“I’m concerned for Oconee County”

A high court ruling in favor of plaintiffs who argued that a minimally adequate education denies opportunity to students in their South Carolina school districts should be a matter for concern in Oconee County, considered one of the wealthier school districts in the state. That was the assessment given last night by members of Oconee’s state legislative delegation. They spoke in response to a question from County Councilman Reg Dexter. A retired teacher, State Representative Bill Whitmire admitted he has concern for future funding levels for Oconee public schools. The county’s schools have long benefited from taxes paid by the owners of lakefront homes and by the county’s top taxpayer, Duke Energy. Whitmire’s delegation colleague Senator Thomas Alexander went a step further last night when he declared, “I want to help every child have an opportunity to get a good education in the State of South Carolina, but not at the expense of the students in Oconee County who are getting an outstanding education.”