be shared — and soon.

1. This catastrophe-in-the-making is not something that has come about just in the last month, or eight months, or 11 months. It has been brewing for quite a while. A long-time, organized effort to keep taxes down, apparently at any expense, has placed our entire school district in jeopardy. No longer can this situation be shoved to the back burner, tabled for further research or referred to committee. It is evident that the communities represented by these committee members know that the disunity of our school board is the greatest contributor to our current crisis. I wonder what AdvancED thinks about this current proposal. SDPC administrators are not the “bad guys” here — the recommendations they present to the board must fall within law. Our budget is sound and transparent, but we cannot spend more than we bring in.

2. The Pickens County School Board must decide quickly on plans to address critical needs. It must not be considered a stop-gap measure. The research presented at the meeting showed that every school in our district will eventually be affected by the current proposal. Two viable solutions were presented last night, and both can work. My preferred solution is to increase the Pickens County sales tax. Yes, I used that four letter word — TAXX! Keep reading — a 1 percent sales tax would be added to prepared food. This is a tax that we choose to pay when we choose to eat out. It will not be added to groceries. It is not a property tax. This increase is conservatively projected to bring a substantial amount of dollars to the school district’s coffers. A penny sales tax would decrease everyone’s property tax, including commercial and investment property owners. This proposal will have a 10-year limitation. By law, 10 percent must be used to reduce district debt, which will in turn, reduce tax. The balance of the revenue must be spent on capital needs in the district — in other words, things (buildings and technology), not people. The provisions for business owners may be an encouragement for potential businesses moving to Pickens County. This is a win, win, win for our students, schools, and communities. This should debunk the theory of the organized anti-tax group in our county that all tax increases are bad. There are two major concerns, however; our board must be united in order for the community to see the critical importance of passing this in a county-wide referendum. In addition, a strong grassroots effort will be necessary to ensure that our citizens are convinced completely and quickly of the dire need for this tax. The potential for the revenue is amazing.

The second solution involves using school buildings for charter schools. From the reports presented on Monday evening, starting a charter school will take more time than we have for a 2016-2017 opening. If the board will give the time needed to work toward this solution, we will need to work like crazy and pass the 1 percent tax increase (the consumer tax) in November, then work toward offering public charter schools through the SDPC beginning in the 2017-2018 school year.

I know that Pickens County can and must provide a “free quality public education for all students.” I am ready and eager to do my part.

Vickie Gibson

Pickens

A mountain treasure

Dear Editor,

For the past 18 years, I have been helping with the Holly Springs Garden Club. People should know what a valuable resource our district has in Holly Springs Elementary School. Besides having the community of parents, volunteers and teachers working together to improve many aspects of our students’ lives, we have the physical grounds that foster an interest in science that rivals any field trip we have taken.

Our active garden club now has about 30 students that meet after school. Years before STEM and Career Ready Standards, we were problem-solving and collaborating with each other. There is a combination of older students working with younger ones in each garden group. We are affiliated with Pickens Garden Club, which enables students to win numerous youth awards sponsored by the Garden Clubs of South Carolina. At the present, we have a Lifetime Certified Schoolyard Habitat from the National Wildlife Federation, Carolina Yard Recognition and we are progressing in the Green Steps Program.

Over the years, students have created several gardens — a butterfly garden, which students designed into north, south, east and west sections; a vegetable garden; and a woodland rain garden. For the rain garden, students met with a landscape architect, who took their designs and meshed them together to help with stormwater runoff. In this garden are planted jonquil bulbs donated from the original Andrew Pickens home place. We collaborate with Clemson Extension Service, native plant specialists and master gardeners. This collaboration also gave students an opportunity to lay out and dig a bioswale to help solve a water drainage problem between the wings of the school.

Volunteers from the Vineyards helped students build bird houses and place them around the school. As a result, many students recognize native plants and birds that frequent our garden. On our last field trip to Table Rock State Park, students were knowledgeable of those birds and plants.

Students have created an environment around the school that enhances both writing and art. In warmer weather, students sit in our colorful gardens, listen to nature and write. What a wonderful way to reflect on what you learn, read about and observe! Currently, the art teacher and I are collaborating on how to work in smaller groups so part of second grade can garden while the other part does art with nature.

