OSD officials: weigh ballot choices carefully

Leaders of Oconee public schools decline to say who they will be voting for next month, but they urge all voters to keep in mind education when they cast ballots. District administrators Steve Hanvey and Earnestine Williams are among the officials who want voters to conduct their own research as to who is best, from the standpoint of good public education. Dr. Michael Thorsland, county superintendent, helped draw a parallel today to the district’s goal of being in the total ten districts in the state. Thorsland and some of his colleagues decry the millions of dollars that South Carolina spends to administer tests required by the federal government. They believe that its money that would be spent better at the local education level. Balancing the district’s operational budget is a second objective. Thorsland says the district accepts the wish of Oconee County Council for higher local spending on education to be derived from growth in the tax base—instead of raising taxes. As he sees it, the key is to cut expenses without cutting the quality of education through teacher layoffs or reduction-in-force.