Volunteers are working on repairing the greenhouse, so students can grow and experiment with planting our own seeds with compost we use after collecting leftover food from lunch. We have a huge storage container for our numerous tools which were acquired with grant money. Many projects are ongoing.

It will be disheartening to dismantle what we have invested in over the years. This scenic environment fosters a love of the outdoors and conservation. Losing Holly Springs and its location is a decision that will be regretted in the future. This is a valuable resource for math, science and outdoor learning!

Ann Bowen

Holly Springs Elementary

Second Grade Teacher

‘Just say no’ to closings

Dear Editor,

In the midst of the school board still trying to push to close our small community schools, one fact is still predominant — that we, as a community, need to stand strong and unite to keep this from happening!

It’s easy to get complacent when they put a vote off for a couple weeks, but the threat is still looming and very real. We need to get involved. Be vocal! Show your support in keeping our schools open! We have board members who are from outside our immediate community and therefore, the closing of these schools doesn’t personally affect them. They do not have children in our “mountain schools” who will be displaced and heartbroken.

I saw a sign along the road here in Pickens that said “Save the schools … Oust the board,” and that is so true. We need people from Clemson and Easley who are willing to run for election on these two seats, who care about our schools and have a community mindset. We need to vote and let our voices and wishes be heard!

I know that there are actually three seats coming open, however, Alex Saitta, in my opinion, should stay, as he does want to keep the schools open and has demonstrated his leadership in our community and appreciates our values. I think some of the board members forget who exactly they represent.

I emailed and/or wrote to every single board member, and the only two board members who are great about responding are Henry Wilson and Alex Saitta. Big surprise, considering the others just want an easy answer to close the schools and open up more revenue to just blow on other “wants.”

Oh, and to the chair of the facilities committee, who was very clear about his position on not compromising and wants to close the schools — considering your original view was to have “greater emphasis on the classroom, local control and community values,” well, that is what we, as a community, are fighting for! Please try to think if it was your child or grandchild who attended one of these schools. Would you look at them with tears in their eyes, and tell them that you were going to close their school?

We teach our children to “just say no” to drugs, bullying and violence. This is something the board members need to try — “just say no” to closing our schools and preserve the community values that thrive in our “mountain schools!”

Laura Demler

Pickens

Music speaks to the heart. Sometimes I’ll hear a song on the radio that brings back a time from the past I’d forgotten all about. Thinking back on childhood, I realize what a big part of our lives music was. Grandmama loved music and was a really good pianist. She’d played the ukulele as a girl, and I think music played a big part in my Granddaddy’s courtship of her.

He was engaged to someone else when they met and had even completed a house and furnished it for his then-fiancee. But he met Grandmama, and that was the end of his engagement to “the other woman.”

He played the guitar until he lost his left hand in a hunting accident. Mama said he still played after the accident, because Grandmama chorded the neck for him.

She had a lot of sheet music. I can remember her playing “The Turkey Trot.” I still have the music. They loved to dance.

Mama sang. She sang in the car, the kitchen and the bedroom. She taught us all kinds of songs across a broad spectrum. She bought sheet music, too, and also played the piano. “Down in the Valley” and “You are my Sunshine.” She’d sing while she played the piano. We’d dance, too.

In the kitchen at night after supper, she’d have the radio on and would dance with a dish towel in her hand.

I remember “The Abba Dabba Honeymoon,” “The Little Brown Jug,” “Frankie and Johnny,” and there was always “Froggie Went A-Courtin’.”

Life just bubbled out of her.

Car trips were never dull. Even though the radio in the car was mostly static, we didn’t feel the lack because we had Mama driving.

We played word games and would sing “The Green Grass Growing All Around” song.

I remember standing in the backseat (this was before seatbelts), resting my head on the back of her seat and hearing her say, “Don’t smack that gum in my ear.”

If we were on a long trip, like driving to Norfolk to visit our other grandmother, we’d fall asleep in the backseat listening to the tires on the asphalt.

She’d be humming in the front, and it seemed as though she was harmonizing with the sound of the tires.

If it was summer, the car windows would be rolled down and the occasional moth would come in through the open window.

The next morning, the grill would be covered with dead insects and there’d be lots of bodies on the windshield where they’d “splatted.”

In the summer, after supper, we’d go out on the front porch and watch night come. We’d sit on the porch swing, and Mama and Grandmama Would sip iced tea in their rocking chairs and talk in low voices. Sometimes Mama would sing, and it was beautiful watching the light fade in the sky with Mama’s voice in the background.

When Matt and I would take the boat down the river, we’d sing as we paddled.

One of our favorites was “Onward Christian Soldiers,” because the time was just right with the paddle motion.

They gave us the gift of music, and I’m grateful for it, as it’s been an abiding joy to both of us throughout our lives. And because we love it, our children do. And so it will go on long after we are gone. This is a fact I derive a great deal of pleasure from.

Clearly a government breakdown

Dear Editor,

The school district building program had three financial requirements:

First, finance the $387 million program. That was done by passing the Greenville Plan in 2006 and approving a 39-mill property tax increase. Today, the annual bond payment is $24.5 million.

Second, the district had to cover the increased costs to operate the extra space and acreage. Those rising operational costs were covered with natural revenue growth from 2010 to 2014. When you look at the cost of operations, utilities, insurance and day-to-day repairs, it’s $12.8 million a year.

Finally, we have to cover capital maintenance items like replacing roofs, HVACs, repaving parking lots and computer refreshes. This year $4.6 million was spent on capital maintenance.

In sum, the district is spending $42 million on buildings this year.

Let’s focus on the capital maintenance budget for next year, which is the bone of contention. Refinancing the district’s construction loan is generating a stream of savings used to help fund that budget. This year that was $3.25 million. That figure is rising by $250,000 a year, so it will be $3.5 million in 2016-17.

As mentioned, $4.6 million is being spent on capital maintenance. A 10 percent increase would be $5 million.

For 2016-17, $5 million minus $3.5 million yields a $1.5 million deficit. This is manageable if the board takes the following steps.

I was the central figure in discovering Clemson was violating the TIF law and brought the case to our attorney and district administration. I hoped the money would go toward something that would make a notable difference. The annual in-flow of TIF money is $600,000. It should be earmarked for building maintenance. That gets us to $4.1 million revenue, so the capital budget would be $900,000 short.

Instead of having meetings to close schools or discuss another tax increase — both the public opposes, the board should:

1) Examine its $193 million in annual spending, rank expenses from necessary or most important to least important and reallocate let’s say $600,000 from the bottom to building maintenance. The last time the board combed through the budget like that was five years ago.

2) Allocate a couple hundred thousand of new revenue to building maintenance — revenue is likely to grow more than $4 million next year.

3) Sell surplus properties, and there are five or six. When one is sold, it can be used to help plug a small hole in the maintenance budget.

4) Consider spending some savings; the savings account has about $3 million.

That would balance the 2016-17 budget. In 2017-18 the refinancing savings should grow another $250,000. Ditto in 2018-19, and then the TIF revenue doubles to $1.3 million.

There isn’t a lack of money or inability to manage this — revenue growth is the highest in 10 years, and $1.5 million could be reallocated to building maintenance. Rather, the issue is the board and administration would rather spend the money on something else besides keeping those small schools open. Be it a $20,000 LED sign at the district office, extra pay raises, airplane tickets to some education conference or building another administration building.

With the opposition to closing schools so loud and unanimous, clearly there is a government breakdown here, between the will of the people and the actions of its elected body.

Alex Saitta

School board trustee

Pickens

Keep the schools open

Dear Editor,

One of the primary ways the state funds local school districts is through the Education Funding Act, which is supposed to follow a funding formula. When this act was passed in 1977, its base student cost (BSC) was set at $1,000 per weighted pupil unit. This BSC is to increase each year with inflation to help districts keep their programs current as prices and salaries increase.

According to the law, the BSC should be about $2,800. The state only funded it at $2,200 this year.

The House Ways and Means Committee announced it is giving public K-12 education an extra $375 million next year. One of the reasons is a generous boost in the BSC. Overall state revenue to school districts is rising at its highest rate since before the recession.

In Pickens County, the sum of the county government and county school taxes is 234.7 mills. Ten years ago it was 201.4. The increase is totally attributed to the school district. There has been a significant growth in the number of properties, and the tax rate has been raised, too.

Given all this, why doesn’t the school board of Pickens County have enough funding to keep all its renovated schools open? Some are saying the district is in a financial crisis. If there is a crisis, there shouldn’t be. There is enough funding. The school district must better manage their revenue coming in, and instead of 10 No. 1 priorities, there should be one. Keep the schools open.

Weldon Clark

Liberty